The spear has been used for many a millennium as a large animal deterrent.
Just attached an old throwing knife to the end of a bamboo staff that I use to hike with anyway.

"Just attached an old throwing knife to the end of a bamboo staff that I use to hike with anyway."

Which the first bear you try to use it on will greatly appreciate when he is trying to remove shreds of your pants from between his teeth. ;)

The staff needs to be much longer.

Yeahhhh,

Some law enforcement personnel may look upon that as a deadly weapon and give you a free pair of steel bracelets and a vacation in the local county jail.

If you want a staff that is useful for a bear "deterrent" it should involve gunpowder and some sort of lead projectile (with proper permits and licensing). If the bear is annoyed enough to get that close, you have a whole bunch of problems to deal with. They are amazingly fast, have full-time four wheel drive, and are well armed.

Cold Steel makes the Bushman knife, which has an open steel socket for a handle and makes a handy-dandy spear head, but that doesn't do a thing for the issues above.

I wonder what would happen if a bear attacked you and you poked it with a regular trekking pole?

>>I wonder what would happen if a bear attacked you and you poked it with a regular trekking pole?

Your last thought will be "My heirs will be inheriting a broken trekking pole"...

"Your last thought will be "My heirs will be inheriting a broken trekking pole"..."

ROFFL!

Was attacked by a grizzly. He survived, making him i think the only known two time survivor of a grizzly attack. When he was eighteen, he was attacked near Anchorage. That time he wasn't alone, fortunately. His friend, wielding a fishing rod, repeatedly beat the bear abbot the snout and face, eventually driving him/her off.

Great way to injure yourself ( and others, particularly behind you...) and really upset a bear..
Franco

The best strategy is to hike with someone slower than you are. They don't need to be a lot slower--- just a little bit slower will work :)

or with someone that climbs trees a little slower than you?

You seem to have a grasp of the basic concept :)

My hiking partner once asked me about bear deterrent, and what/if we should have something. I told him not to worry, I had it under control. He asked what my plan was that made me so confident. I told him I was carrying a gun. He thought for a sec and "what kind?" I told him it was a ,22 pistol. Really small and light. He laughed and told me a ,22 would never kill a bear. I said "No, but when I shoot you in the leg with it, I will easily be able to outrun you." The look on his face was priceless.

And now when we go hiking together, he carries that big heavy can of bear spray that he bought.

Az

After reading some books about bears being the faster of two may not help either. The bear catches the second and or knocks down the tree. It seems like being very careful-alert, lucky or being able to quickly use bear spray work better. Reading about people with guns large enough to stop a bear but unable to react fast enough signals to me they where over confident with the weapon. Watching the video of a bear charging boaters in a creek in Alaska impressed me with just how quick and fast a bear is. Watching a bear chasing a buffalo reinforces that.

When bears attack in a wooded area you literally have a couple of seconds to react.
I am not a very quick draw with a firearm so I assume I'm not fast with spray either.
Since my staff is already in my hand I can be in ready position in an instant.
I also carry some fireworks (of the loud bang variety) when a lingering bear is being annoying I'll light one of those puppies and watch em run away.
Of course the best bear deterrent I've ever used is my voice and my brain.
Do bears have instincts to stay away from a human with a spear? They have been around for some 40,000 years.
Here is me and a couple of friends on our Pangea thru-hike!

"Here is me and a couple of friends on our Pangea thru-hike!"

I see that you were wearing the cutting edge UL moisture wicking fast drying wolf hide baselayer

"Of course the best bear deterrent I've ever used is my voice and my brain."

Have you considered buying a pet skunk?

I keep hearing this voice in my head.... any idea what Darwin sounded like?

I remember reading some tips from bear psychologists that say, ff a bear charges, raise your arms high and hold your ground. If you have a hiking pole or anything else hold it high and hit it against any overhanging trees.

Both Grizzlies and Black Bears have an instinct to back down when they see things much taller than them.

There have been many cases of grizzlies and black bears cutting their charge short when the victim held ground and held something high.

Hiking poles also come in handy with dogs and raccoons, a much more common problem than bears.

I think the knife on the end would serve no purpose other than to keep other people away. Very few people want to hang around with the hiker who has a knife on the end of a stick, until they get to know them, of course:-)

Edited by brooklynkayak on 05/26/2011 19:04:12 MDT.

A friend of mine got attacked by a grizzly bear trying to protect her cub. He was mountain biking up in BC and played dead while trying use his bike a shield. He then got up thinking the bear was far enough but the bear came back at him and he did that once again. He was able to bike back downhill with a few broken bones.

I think playing dead would be my first instinct rather than trying to get "oversized" a full grown bear standing on his two rear legs....