Kodiak Island Adventure

She got within 15-20 feet and stopped briefly to snarl, snort and bounce upon an alder that was separating her from us. At this point I attempted to light my flare as a last defense. It was a dud, maybe I was just too nervous and fidgety, but I’d like to think it was the latter. There was no time to reach for another so I stood poised with my machete. The only thoughts going through my head were “I wonder what this is going to feel like.” At this point fear wasn’t even an option, the adrenaline had induced a slow motion type of analysis and curiosity. The sow bounced on the alder a few times and made her final charge toward us. I had completely forgotten about Todd, and his bear spray, but luckily for us he stepped up and and sprayed…

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On October 6, 1999, while bowhunting in SW Montana, I startled 3 large grizzlies, a sow and two nearly mature cubs. All three bears charged me from about 40 yards out, closing the distance between us to less than 10 yards in little more than a second. The leading sow continued her charge, head down, ears back, without breaking stride while the two others hung up slightly behind her. I was carrying the 260 gram size of UDAP Bear spray on my right hip with the hood off and stowed as recommended in your literature. I blasted a cloud out between us as quickly as I could. Although by this time she was only 20 feet away, a cross breeze dissipated the oily, orange mist. I let her have it again at 10-12 feet and discharged a final burst at 7-8 feet.The last burst nailed her square in the face and she stopped cold. The angry bear then popped her jowls, shook her massive head about and bolted over the rise from which I had just approached. The two others followed right on her heels. Although the sow was fiercely determined to attack me, I was able to effectively fend her off with no permanent injury to either of us. When I first moved to grizzly country I carried a .357 magnum loaded with 180 grain cast core hunting rounds for backcountry safety. I decided to switch to UDAP pepper spray after reading numerous personal testimonies on your web site and I’m glad I did. Even though I carry the largest can currently available, it’s still a weight savings of well over 2 pounds compared to my heavy pistol. It’s non lethal which supports my own personal ethics as well as faster and easier to deploy than a firearm, especially under extreme duress. When not in the field my new found guardian now lives on my night stand for personal home security. I sleep very well indeed.

Thanks for creating such a valuable and ecologically conscious product. Your efforts are truly saving lives, and not just human!

Eric Burge,    Bozeman, MT

We were only about 20 feet from the tent when I heard the cubs squall and scamper away. Suddenly, I heard popping teeth and a deep “Woof” from the other side of the tent. Out from behind the tent charged a very upset bear heading in our direction. I was leading the group and to our luck was carrying your bear spray on my belt. I carried the canister such that I could flip off the safety and fire without having to remove it from the holster. This can of bear deterrent had been with me for three years and had never been fired, until now. A fog of the pepper spray zipped out towards a point somewhere between the bear and me. The fog acted like a brick wall — as the bear hit the fog she stopped dead, turned inside out and sped away like a scolded dog.

My camp partners stared in disbelief. Our rifles were slung on our shoulders and we were not prepared to shoot a bear. We had just avoided an ugly incident, and probably days in the hospital or even worse. My partners vowed never to go into bear country again without a can of UDAP Pepper Power^® on their belts. Thanks for a great safety product!

Thanks, Fred R. Woods,  Executive Producer, Northwest Hunter Television Program

On August 13, 2000, we were hiking in Pelican Valley within Yellowstone National Park, an area known for heavy bear activity. We were on our way out when we heard some crashing timber ahead of us. I spotted a sow grizzly bear with three cubs about 100 yards away. She noticed us at about the same time, raised slightly, then charged with the cubs following her. My wife and another woman hiking with us positioned themselves on either side of me and slightly behind. When the sow was about 35 feet away I shot a short burst of UDAP Pepper Power^® bear spray at the charging grizzly. The sow hesitated momentarily then advanced. At 10 feet all three of us let loose with our bear spray which stopped her cold. She then made a hasty retreat. We are very glad we had your Pepper Power^® with us – we don’t want to think what might have happened without it. Thanks!

Doug and JoAnn MacCartney, Yellowstone National Park Employees, Gardner, Montana

“…The bear went straight up into the air and fell over backwards…”

On September 1, 2000, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I was riding my big buckskin horse near Daly Creek In Yellowstone National Park. It was a cold and rainy late summer day. I rode for about two hours, stopping every once and a while to glass the area for game. I decided to stop for lunch, and as I was riding down to a spot near the creek, I looked over the area really good. I hobbled my horse and sat down against a tree. I was halfway through my sandwich when my horse started snorting. Since I raised this horse, I knew his mannerisms and recognized that something was wrong. I caught a glimpse of movement on my left and when I turned my head, staring at me from four feet away was a big grizzly bear. I knew I wasn’t going to sit there and die. I started to get up, but the heel of my shoe snagged on my rain pants and I fell forward towards the bear. What happened next was fast and furious. The grizzly bear grabbed my shirt with his teeth and ripped it apart. As I began to stand up the bear hit me with his paw right in the chest, slamming me face first into a tree, cutting my face and breaking my glasses. Lying there on my back, I grabbed my UDAP Pepper Power^® bear spray. By this time, the bear was standing over me with his mouth wide open ready to take a bite out of me. I shoved the can in his mouth and pushed the trigger, sending a blast of hot spray down the bear’s throat. The bear went straight up into the air and fell over backwards coughing and choking. There’s no doubt if I hadn’t had the pepper spray produced by UDAP, I wouldn’t be here. Thanks for making a life-saving product. 

August 30, 1999 was the first day for hunting black bear over bait, in Maine. Early afternoon I replenished the bait and by four o’clock I was up in my tree stand. Sometime after six P.M. a sow and three small cubs arrived. While the cubs went for the bait, the sow came straight for my ladder stand. She carefully smelled the three lower steps then went on to smell my footprints for ten yards down the trail, came back and repeated the same act once more. She then went to the barrel of bait and started feeding. A short time later the sow suddenly stopped eating and stared intensely in a different direction. She then turned toward her cubs and, in a flash, they climbed up a large tree. Almost behind me, I saw a large bear coming under my stand. thinking that I was going to take this one, using a long-bow, he had to be farther away at a less steeper angle for a shot. that did not happen. The defensive mother bear, in a second, was on top of the larger bear, a commotion that was happening just twelve feet below me. The intruding bear left. The sow turned back towards the bait and decided to sit, then lie down halfway between my tree stand and the bait, apparently settling down and guarding it, maybe for the night. The cubs were not coming down from up the tree and it was starting to get dark. I did not really want to spend the night in the stand. I talked to her but all she did was just look up at me and did not show any signs of wanting to leave. Being unsure of what she might do if I came down, possibly the same thing she did to the other bear, made me decide to use the Pepper Power® Spray. When that orange and strong smelling fog hit her, she took off instantly, and very fast, twenty five yards from my stand and stayed there because her cubs were still up the tree. At that point I decided it was time to try leaving, which I did with no problem. I kept watching the sow, and she was doing the same to me until we were far enough apart. Thank God and thank you for Pepper Power®. I will always carry this very effective product whenever I am in the woods again.    —Sylvio Saucier

UDAP Pepper Power® and a .44 magnum pistol My buddy, Cory Nuss, and I were hiking in the wilderness area near the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. We had been backpacking for three days and were making our way back to the Elks Fork Trailhead where our vehicle was parked. At 11:00 A.M. we ran into a sow grizzly with two very large cubs. We saw the cubs just as we broke into a small clearing. They were about 40 yards away. The cubs immediately ran away. As they were running away, the sow stood up to get a better look at us. When she saw us, she dropped down on all fours and charged. I usually carry both the magnum UDAP Pepper Power® and a .44 magnum pistol. Cory did not have either one, so he carried my bear spray, just in case. The sow was 10 feet away when Cory Sprayed her. She immediately hit the brakes and wheeled away. I was just about to shoot her when Cory Sprayed her. There is no doubt in my mind that the bear spray saved the bear from being shot, and prevented serious injury or worse to Cory and myself. I am a true believer in your product. I spend many days a year hiking and hunting in grizzly country and I no longer go anywhere without your product. Also several of my friends have invested in a can of UDAP bear spray. Thanks for such a great product. — Jeff Buckingham

Peppered Grizzly Stopped in Tracks I caught it [the bear] full in the face when it was 4 feet away, Clutter said. It was like it hit a wall. The grizzly turned and ran so fast toward her cub she ran right over it. Then, cub and sow were gone. …This worked exactly the way it was designed to work, Clutter said. The bears didn’t die. All I’m out is a can of pepper spray. I’m convinced pepper spray is the way to go, even for gun hunters. Your chance is much better with spray – which can spread out 15 feet wide from 20 feet away – than with a bullet the size of a pen. The odds are better. — Gary Clutter, guide and big game hunter in a recent article. Bozeman Daily Chronicle by Joan Haines

…(grizzly) close enough for me to see his eye lashes. In Alaska, I was guiding for a lodge out of Iliamna, I was absorbed in my task and carelessly forgot where I was. After a few seconds I smelled him. The large boar sat close enough for me to see his eye lashes. First I shouted “Hey bear!” and “Git!”. After these first few futile attempts I knew he wasn’t going to back down. He wanted my fishy/bacon smelling lunch pack! He and I both knew that my 140 lbs. Wasn’t going to stop him either. So, talking to him the whole while, I pulled out my UDAP and let ‘er rip. Ol’ griz never knew what hit him. He stood upright, for a moment and I thought I was dead. He turned tail and ran to the water. Pawing his face and nose the whole way. He dunked his head in the river again and again, and then watched the group from a comfortable distance (for both parties) for the rest of the day. I don’t know if that old bear would have hurt me or not, but for his sake and mine I’m glad I used my UDAP bear spray. From now on if I’m traveling in the back country so is my UDAP.– Kurt Dehmer

The Right Stuff for professionals The Teton Park rangers, Yellowstone National Park crews, Glacier National Park rangers – to mention a few – all pack Mark’s bear spray. — The Right Stuff –

…I knew she (the grizzly sow) wasn’t stopping It was opening day of archery elk season. My uncle and I were hunting in Northwestern Wyoming. The grizzly sow was protecting her cubs about 15 yards away, when she suddenly came at me. I hoped she would stop, but at 15 feet, I knew she wasn’t stopping, so I sprayed my bear spray at her. She shook her head and ran back up to her cubs, shook her head again, and then disappeared into the brush. I know my can of UDAP Pepper Power® saved me from, at the very least, a bad mauling, if not my uncle’s and my own life. Thanks to Mark Matheny and UDAP Industries, Inc. for a fine product.  I wouldn’t trust my life to anything else! — Thank you and God bless, David Nyreen

Outfitter…survived two charges by grizzly bear Nate Vance’s Checklist for hunters reads, INSTEAD of carrying a handgun for Bear protection, I STRONGLY URGE ALL HUNTERS TO CARRY BEAR PEPPER SPRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bear spray works, I can attest to that fact!! I HAVE SURVIVED TWO CHARGES BY A GRIZZLY BEAR, both times using UDAP Pepper Spray. I would urge you to invest in Pepper Spray and a [holster]. I have used the brand, UDAP Pepper Power® made by UDAP – Universal Defense Alternative Products. And have not had it fail me yet! I can tell you from first hand experience, you are more likely to save yourself in a defensive situation with Bear Spray than a firearm!! — Nate Vance, Outfitter

Bear Pepper sprays…the hottest pieces of back country gear Bear Pepper sprays have become the hottest pieces of back country gear, in part because of Matheny’s non- stop crusading. — Todd Wilkinson, Too Close and Encounter

…fourteen feet, ears laid back in attack mode.

Rex [Rogers] had told me earlier that, in ten years of hunting the Gallatin National Forest of Montana, they had never run into a grizzly, but he and Dick [Frederickson] still carried your pepper spray [UDAP Pepper Power®]. They had carried a less potent brand until they had a run-in with a stray dog, which it barely phased. I take it this is what prompted them to switch to UDAP Pepper Power®. After weighing the price of the spray compared to the chance of being attacked, Rex’s words finally persuaded me into buying a 15 ounce can with holster. We were off to our bow hunting camp. About 6:15 a.m. the next morning, I finally made it up to the ridge I was planning to hunt…As I closed in on top of the meadow, I knew I was only going to be thirty yards away from what could be my lucky elk. Peaking over the crown, my eyes focused on something I wasn’t prepared for, a sow grizzly with her two cubs… At that point, sixty yards away, I knew I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. In a split second, she woofed and was on a mad dash directly at me. Knowing I was over one hundred yards from a tree, I drew my pistol and the spray. By this time, she was at thirty yards, still going full bore. Hoping she was bluffing, I stood dead still. I knew I couldn’t get a good enough shot to stop her in her tracks. On the other hand, what if I let her get close enough to spray, and it wouldn’t phase her? By this time, she was fourteen feet, ears laid back in attack mode. Fighting reflexes, I squeezed the spray. The instant that fog hit her nose, she pivoted on a dime and was gone. Keep in mind, I am not a person whose thoughts are easily swayed. One thing is for sure, had I not been packing UDAP Pepper Power®, I would have been mauled or possibly killed. — Russ (Eric) Leach

A snapped twig announced the presence of a charging sow grizzly…

I am a sheep and elk guide, in northwest Wyoming and with my experiences in the wilderness and around grizzly bears, I had to write to tell you how truly impressed I am with your pepper spray. Sheep hunting with a client, we headed above timber line, just before we broke out of the timber we stopped for a rest. A snapped twig announced the presence of a charging sow grizzly and three cubs. The hunter immediately grabbed for his pepper spray, and shot the bear with (UDAP) at ten feet, the bear spun and ran off. Anyone who believes Bears like the taste of pepper spray, sure need to see this!! — Patrick Poppe, Wind River Outfitters, Dubois, WY

…powerful enough to stop King Kong!

I’ve shot bears with this volatile bear deterrent spray [from UDAP] , and believe me, it is powerful enough to stop King Kong! Many guides and wardens in Alaska prefer to use pepper spray instead of a firearm, because they’ve learned that the shotgun pattern blasted out by pepper spray stops a charging bear more surely than a bullet. This stuff works. I should know. I was photographing a bear last spring in Montana when the bear suddenly turned and began advancing toward me. Fortunately, I had a large can of UDAP Pepper Power® spray in a holster on my hip. When the bear was 50 feet away, it made a false charge. I hit it with a blast of red hot cayenne pepper that instantly enveloped the bear in an orange fog. The bear immediately stopped and began pawing at its face coughing and wheezing, the bruin slowly stumbled into the forest. — Mike Lapinski, Bowhunter Magazine

…Bear pepper spray is more effective in deterring a grizzly attack than a gun.

As the bear charged, the man fell back and the grizzly bit his leg, Gocke said. The hunter was carrying a loaded rifle on his shoulder and pepper spray on his belt, and was able to spray the animal in the face, which immediately caused it to run away. According to Game and Fish predator biologist, Dave Moody, the incident reinforces that pepper spray is more effective in deterring a grizzly attack than a gun. The fact that the bear was in the process of biting this guy, and it broke off the attack when it was sprayed just further reinforces the effectiveness of pepper spray in my opinion, Moody said, noting that in most incidents where grizzlies are shot in the process of an attack, the person is most often mauled anyway. — David Simpson, Pepper Spray makes grizzly run away, Jackson Hole

The bear skidded to a halt…”

The bear was only a few yards away when French fired the spray directly into its face. The bear skidded to a halt – so close French’s legs were showered with dirt – then it turned and ran. — Anthony Acerrano, Fall Bear Attacks, Men’s Journal

…Bear pepper spray…the first line of defense in a bear encounter.

The bottom line is that too many bears are dying as a result of conflicts with humans. The truth is, guns have not proven very effective against repelling grizzly bears from attack, and we usually end up with a dead bear, and often, a mauled hunter. Officials from the WY Fish and Game Department and MT Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks all recommend that hunters and other people in grizzly country use pepper spray as the first line of defense in a bear encounter. Dave Moody of WY Fish and Game Department said that in dozens of cases in the last 15 years, only once has a grizzly bear continued through pepper spray to attack the sprayer [through 1997], while noting that in the majority of cases in which a bear is shot, the shooter is still reached by the bear. For the most part, I think [pistols] are totally useless in a bear attack, Moody told the Casper Star Tribune last fall. — Tim Stevens, Grizzly Mortality: Alarming and Avoidable, Greater Yellowstone Report 1997

For human attack testimonies click here