Expired Bear Spray

Doing a little "Spring Cleaning" of the man cave at the cabin and came across an unfired cannister of bear spray, expiry date 2004.
Now, we have salad dressings in the fridge that old but I figure Bear Spray might be a little bit more time sensitive. :mrgreen:
What's the best way to dispose of it, simply take it out back, leave the dogs in the cabin, point it down wind and let 'er rip ? Any concerns about residual crap hanging around in the snow that the dogs or humans might come into contact with over time?

You could use it as under arm deodorant, that will keep the bears off ya, and the cougars too.

At work we use them for training new staff. If it's recently expired it's a good wake up as to just how close a bear has to be for it to be effective. If it's from 2004 it's a good lesson in why you don't carry bear spray that old. Take it somewhere clear of your camp and fire it off. Then bag it, wash your hands and turf it. I've heard the spray can attract bears if it's on the ground, but haven't seen it first hand. I'd rather not do it near the camp just in case.

take it out i

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Originally Posted by duallie

take it out i

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take it out in the bush and use it as a practice can.
it's not often that one gets to shoot their can off, it's not really a situation you "want" to be in.
it's always a good idea to take an expired can and practice range with it.

also, in it's dormant state, bear-spray is an attractant.
think about it, it's basically a spice.
there's a story of a guy who sprayed the pontoons of his float-plane with bearspray while he was away from his plane.
he came back to find the pontoons torn up.

[QUOTE=duallie;1456265]take it out in the bush and use it as a practice can.
it's not often that one gets to shoot their can off, it's not really a situation you "want" to be in.
it's always a good idea to take an expired can and practice range with it.

BradB already said this, I guess you like stealing other peoples thunder, you should read what River Otter has for his Quote from brambles at the bottom of his posts.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,
It's of to the woods I go.
Thanks for the advice, I'll wait for the weather to be more Spring Like, leave the dogs in the cabin and then do as suggested.

Just a thought, maybe do what the cops do to train new recruits. Give them a douse to show how dangerous, and incapacitated one becomes when sprayed. You can never be too prepared.... :mrgreen:

It will still be very potent so get none on your hands while playing. Wear a pair of disposable gloves and peel one off with one hand then hold the removed glove in the still gloved hand and take that one off, turning inside out as you go. Yes, I know all this from experience with expired canisters. Even a tiny bit on your fingers will burn like crazy if you absentmindedly rub your nose, lips or eyes. But it is entertaining and educational.

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Originally Posted by Ambush

It will still be very potent so get none on your hands while playing. Wear a pair of disposable gloves and peel one off with one hand then hold the removed glove in the still gloved hand and take that one off, turning inside out as you go. Yes, I know all this from experience with expired canisters. Even a tiny bit on your fingers will burn like crazy if you absentmindedly rub your nose, lips or eyes. But it is entertaining and educational.

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Already figured that one out. :mrgreen:
Have a large supply of biohazard grade gloves and same mask which I had to use to try to clean out the freezer that some people let thaw out for a month when they turned off the wrong breaker. :evil:

Use as a practice can.
wear some gloves & goggles :)
( in case of wind etc)

Yup, golden opportunity to practice your quick fingers and reaction in bear encounters. Make sure you time yourself. Good to know how quick you can react.

[QUOTE=Ringo 7MM;1456279]

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Originally Posted by duallie

take it out in the bush and use it as a practice can.
it's not often that one gets to shoot their can off, it's not really a situation you "want" to be in.
it's always a good idea to take an expired can and practice range with it.

BradB already said this, I guess you like stealing other peoples thunder, you should read what River Otter has for his Quote from brambles at the bottom of his posts.

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get off my back.
you attack every single post that I make in every thread.
quit being a shit-disturber.
learn from your ban.

We fired off a couple old cans, one only shot for 1/4 of the time as the other, kinda scary really, hopefully it was just the cans age. My bro in law got a little mist in his face and I got some on my fingers and then inadvertently touched my lips. It tastes like hot sauce, good flavor but a hot burn.:-D My bro in law said his face got tingly. It was informative, to be effective the bear would have to be within 15 feet in dead calm air and 8 to 10 feet in any breeze, awfully close.

I sprayed almost half a can at a black bear 15 feet away then emptied the can for second dose at 12 feet away. It didn't do much to the bear, kinda made him sneeze and he did a 360 spin to avoid the cloud around him. After the can was empty the bear just kept tilting his head sideways and trying to walk closer. So I shot him with my rifle, he rolled back from the shot and died quickly. He was a typical northern black bear not big but he would've still won a fight against me. After my adrenaline wore off I started coughing repeatedly, almost puked, my nose, mouth and eyes were burning for a good 20 minutes. I only got a little of the cloud I had sprayed. I was going sheep hunting and stopped in a small creek to load up on my water supply. There were trees and thick brush all around and very little wind. The can had over a year before it expired, it had lots of spray in it and a good amount of pressure. I still carry bear spray with me. Mostly for when I'm tenting it as its easier to swing a can around then it is to swing a rifle when your suddenly woke up. I think bear spray only buys you some time to get your poop in a group and start shooting. The seal in the can is what expires not the spray, its to prevent an accidental discharge as the seal looses its properties.

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Originally Posted by ElectricDyck

We fired off a couple old cans, one only shot for 1/4 of the time as the other, kinda scary really, hopefully it was just the cans age. My bro in law got a little mist in his face and I got some on my fingers and then inadvertently touched my lips. It tastes like hot sauce, good flavor but a hot burn.:-D My bro in law said his face got tingly. It was informative, to be effective the bear would have to be within 15 feet in dead calm air and 8 to 10 feet in any breeze, awfully close.

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This is what I mean when I say you shouldn't carry expired spray. A can that may have a 15 foot range when new may only have 4-6 feet after it expires. As has been said, the expiry is for the seal and I think that as the seal degrades you lose some of the propellant.
As far as the example with the charging Black bear, the spray realistically needs to hit a bear square in the face to be effective so they have to be getting within 10 feet or less if they're really motivated. In all reality, most folk on this forum would probably have shot the bear long before it gor that close.

Spice up a big ole pot of chilli or jambalaya with it.

I'm not a fan of OC in the outdoors, it is more likely to incapacitate you than a bear. The smaller ones usually shoot a stream and are more reliable in a breeze. The bigger ones tend to spray a fog pattern that is really succeptable to wind.

Shake the can up really well and you and a buddy should spray each other so you know what to expect if you use it and do get contaminated. That is the reason LEO's get sprayed. The main reaction is incapacitation and panic. Establish a physical task that involves running somewhere and performing a task like hitting something on a rope with a bat. The idea is that you'll learn that it won't kill you to get sprayed and that you can still fight off a bear.

don't forget to film it!

then have a cold shower with your clothes on (don't wash it all onto your nuts) when it seems to be stabilized switch to the hottest water you can stand to get it out of your pores.

After that you'll probably just use your gun or a big stick to fight off bears!

I'd throw it in a fire and then shoot it, see what happens.......seriously!

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Originally Posted by Drillbit

I'd throw it in a fire and then shoot it, see what happens.......seriously!

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How a bout you give me your address, I'll mail it to you and you video what happens.
Seriously. :wink:

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Originally Posted by duallie

take it out i

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I advise against that, especially around bear spray.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzU6_3GqbFo

I'm am in!

Is it flammable? Probably won't be very good if it isn't, but I'll do it!

Woops, double tapped.