Bear Spray Saved My Life
"Just wanted to let you folks know that your Counter Assault Bear Spray Product saved my life this past Sunday. I was hiking off trail in the Lamar Valley and encountered a mother grizzly with two cubs. She first charged me from about 20 yards and luckily it was a false charge. She was about to charge a second time when I yelled and she stopped. Her cubs had come closer at this point and as I started to draw my spray she charged again from about 12 yards. I was able to deploy the spray just in time and emptied the can as she charged. I was prepared for a collision since I was thinking that even if the spray worked she wouldn’t be able to stop. At the very last instant, when she was under my outstretched arm, she veered off so fast she fell in the grass next to me. She scrambled to her feet and took off with the two cubs following. I owe my safety to being able to draw my spray quickly, knowing how to use it and believing it would work. I will always carry two cans in the future since the 3 miles back to the road was nerve racking with no spray." –Steve
Counter Assault Bear Spray Saved my Life
"Unfortunately I know first hand what happens when you're attacked by a Grizzly Bear. On October 13, 2018 while Elk Hunting in Southwest Montana my hunting partner and I walked into 12 yard distance from a Sow Grizzly and her Two year old Cub. Both the Bears, my hunting partner and myself were all surprised at the encounter. The Cub reared up and growled and the Sow came at me on a dead run and was on top of me in no more than 3 seconds. Due to the speed and element of surprise I was unable to get my Counter Assault Bear Spray as the Sow knocked me down to the ground. Thankfully my hunting partner Greg Gibson was able to spray the Sow with his Counter Assault Bear spray and she was biting my arm and swatting at my head and body, When the spray cloud hit her she released me instantaneously and then made a lunge at Greg, he deployed one more short blast and she retreated. Other than a broken Arm and some scratches on my Face and Body, Counter Assault Bear Deterrent and my hunting partner Greg Gibson saved my life."
Best Bear Spray on the Market
"For all you folks that venture into our National Parks and Forests that believe in carrying bear spray, good for you! For those of you that don't, maybe after you read my story from last weeks hunt, you just might. I was north of Dubois Wyoming at a place called Double Cabin where Frontier Creek and Wiggins Fork creeks come together. I really love to hunt elk and fish in that area. Well I broke one of my number 1 rules, not to hunt alone. I did. I decided to hunt an area that is below Lincoln Point. I hiked up to a meadow, shirted around the edge on the south side for about 1 mile. The meadow came to a point with a small creek. I followed this drainage for about 100 yards, all downed timber and very hard going. I thought that this is not a good place to be! I back tracked about fifty feet, found a game trail up the side to a ridge. This trail wound thru some dark thick timber then broke out at the top at about 75 percent incline. Once on top, I walked south for about another half mile. The ridge I was on was about 100 yards wide with sparse timber, but on both sides of the ridge was timber uphill to the East and timber down hill to the West. It then ran into some cliffs. I had a very bad feeling that I should not be there, so turned around, heading North, down the ridge. I had walked about 1/4 mile when I heard a loud WOOF!! I knew this sound as I have heard it twice before. I stopped dead in my tracks, turned to my right, and about 20 feet from me I saw a 400 pound male Grizzly standing behind a dirt mound looking at me! He woofed again and snapped his jaws. Although I had my rifle and a 41 mag. revolver on my hip, I grabbed my bear spray. I shot my spray at him, but I didn't allow for the small breeze that moved the spray just to the side of his face. He did get a small whiff of it and went into a rage, snorting and throwing his head back and fourth. I just stood there, in shear terror, waiting for him to climb over the dirt pile and turn me into bear poop. He dropped down on all four paws and remained silent. After what seemed two days I turned and continued walking North down the ridge. I realized that the dirt pile between the bear and me also ran the length of the ridge. While walking down the ridge, my legs felt numb and my head was looking around like a door knob on an outhouse at fair time. I walked for maybe another 1/4 mile, looked down the ridge and noticed that my side of the dirt pile and the bear's side of the dirt pile would meet in about 100 yards! So I made a wide loop, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. When I did get to the intersection, I was again face to face, maybe 25-30 feet from him. He had been following me down the ridge. I again sprayed him, until my spray was gone, he stood up and whiffed again. I turned down hill and could see my white truck down on the road, about 1/2 mile away! As I headed down the hill, in the middle of a clearing, the bear followed me until I got to my truck. I started the engine, looked over at the edge of the timber and he was standing there watching me! I tried to push on the gas pedal, but my leg was shaking so bad that I couldn't. He disappeared and I finally composed myself to head back to camp. This was the third time I have used bear spray. YES IT DOES WORK!"
Attacked by Grizzly Sow Climbing Rising Wolf Mountain
"My friend and I were climbing Rising Wolf Mountain in the Two Medicine on July 22, 2017 when a grizzly sow attacked us. We stopped about half way to the summit to take pictures and for a short rest before we finish our climb to the summit. We stopped at the bottom of a small gully about 6 ft. wide, with cliff bands up above us. There were some small trees there that we sat under for shade. I removed my backpack which luckily I kept close to me. I had my pepper spray attached to the shoulder strap by a carabiner. After taking a handful of pictures of the area my friend and I heard rocks falling back behind us, followed by grunting noises, and gnashing of teeth - just like the park brochures say and that they hand out at every entrance station warning you of a bear attack. Looking back behind us towards the noise I didn't see anything at first but I knew we were in serious trouble. I yelled to my friend "pepper spray!! pepper spray!!" knowing we had only seconds to react before the grizzly was on us. At this time the sow grizzly popped out behind a rock and small shrub about 20 ft. above us. She was in a full charge coming down the gully right at us. Being scared for my life all I can say is at this point my muscle memory kicked in, I dropped my camera and took two steps down and to the right to position myself as close to the tree next to me as I could. My friend ducked down at the base of a tree next to his backpack. What I’m sure was a flash of second lasted a long time in my head. As I turned the bear was about 2 feet away with its paw stretched out in my direction. My friend said I did a bull fighting “Olay” move to get out of her way. I don’t remember this. What I do remember was turning and looking at her and seeing the reflection of the sun in her eye. Time slowed to a crawl. I could have counted the fur strands on her muzzle. As she was charging down the hill, she lifted her body and paw to get ahold of me. Its claw missed me by inches. Luckily bears can't stop on a dime. Her weight and momentum carried her down the gully, over a rock drop off of about 2 feet and onto some scree. All this punishment did not phase her one bit but this good fortune now had her at a stop and about 15 feet away from us. She slowly turned and was preparing to charge back at us. Time sped up again and the reality of what just happened started to settle in as I saw the bear slide to a stop. I felt like I was watching an episode of Plant Earth, but the outcome was still unsure. I reached down to my backpack and grabbed my pepper spray. Making sure to take the safety off I walked towards the bear to get to her before she got above the rock drop off she slid over. I held the pepper spray out and waited perhaps a second until the bear reached the rock just below me. As the bear lifted its body and head to get on top of the rock I pulled the trigger. Her head was within 2 feet of my outreached arm. Without taking another step the bear turned and ran down the hill and side traversed the mountain side in a full sprint. At that point I heard and saw the new born cub up above us in the cliff bands. It turned and ran towards its mother. The encounter lasted about 7 seconds from the first noise to discharging the pepper spray. 3 seconds to reach us and another 4 for her to turn around and come back to us. We survived this encounter without a scratch because your product works well. Thank you, I couldn’t imagine having this encounter without this protection." –Craig Parmelee
Deer Hunting in Grizzly Territory
"While hunting for deer opening day of 2015 my father and I had the "opportunity" to meet a grizzly up close and personal. We both had our Counter Assault Bear Spray and our rifles but we didn't have to use either. Fortunately we were making enough noise that he knew we were there long before we saw him and after a short stand off, where he showed us he was the boss, he headed the other way and so did we. Amazingly I wasn't afraid. I had total confidence in Counter Assault Bear Deterrent because I had been trained how to use it and had practiced with a Training Canister so I knew if I needed to use it I could do it. Can't say my heart wasn't racing but I was confident I would be okay. I even had the time and composure to snap a picture as he walked away." –Elizabeth H.
Thank You Counter Assault for an Optimal Outcome
"Counter Assault saved our day!!!!!! My husband and I got charged by a grizzly last weekend. I wasn't sure that the outcome was going to be good. My husband sprayed as the bear was about 15 yards from us. When the bear hit the wall of spray it didn't even hesitate. It sputtered, shook it's head and took off! I was so thankful that we had spray and that it worked so well. Thank you cool-headed husband and Counter Assault!" –Caleb & Holly Hiking to Triple Divide Pass.
Fisherman and Wife Halts and Sprays Griz — and It Works
"Background: Fly rod in hand, John Vanden Bos was 45 minutes into a hike with his wife Lisa October 22, 2016 descending toward the Lamar River, Wyoming in steep, thick terrain when the brown blur came at him. It was a grizzly bear, unable to hear his approach, in the water munching on the remains of a pronghorn. Upon seeing John and Lisa Vanden Bos, the bruin immediately started coming in hot. Our story: That bear came out of the river bank 30 feet below us so fast it was like an explosion. It came roaring up the hillside about 25 miles per hour. In a flash he was at the end of my fly rod. I only had time to think that I’d be a statistic, and that I ought to fall on my stomach so my pack could protect me. I didn’t have time for even that, but was able to raise my arms to protect my face from the impending strike. In doing so, I stopped the grizzly in its tracks at exactly 9 feet away. How’d I know the exact distance? My fly rod, recall, was in my hand. I touch his terrible snout with the rod tip. I put it on his nose and yell very loudly, ‘bear!’ and then I flicked the tip in his face. Time was bought. My wife, Lisa, immediately behind me along the narrow trail, took advantage of the pause. Seconds into the encounter, she unholstered her bear spray and blasted an orange fiery stream that coursed by my cheek and at the bruin. The bear was alarmed by the noise and perhaps smelled the spray, but didn’t seem to be significantly affected. It turned back a few steps toward the Lamar River, but then changed its mind and headed in for another charge. My rod, in the meantime, shot out of my hand, and I reached for my belt to send out a second blast of bear spray. An expanded orange cloud was now in the air as the grizzly rumbled back for the second charge. This time, the sting of the capsaicin hit the bear. The adult grizzly, about 550 pounds, took off at a full-blown gallop, passed its water-logged lunch, crossed the river, cleared a hillside and disappeared. The whole encounter took about 15 seconds. Our assessment: The initial stopping of the bear might have more to it than a fly rod. There’s a false charge element to consider and then there’s two of us not giving ground and not running. What is crucial in the encounter is the bear spray immediately at hand. The bear spray did the job. Without the bear spray, we wouldn’t have made it. Thanks Counter Assault. Thanks John and Lisa for sharing your story and the pictures of yourselves with the Counter Assault Hats I sent you." –George
I Have a Fun Story to Tell You About How Tough your Bear Keg is...
"Dear Counter Assault, I have a fun story to tell you about how tough your Bear Keg is. We own a brand new Toyota Prius and was driving on the freeway yesterday. There was a truck in from front of us and unfortunately a box fell out of the truck and struck our car. The Prius took a beating! We pulled over and realized that something other than the box was stuck under car. We proceeded to get the car jack out and jack up the car. The idem item in the box was the Bear Keg made by Counter Assault. First, I was very happy that there were no injuries. Second, I was deeply impressed because the Bear Keg was completely in tact intact and functional. This idem hit a car going 75 MPH, was ran over, was drug several hundred yards under the car, and STILL WORKS! I am the Director of Cardiopulmonary at a local hospital in Redding, CA. Today in our staffing meeting I told all the leaders of our facility that they should not only buy this product but possibly invest in the company. Maybe the auto industry should make cars out of this material." –James
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
"After 2 grueling hikes on Thursday and Friday, Julie and I decided to do something a little more mellow on Saturday. She has never seen Violet Springs or Sulphur Mountain, so we headed towards Hayden Valley early Saturday a.m. The day was sunny and warm when we hit the Valley. I stopped at the turnout south of Trout Creek to talk with a Ranger about our plans. Trout Creek was closed due to bear activity, but he said that the postings were old. I informed him of our plans to hike off-trail from the second pull-out above Alum Creek back to Sulphur Mountain, and then proceed West out across the Valley then cut across over to Violet Springs. He said that was fine since there were no closed signed in that area. I also informed him that I had been out in this area many times before as well as the Mary Mountain Trail, and was very comfortable hiking off-trail. So we headed out towards Sulphur Mountain keeping to the side of the hills on the way since it was still pretty wet in the lower areas. We reached Suphur Mountain and spent time exploring around the thermals. If you've never taken the time to see this thermal feature, you should. We proceeded on after about 45 minutes. I had plotted on my map the "route" we would take through the Valley, and then across to Violet Springs. Pretty straight forward with just a jog around a section of trees about 1.5 miles after Sulphur Mountain. Once we arrived at the section of trees, we decided to take a break and get out of the sun. We hiked up the side of the hill to the tree line and stopped to pick out a spot to sit so we could still enjoy the view of the Valley. After discussing it, we picked out a perfect spot. I lead the way, with Julie about 10 yards behind. I had to bend over a bit to get under an overhanging branch, when all hell broke loose. I heard that distinct "crack" of timber as I straightened back up. I immediately looked to my left, and here comes a Grizzly sow, at full speed 20 yards from me, running through the timber. I immediately started yelling as loud as I could at the bear as I reached for my bear spray. Julie did the same. She was still about 10 yards away from me. As I watched her fast approaching me, her cub came into view behind her. I knew at this point it was going to be a life or death situation. Julie and I have rehearsed this scenario hundreds of times over the course of 20 years of hiking and backpacking in Yellowstone, and now it was time to see if it would pay off. I dropped my hiking poles and turned to face the sow as she approached me. She was still running at full speed and it was amazing to witness the agility that she possessed as she cleared the fallen timbers. She stopped approximately 7 yards from me. She never made a sound this whole time. We stared at each other and I thought to myself "ok, it's a bluff charge, now she'll turn and run away". That might of happened if not for her cub running up beside her. All this time I'm still yelling at the top of my lungs at her, and aiming my bear spray at her. Once the cub reached her, she bolted straight for me at full speed. I sent a burst of spray at her hoping this would make her run off, but no luck. At this point I had made the decision to stand my ground and take her on. There was nothing left to do. She closed to within 3 yards of me, right where I had laid my hiking poles down, when I adjusted for the wind direction, and then unloaded the whole can of spray on her. As the cloud of red spray enveloped her, my last thought was "this is going to hurt like hell". All I could see as I watched her were her eyes and her teeth as she fought with the spray. It seemed like she was still going to be able to reach me, but suddenly she reared up on her hind legs and rolled over on her side then bolted off through he trees with her cub in tow. I stood there frozen for a minute as I watched her run off, before taking a deep breath. I looked over at Julie who had witnessed the whole episode. She was still screaming. As I ran down to where she was, she was frantic to say the least. I tried to calm her down telling her it was all over and that the bear was gone. We hiked down the side of the hill to a spot that felt safe. She took off her pack and hugged me crying. She is a real trooper, but this shook her up. She kept saying to me "I thought you were going to die". I told her I was fine. We sat and talked about what had just happened. The whole thing didn't last for more than 30-45 seconds, but it's frozen in my memory for life. I eventually went back to get both of our hiking poles while blowing my whistle and yelling very loudly. As I picked up mine one was bent at a 45 degree angle. She must have stomped on it as she approached me. We continued our hike after everything calmed down. We didn't make it all the way to Violet Springs, but I'll get her back there this summer eventually. After we arrived back at my truck we headed to Canyon Village to file a report with the Rangers. We talked with 3 of them and we explained the whole incident in detail and filled out a report. I drew on their map our route so that they could see exactly where everything happened. They were very professional, and in the end, they said we did everything right in how we conducted ourselves. I look back now after 3 or 4 days of thinking about it, and I'm proud of how I handled the situation. I was calm, and didn't panic. I protected Julie, as well as myself. I reacted just as I hoped and thought I would. This is a photo of me with the hiking pole. The trees in the background were where the incident occurred. Side note... I always, I mean always carry Counter Assault Bear Spray. The minute I step on a designated trail or off-trail, it's on my pack hip belt at hands reach. It saved my life on this day, contrary to what some might say." –Kevin
Last Week my Friend and I were Charged by a Grizzly and her Large Cub...
"Hi, I am writing to you to report that last week my friend and I were charged by a grizzly and her large cub, while hiking in the Lee Metcalfe Wilderness on our way to Hilgard Basin. I used my bear spray and it worked, immediately! Our encounter with the bear, was a spectacular example of how effective spray can be, and also of how important it is to have the spray readily accessible. We had just had a few seconds to react. We were hiking up the trail, making as much noise as we could, when we heard a grunt to our left down toward the creek. I glanced over and saw what looked like bear fur moving between two trees about 100-150 feet away. I said, “It’ a bear!”, pulling out my bear spray but fully expecting it to move away from us. Instead it came around the tree at a run heading straight at us, followed by a very large cub. By the time I got the spray out and safety off (I missed it the first try) the bear was maybe 30-35 feet away…I started spraying and almost simultaneously she entered the cloud of spray. Without slowing down or breaking stride, she immediately turned around and headed down the hill, followed by her cub. We hadn’t noticed any wind, but there must have been a breeze, because we were immediately suffering the effects of the spray ourselves, and it was a while before we could see well enough to leave the spot, but she didn’t come back. If only we had been wearing a go-pro! It would have been a great demonstration of the effectiveness of bear spray. So thank you! We are wholehearted believers in bear spray, and grateful that it exists! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the encounter." –Cory Winn Vashon, WA
Counter Assault Proved an Effective Defense
"Although the best defense against a charging bison is to avoid situations that can agitate an animal to charge, Counter Assault proved an effective defense against charging bison." –John Harris, Ladder Ranch, Caballo, New Mexico.
The Best Results
"Counter Assault has given us the best results." –Dr. Charles Jonkel, Director, University of Montana Border Grizzly Project.
The Best Record for Confirmed Cases of Stopping Attacking Bears
"Counter Assault bear spray has been in use for a long time and has the best record for confirmed cases of stopping attacking bears. I highly recommend this product" –James (Gary) Sheldon - British Columbia bear expert and author of "Bear Encounter Survival Guide" and "Bear Attacks, The Deadly Truth".
The Darn Stuff Proved to be Almost Amazing
"The darn stuff proved to be almost amazing. I carry the spray and think it could be a lifesaver." –Dr. Stephen Herrero, University of Calgary; author of "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance".
