But not any spray will do. The personal-defense pepper spray some people carry in their cars or purses will not work on a bear, Servheen says. You need bear spray—also known as bear deterrent—which is a product made specifically for bears. ... The few times someone using spray sustained an injury, that injury was minor.

What's the difference between bear mace and regular mace?

Standard pepper sprays have around 1 million SHUs, while bear sprays pack 3 million SHUs, so it's about three times as potent as the self-defense products. ... Bear sprays are also pressurized to travel farther — 30 to 35 feet — than the smaller self-defense products.

Does regular Mace work on animals?

Pepper spray is not lethal and will not cause long term injuries to people or animals. It will only temporarily disable the attacking animal or human. Human pepper spray can still get an instant response in animals and the range is still adequate enough for you to stay safe (between 8 and 16 feet).