I never ran into a situation where I had to use it. But the person selling it to me did give me a quick crash course on when and how to use it. He told me if I see a bear charging / running towards me, I should use the spray. Bear spray is just some very strong pepper spray. The nozzle is directional and the bottle pressurized, meaning you can spray it into a distance. The contents come out in a cone that creates a cloud of strong pepper spray to deter the bear. The range is about 30 feet, so 9m-10m or so. But you should spray when the bear is further away in an attempt to deter it before it gets too close. It's not a gun, so you won't be able to aim at the bear's eyes. You just aim at the bear's direction and spray.
You normally shouldn't use bear sprays on bears as soon as you spot one. Most times, you keep your distance and let the bear do its own thing, and they will leave you alone. You only use bear spray when you notice the bear becoming aggressive.
Also, do not run when you see a bear, as they are programmed to chase you and you cannot out run a bear. Bears are extremely fast runners. And depending on the type of bear, climbing a tree might not be a good idea, because black bears are excellent tree climbers. Instead, stand your ground, make yourself look as big as possible, and continue to make sounds sounds to scare the bear away. When all else fails and you see the bear start charging at you, spray the hell out of that bottle.
I never ran into a situation where I had to use it. But the person selling it to me did give me a quick crash course on when and how to use it. He told me if I see a bear charging / running towards me, I should use the spray. Bear spray is just some very strong pepper spray. The nozzle is directional and the bottle pressurized, meaning you can spray it into a distance. The contents come out in a cone that creates a cloud of strong pepper spray to deter the bear. The range is about 30 feet, so 9m-10m or so. But you should spray when the bear is further away in an attempt to deter it before it gets too close. It's not a gun, so you won't be able to aim at the bear's eyes. You just aim at the bear's direction and spray.
You normally shouldn't use bear sprays on bears as soon as you spot one. Most times, you keep your distance and let the bear do its own thing, and they will leave you alone. You only use bear spray when you notice the bear becoming aggressive.
Also, do not run when you see a bear, as they are programmed to chase you and you cannot out run a bear. Bears are extremely fast runners. And depending on the type of bear, climbing a tree might not be a good idea, because black bears are excellent tree climbers. Instead, stand your ground, make yourself look as big as possible, and continue to make sounds sounds to scare the bear away. When all else fails and you see the bear start charging at you, spray the hell out of that bottle.