Rent Bear Spray in Jackson Hole & Yellowstone

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Bear Spray (Rental)

***IMPORTANT LOCATION INFORMATION***
Please review the details below for choosing the Pick Up Location on the checkout page, and note that the reservation software will erroneously allow you to select a date earlier than the location is scheduled to open. For example, the software will allow you to reserve bear spray for May 15 at the Canyon Village (Bear Aware Kiosk), even though that specific location does not open until May 27.

Teton Backcountry Rentals Shop (Jackson, WY)

  • May 15 – October 15
  • 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Open Daily

West Yellowstone (Freeheel and Wheel)

  • May 27 – September 30
  • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Open Daily
  • *May stay open until October 15 depending on business levels and weather conditions. Please check back with us mid-September for any pertinent updates*

Jackson Hole Airport (Bear Aware Kiosk)

  • May 25 – May 31
  • 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
  • June 1 – September 30
  • 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Open Daily
  • *May stay open until October 15 depending on business levels and weather conditions. Please check back with us mid-September for any pertinent updates*

Canyon Village (Bear Aware Kiosk)

  • May 27 – September 30
  • 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
  • Open Daily
  • *May stay open until October 15 depending on business levels and weather conditions. Please check back with us mid-September for any pertinent updates*

Big Sky (Hey Bear)

  • May 15 – October 15
  • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Monday – Friday)
  • Closed Saturdays & Sundays (will open for weekends starting Saturday, June 17 with weekend hours of 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM)

Carrying bear spray while hiking in the National Parks and surrounding forests is highly recommended. Bears are found on even the most popular trails. You are not allowed to carry bear spray on an airplane, so renting is the economical and environmental choice.

Fortunately, Teton Backcountry Rentals offers bear spray rentals through Bear Aware starting at $16. We set a cap for longer term rentals, you will never pay more than $28 for a bear spray rental with us. ***All bear spray rentals come with a holster for convenient carrying***

Our multiple pickup and drop-off locations in the region offer you maximum convenience. We also offer bear spray for purchase if your travels take you away from Jackson Hole.

Bear spray is highly concentrated pepper spray and should only be used in the event of a potential bear attack. It is a weapon and has been shown to be 92% effective in deterring bear attacks. We recommend carrying one bear spray canister per adult in the group

But what if I need to use it?
A canister that is sprayed or damaged for any reason will be charged $50. Any rental fees will be credited towards the total.

What if I returned the canister to a location that is not one of the approved Bear Aware drop-off locations, handed it off to another person/party, or lost the canister?
A canister that is not returned to an approved Bear Aware drop-off location will be charged $50. Any rental fees will be credited towards the total.

Our Bear Spray Rentals Network

We offer multiple locations for pick up and drop off throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Visit any of our locations during business hours to rent bear spray. Note that only bear spray can be picked up and dropped off at any locations, for all other gear you must pick up and drop off at our shop in Jackson WY.

Convenient after-hours drop boxes at our full service locations enables you to return the bear spray at any time 24/7 on your own schedule! We also offer drop-off only locations around the Yellowstone area. Bear spray can only dropped off at these locations during their business hours. Please obtain receipt for your records.

COMING SOON!

Big Sky Visitors Center Vending Locker

Coming soon: self service bear spray rental vending locker allows you to order ahead of time our website or just walk up and rent and return bear spray on your time!

Full Service Locations:

Teton Backcountry Rentals Shop

565 N. Cache St., Jackson, WY 83001 May 15 – October 15 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Daily December 15 – April 15 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM Daily 24/7 drop box located next to front door

Jackson Hole Airport Kiosk

Baggage Claim Area 1250 E Airport Rd, Jackson, WY 83001

May 25 – May 31 11:00AM-4:00PM June 1 – October 15 9:00AM – 6:00PM 24/7 drop box located on front of kiosk

Canyon Village Kiosk

Next to Canyon Visitor Center Yellowstone National Park, WY 92190 Kiosk Hours: Jun-Sep 9AM-5:30PM 24/7 drop box located on parking lot side of kiosk

Freeheel and Wheel Shop

33 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone, MT 59758 Store Hours: 9AM-5PM Mon-Sun (see website for updated hours) 24/7 drop box located next to front door

Hey Bear Big Sky

11 Lone Peak Dr, Suite 104 Big Sky, MT 59715 Store Hours: 9AM-5PM Daily (see website for updated hours) 24/7 drop box located next to front door

Map below is interactive! Click on  on maps for more info

Full Service Location

Pick Up and 24-hour Drop Box Available

Drop Off ONLY Location

Only during business hours.

Full Service Location

Pick Up and 24-hour Drop Box Available

Drop Off ONLY Location

Only during business hours. Obtain receipt for records.

How To Use Bear Spray

When carrying bear spray, it’s important to remember that it is a weapon. It is not meant to be used on well-behaving bears just doing “bear stuff.”

There are a few of situations where deploying bear spray would be appropriate. The most obvious is a charging  bear. Another may be if a bear in the area you are hiking begins acting in a predatory or threatening manner. A third would be a bear that has invaded your campsite looking for food and other goodies during a camping trip.

Types of Bears

You could encounter two types of bears when traveling in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It is home to both black bears & grizzly (brown) bears, although it can be difficult to tell them apart based on coloring alone.

Black bears are distinguishable by their tall, oval-shaped ears, longer snout, and their shorter claws. (But let’s hope you don’t get close enough to measure those!) Black bears also lack the signature shoulder hump grizzly bears have.

In addition to their significant shoulder hump, grizzly bears are also recognizable for their large, round, often dish-shaped faces with shorter snouts and short, round ears. The shoulder hump on their back as well as their longer claws come from their propensity to dig for roots & tubers in the springtime for food.

Grizzly vs Black bear

More tips for staying safe in bear country

  1. Be alert! When traveling in bear country, you shouldn’t be wearing headphones or looking down at your phone the entire time. You need to be aware of your surroundings.
  2. Make noise. You don’t need to be shouting or screaming, but calmly having a conversation with the other members of your party is a great way to alert any bears in an area to human presence. (A good shout of “Hey, bear!” every now & again doesn’t hurt either, especially if you’re certain there are bears in the area.)
  3. Travel with a partner or in a group. It has been shown that bears are less likely to attack groups of people.
  4. Properly store all scented items if you are camping in bear country. This includes not only food, but also things like scented deodorants, lotions, toothpaste, and utensils. Make sure to keep your camp clean & tidy. Never leave coolers out. Believe it or not, a bear’s sense of smell is 2100x better than a human’s, so even the smallest trace of something could peak a bear’s curiosity.

Bear Spray Frequently Asked Questions:

Teton Backcountry Rentals primarily rents UDAP & Counter Assault brand bear sprays. Both brands use Oleoresin Capsicum as their active ingredient & are EPA-rated to be between 1.0% & 2.0% capsaicin & related capsaicinoids.

Bear spray has been shown to be 92% effective in deterring bear attacks. In fact, 98% of people carrying bear spray who got into close encounters with bears were uninjured. (Consequently, firearms are only 55% effective in deterring bear attacks.)

It does not hurt the bear in the long term, but it makes them very uncomfortable.

Bears, especially grizzly bears, may attack to neutralize a threat. Most negative bear encounters happen because people got between a bear & her food source or cubs, or because people surprised the bear. 40% of negative bear encounters occur because the people involved didn’t make enough noise to properly alert the bear to their presence.

It’s genuinely suggested that you not run from a bear. This makes you look like prey, and possibly tasty. Instead, you should stand your ground, but don’t make eye contact, & put your arms out wide to make yourself look bigger to the bear. If the bear encounter continues to escalate, it could be appropriate to deploy your bear spray.

Teton Backcountry Rentals acquired Bear Aware LLC in late 2021. With the acquisition of Bear Aware we are able to offer bear spray rental pick up and drop off inside of Yellowstone National Park. Our bear spray rental network is greatly expanded providing customers with additional options for one-way rentals.

Teton Backcountry Rentals uses the Bear Aware brand and marketing for the bear spray rentals arm of the business.

All bear spray rentals come with a holster for convenient carrying. We carry multiple styles of holsters (hard-sided plastic and soft-sided elastic style) to ensure compatibility with belts, pants without belts, backpack sternum/chest straps, etc.

bear spray UDAP with two types of holster options

We recommend having one canister per adult in the group. This way everyone is protected in the event that there is separation within the cohort. In general, it is recommended to travel in larger groups when hiking in bear country.

CONSERVATION

Thousands of usable bear sprays are thrown into landfills every year just in this area alone. Unknowing passengers attempt to bring it on the airplane on a daily basis. Another portion of the 3 million summer visitors will purchase bear spray and likely never use it again. Rather than let it expire, we will take your bear spray and find more use for it.

We accept all bear sprays in hopes of diverting them from the waste stream. Those in usable condition are redistributed for use through rental and donation channels.

Our Partner In Conservation

The Vital Ground Foundation – a land trust that conserves and connects habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife.

Teton Backcountry Rental and Bear Aware’s objective of educating hikers about bear safety and advocating for the use of bear spray is aligned with the mission of Vital Ground. These initiatives have been successful in decreasing the number of deadly grizzly bear encounters, thereby safeguarding both humans and bears. By working together, Bear Aware helps to raise awareness about the significance of bears in our ecosystem and spreads the message of Vital Ground.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Support the mission of the Vital Ground Foundation! While Teton Backcountry Rentals and Bear Aware focuses on minimizing harmful human-bear encounters, Vital Ground is dedicated to preserving the habitat of grizzly bears and other wildlife. By preventing development and destruction of their environment, Vital Ground aims to promote the thriving of grizzly bear populations.

Bear Aware Together with Vital Ground

Additional Resources

Looking for more information? We have a website dedicated to Bear Spray and Grizzly Bears.

Check it Out!

Other great resources:

Mountain Journal: To Live & Die in Grizzly Country

Efficacy of Bear Deterrent in Alaska Study

US Fish & Wildlife Service article: Bear Spray vs. Bullets