Steve Weichman, the Teton County Attorney has been putting together a proposal that would require backcountry hikers to carry bear spray. The bill was announced on Thursday in Jackson, Wyoming at Snow King Resort. However, Weichman has not found a sponsor for the potential legislation.
The bear spray bill could affect a large number of backcountry users, as it requires all users who obtain permits to carry bear spray. Affected users could be overnight backcountry hikers, hunters or anglers that carry a license, and guides and outfitters.
Wyoming has seen an increase in grizzly bear population over the years, and contact (and conflict) with humans has risen at a “nearly exponential rate” as Weichman described the issue. Studies have shown that bear spray (when used correctly) can stop aggressive bears 92% of the time.
Weichman has support from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance–public lands director Louise Lasley said “for agencies and organizations across the state to [require] all backcountry users have bear spray in their possession, while seemingly cumbersome, will probably go a long way in protecting those backcountry users and the bears.” Critics of the bill claim that carrying bear spray won’t prevent these encounters, and that to use the spray requires split second decision making (and if the spray is in the bottom of your pack, it won’t help much).
However, critics and supporters alike can agree that proper education is the most important tool for dealing with bears in the backcountry. (Learn more about bear safety on the trail in our guide.)
To read more, check out the article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
-via The Goat.
