Rent Bear Spray in Jackson Hole & Yellowstone

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Bear Spray (Rental)

Carrying bear spray while hiking in the forests and the National Parks 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 $8. We set a cap for longer term rentals, you will never pay more than $28 for a bear spray rental with us.

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.

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.

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.

Full Service Locations:

Teton Backcountry Rentals Shop

565 N. Cache St., Jackson, WY 83001
Summer: 8AM-6PM Daily; Winter 4PM-8PM Daily
24/7 dropbox located by front door

Jackson Hole Airport

Baggage Claim, 1250 E Airport Rd, Jackson, WY 83001
Kiosk Hours: Jun-Sep 9:30AM-5PM (sometimes later, call for updates)
24/7 dropbox located on front of kiosk

Bear Aware Canyon Village 

Next to Canyon Visitor Center Yellowstone National Park, WY 92190
Kiosk Hours: Jun-Sep 9AM-5:30PM
24/7 dropbox located on the kiosk

Freeheel and Wheel

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

What's in it?

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.

How effective is it?

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.)

Does it hurt the bear?

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

Why do bears attack people?

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.

I just need to be the fastest runner in the group, right?

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.

What is Bear Aware Bear Spray Rentals and its relationship with Teton Backcountry Rentals?

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.

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.

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