When it Comes to Backyard Safety, Don’t Just Grin and Bear It

This post in celebration of National Safety Month comes from Andrew Kardon of Mommy's Busy, Go Ask Daddy. 

I love the Hudson Valley. I grew up in this gorgeous part of New York and still live here today. It’s just breathtaking in the fall when all the leaves change color.

There are some huge State Parks nearby too. As a kid, I often went with my dad up to Bear Mountain for loads of hiking adventures. We never saw a bear, but definitely saw some gorgeous views.

Nowadays, my family lives real close to Harriman State Park and that’s probably the reason we get some interesting neighborhood emails. The past month, we’ve gotten at least two or three from our neighbors warning everyone that a Black Bear and her cubs were spotted roaming around just two streets over from ours!

We’ve never seen a bear on our property, but it’s just a matter of time before that happens. If we’re inside with a great view of the backyard, it’ll be pretty awesome. If the kids are in the backyard playing, it’ll be downright terrifying.

While I could try tossing the furry foe a picnic basket, I have a feeling that wouldn’t really slow him down too much. So how do you slow a charging Black Bear down?

With Bear Spray, of course!

As it’s National Safety Month, I’m working with the folks over at SABRE to promote backyard safety. That certainly includes bear safety in our neck of the woods. SABRE sent me over a bottle of Frontiersman Bear Spray (and a practice spray too!) to test out.

Besides a convenient belt holster (see photo above!), SABRE's Bear Spray has a whopping 35 foot range and increased coverage thanks to heavy fog delivery. I don’t know about you, but the farther away I can be from the bear when spraying, the better.

I’m hoping we never have to use this stuff, but thankfully I can use the Practice Bear Spray to make sure I know how to do it if the opportunity ever pops up.

I tried it out in the backyard just to see the kind of range it has and was real impressed. This sucker shoots a huge cloud of spray pretty darn far. Take a look!

Now, to be fair, there are a few bears I would never even think of using this spray on:

• Paddington Bear – Just give him a jar of marmalade and he’ll leave you alone
• Fozzie Bear – Simply laugh at his jokes and you’re safe
• Yogi Bear – Always be prepared with a picnic basket full of sandwiches
• Care Bears – Just watch out for their Care Bear Stare and you should be fine
• Chicago Bears – Find them a superstar quarterback and they’ll love you for life

If you live in bear country or are preparing to go on a hike sometime soon, it’s always best to be prepared. Check out SABRE's line of bear safety products today!