My father, brother and I took a two week vacation out west. While hiking around the base of Jenny Lake in Wyoming we encountered an adolescent black bear.  When we first embarked on the short day hike, I was not anticipating seeing much wildlife due to how heavily traveled the trail was. In fact, I distinctly remember chiding my dad for toting along the bear spray on his hip belt. It seemed as if we were passing other hikers every fifteen minutes or so. As we walked around the base of the lake, the trail dog-legged sharply to the right. When we rounded the bend we were astonished to see a black bear not more than twenty-five yards away. He was contentedly grazing away in what I presume was some sort of berry bush. The bear spotted us instantly and squared up to us on the trail, I imagine merely seeking to protect his food source. After a short time he started to rock back and forth before finally charging. When he was no more than fifteen feet away he put the brakes on abruptly, then slowly started to rock back and forth again. By this time my father had pulled out his bottle of UDAP pepper spray. They bear charged forward again and my father sprayed him with a large blast of spray as soon as the bear took his first step. It seemed (at least to my fright-frozen mind) that the bear was in slow motion as he turned his head from side to side to avoid the spray. Slowly, he turned and climbed up the hill to our left before finally perching himself on a rocky outcropping almost above our heads. From our vantage point on the ground we could clearly see him trying to use his forearms to wipe the bear spray from his muzzle. Looking back, I think the bear merely wanted to bluff us into running away, but at any rate I’m glad we had your spray. It worked perfectly, and I can honestly say it was the best money we have ever spent. To think that I had poked fun at my dad for carrying your spray! Crow never tasted so sweet.

Sincerely,
Brett – Jackson , Mississippi

Howdy, I’m a nature photographer living at Duck Lake, I was up on St. Mary ridge, outside the Park, when a larger bull elk, antlers still in the velvet, crossed the trail in front of me. I mounted the big lens and monopod and followed him into the wind seeking images and not making noise. Lost in the moment as it were…In less than a quarter mile I’m jolted back to reality by the jaw popping of a grizzly. Next timber is breaking and a dark blur appears. My camera gear is dropped, the can of UDAP retrieved from the right leg pocket of my Carhartt’s, safety popped and trigger pressed. When I sprayed the dark grizzly was close enough to touch with my out-stretched boot. The bear is huffing, growling, retching and shaking its head. This goes on for about tens seconds and the bear spins and crashes off. It happened so fast and yet seemed to be in slow motion from my perspective…I’ve faced two other bluff charges before and they were just that…bluff. This was no bluff. The bear was comin’ on! I was fine until the bear left and then the adrenalin took over and I began to shake. I was very “alive” for the rest of the day. Thanks for a product that potentially saved my life or at least a severe mauling…I have carried some form of peeper spray for the 12 years in and around the Park. I had occasion last year to use your competitors spray on a large black bear and found it didn’t work very well. I then switched to UDAP. Had occasion to use it on an aggressive moose that put me behind a tree and came in striking with front feet. This moose was pretty serious…UDAP at about three feet does wonders on an aggressive moose! As to the grizzly encounter I was doing some things wrong, into the wind, no noise and seeing images of bull elk, lost in the moment. I never saw or heard cubs, don’t know if the bear was on a carcass or if I just kicked him out of his day-bed…In any event, you have gained a loyal customer. I normally have two cans around. One for back up but on this day just the single can in my pocket. The heavy loaded S&W .44 was left back with the bike and in retrospect had that been my defensive weapon rather than the UDAP I think I would have been in bad shape. No doubt I would have gotten the revolver out and got one or two shots off but they would have had to have been very “lucky”. The UDAP resulted in not having a dead or wounded bear and hopefully this bear has had a large dose of “aversion therapy”. Thanks again! Good health and safe travels…
Ross Buckingham – Buckingham Wilderness Images

Michelle and I were talking and making noise on the trail when we heard a loud huffing sound from the wooded area to our right. Michelle said to me, “Matt, get out your bear spray.” I was carrying the UDAP Bear Deterrent Spray in its holster on my hip and had previously test fired it, as per the recommendation in the instructions. The bear was a sow grizzly bear weighing approximately 500 pounds with a cub approximately 100 pounds. Both came charging out of the woods directly at us, with the female emitting deep guttural huffing sounds and appearing highly agitated. Both bears were less than 8 feet away when I sprayed them, hitting the female with an arc of the spray. There was an immediate, adverse reaction. Both bears veered off and up on the trail above our position, then into the trees on the opposite side of the trail away from us.

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My heartfelt thanks in developing such an exceptional and well-designed product. – Matt Magliaro