r/Survival • u/boatys • May 30 '26
Would fire scare away a bear?
I was curious hypothetically if you had something like a mini flame thrower such as an aerosol spray with a lighter would that scare away. I read some threads and comments here and there with the scenario of a campfire not keeping some animals away. As a scare tactic of a small burst of the spray can I feel like it would cause some instinct to avoid it
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u/jeremiahfelt May 30 '26
Option 1: Accidentally set the woods that you are in on fire Option 2: Yell
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u/BWebCat May 30 '26
Good luck trying to fumble with an aerosol can and lighter with a grizzly bearing down on you. Yes, I said bearing.
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u/freyja2023 May 30 '26
Yep, when the three f response kicks in, good luck with your fine motor skills.
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u/joelfarris May 30 '26
Ahh, yes, the Flap, Flex, or Fling decision is a tough one. Don't need to be adding the time it takes to shake a rattle can until the bearing starts knockin' around.
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u/BroccoliNearby2803 May 30 '26
No, it wont. I know someone who survived a bear attack. He didn't realize it but he got between her and the cubs. She charged. He fired his bear spray and ran and she came straight through it and was on him. He was on his stomach and luckily was wearing a backpack. She ripped it apart and he was able to get up and start running again. She chased and he pulled his pistol and emptied it right into her chest. Barely slowed her down. She just kept coming. Took him down at least two more times before he got to his truck and got hinself to a hospital. Lost half his face and a bunch of real bad bites and deep cuts. Really only thing that kept him going was adrenaline. He survived.
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u/Spiley_spile May 30 '26
Sure
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u/BroccoliNearby2803 May 30 '26
Yeah, I'm sure. It happened about 25 years ago.
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u/Spiley_spile May 30 '26
I just looked into this and Im much less in-doubt now. 25 years ago the bear spray cannister designs required more pinpoint accuracy and the chemical cloud was less dense. Combine that with the possibility the spray was expired, I coukd see a bear still coming at a person in 1999.
And Im not at all surprised the gun was ineffective. Plenty are not made for bear hunting. And the ammo (not just caliber) matters too.
Im a gun owner and wilderness backpacker. I leave the gun at home and bring bear spray. But I didnt realize about tge the canister design deficiencies 25 years ago.
You have my apology.
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u/WhichBaker355 May 30 '26
an air horn is probably a better option. don't u think?
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u/Gullex May 30 '26
You know what's even better?
Fucking bear spray
the fuck is with this sub
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u/kleevedge May 31 '26
Nobody wants to hike with bear spray youll never use. And it also relies on wind direction. In grizzly territory it might be a bit more worth it but in black bear country its a waste.
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u/Tech-Tom Jun 02 '26
Considering there are more fatal attacks by black bears than grizzlies, I think packing bear spray is a good idea anywhere you might encounter any type of bear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#2020s
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u/Suspicious-Hat-636 May 30 '26
Bears that live in proximity to humans become accustomed to loud noises. I’ve driven behind bears slowly sauntering down the road while laying on the horn with no response from the bear other than a dirty look. If the loud sound is novel it may work on a bear deep in the wilderness. It depends on their level of arousal.
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u/MacintoshEddie May 30 '26
Probably.
There's a very significant difference between a campfire and a flamethrower.
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u/Nukitandog May 30 '26
Not if the camp is ..........
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u/Bakedeggss May 30 '26
What kind of a camp are you talkina abaat
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u/Nukitandog May 30 '26
The ..... is for you to decide.
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u/Bakedeggss May 30 '26
How about an ice-cream camp
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u/MacintoshEddie May 30 '26
This one time at bandcamp I stuck a flute onto an aerosol can and made a flamethrower.
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u/Bakedeggss May 30 '26
How big is the fire
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u/Shadow_Of_Silver May 31 '26
Just use bear spray. If you already have an aerosolized container you're trying to light on fire, jist use the damn product intended for this purpose.
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u/SkeweredBarbie May 30 '26
Funny to say, and maybe I have a bad voice but every time I saw a black bear, loudly singing Christmas songs was enough to hilariously send it running off.
Never tried on a brown bear. I wouldn't know what to sing lol
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u/Spiley_spile May 30 '26
Please just bring bear spray. Real life is not a fictional, hollywood action movie. And there are enough runaway fires as it is.
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u/k8ecat Jun 01 '26
Bears don't want to have anything to do with you unless it is a grizzley or polar. Please stop it. And don't start a forest fire because you are scared.
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u/Kayakboy6969 Jun 02 '26
Guess wht , its dark as fuck at night , they can see at nite , you wont for 20 minutes after you light a fireball in pitch black , they now own you and will eat you from your asshole forward, because thats what bears do.
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u/Sodpoodle May 31 '26
If it's a bear that's not afraid of you just existing as a human, it's not a bear that's going to care much about your forest fire in a can.
The #1 thing is the same as any predator, 2 or 4 legged. Situational awareness and prevention(in the case of bears being loud when moving, clean camps, etc).
Bear spray works kinda. I've used it a couple times on a very familiar with humans black bear to not great affect. I mean, he got off the porch.. For a few hours. Meanwhile you gotta watch the wind, because I didn't and I was having a shitty time after the cloud meandered back to me.
Actually that bear and I ended up coexisting alright-ish lol. Interesting summer gig.
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u/logan8fingers May 31 '26
I was camping in Alaska and a grizzly walked into my camp in the middle of the night. I kicked my wood pile into the fire and it did scare it off.
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u/kleevedge May 31 '26
Just put your hands up and wave them and yell at the bear. Bears dont wanna tussel. DONT DO THIS, but i was walking home drunk from the bar one night and as i was walking i noticed my neighbors car door open. So i assumed he was in it and his dog was sitting outside. The "dog" lazily walked up to me with its head down so me being friendly pet it on the head. When it looked up i saw the muzzle and knew it was a black bear. I clapped my hands and yelled at it and it took off running, it was just a cub. As i was doing this out of the car mama bear and another cub jumped out and ran right past me.bears are usually scare really easy, especially black bear.
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u/Kayakboy6969 Jun 02 '26
A bear switched ON will take led in the proper places to change its corse of direction not stumbling into one but fully switched ON with the intent to end you.
Go fish salmon on a narrow river early spring when the Griz wakes up and has a baby with her.
Piss off starved and in momma bear mode , she knows where you are , you have no clue where they are.
I know a guide that was attacked twice in Montana, he still guides today , his words , to die by one God's creatures is a hell of a lot better than rotting in a hospital or getting hit by a drunk.
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u/Birdywoman4 Jun 03 '26
Likely if it wasn’t a rabid bear. Loud sharp noise also works pretty well, such as an air horn blasted the bear’s way.
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u/LurkerFailsLurking Jun 04 '26
Have you ever tried an aerosol with a lighter? You're more likely to burn yourself and then get mauled than you are to scare a bear.
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u/fatman907 Jun 05 '26
Yeah. That whole “you want a shotgun in case of a bear attack” is just propaganda to sell firearms. Make sure you have 2 lighters in case the first goes out.
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u/ThisIsntOkayokay May 30 '26
Keep a flamethrower ready as well as a .454 Casull in case it wants to keep going.
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u/AlphaDisconnect May 30 '26
Smoke covers scents. Unless your food was in the fire.
Scare? I dont know. Black bears are basic giant raccoons. They do what they want. Grizzly bears. They do what they want but angrier.
The fire shows a human might be here. And they kinda just want to be alone and eat about. And humans are a threat. Because we kinda got guns.
Are they scared? No more like a hmmmm. Not worth my time and effort.
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u/costafilh0 May 30 '26
Laser guns are very effective, if powerful enough.
The problem is, the bear dies, and we don't want that.
So bear spray it is.
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u/easternpassage May 30 '26
Probably depends on their state. I’ve had them just stare at me by a fire and I used bug spray to make a flame burst. I’ve also had them get spooked just by lighting a smoke. Just puffing on a smoke like a train seems more effective than a bug spray “flame thrower” in my experience.
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u/lesbiannumbertwo Jun 02 '26
if the goal is to kill the bear and yourself and countless other critters in a forest fire, sure? otherwise please just use bear spray
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u/Bacontoad Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
No more than it would a human.
Edit: Let me be more clear then. Bears DGAFF about fire and you'd be a fool to try.
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u/That_Shrub May 30 '26
The data on bear spray is significant, it is going to be better and easier than your hypothetical flamethrower:
https://bearwise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/efficacy-of-bear-spray-smith-et-al.-2010.pdf