Bear Spray Rentals - West Yellowstone

Bear Spray Rentals - WYS

save time | money | lives
save time | money | lives

Freeheel and Wheel in partnership with Bear Aware proudly offers bear spray for rent

Freeheel and Wheel in partnership with Teton Backcountry Rentals proudly offers bear spray for rent

How Renting Works

  1. Review the important rental and safety information below
  2. Add Bear Spray to the Cart with dates
  3. Enter your information and payment
  4. The Sales Associate will complete your check out and hand you the bear spray and you’re on your way!
  5. Return the bear spray at one of our drop off locations throughout the region
udap bear spray orange canister
Rental
Pricing
1-2 Days | $16
3 Days | $20
4 Days | $24
5 Days | $28
>5 Days | $28!

♦The Fine Print
If the canister is returned damaged or sprayed for any reason, a $50 fee will be charged (less rental fees).
Max Rental Duration is 28 Days
All rental returns will be weighed and assessed for any damage or contents sprayed. We do not send back out any previously half-sprayed canisters.
What if you have you use it? Any canister that is sprayed or damaged for any reason will be charged $50, any rental fees associated will be credited towards the total. 
All renters must agree and sign our terms of service and release of liability.
Drop off can be done anytime via our after hours drop boxes located at in
– Town of Jackson –  Teton Backcountry Rentals shop
– Jackson Hole Airport – Bear Aware Kiosk
– West Yellowstone – Freeheel and Wheel shop.
Bear spray returns must be dropped off during business hours at all Yellowstone Service Stations, Madison Campground, and Cooke City Visitor’s Center. See our locations page for more details.

Pick Up and Drop-off Locations:

Big Sky – Hey Bear Store
Canyon Village – Bear Aware Kiosk
Jackson Hole Airport – Bear Aware Kiosk
Old Faithful – Bear Aware Yurt
Teton Village – Four Seasons*
Jackson – Teton Backcountry Bear Aware
West Yellowstone – Freeheel and Wheel
*All locations have 24/7 drop box for returns except for Teton Village.

Drop-off Only Locations:

Cooke City Visitor’s Center
Fishing Bridge Gas Station
Grant Village Gas Station
Madison Campground
Mammoth Hot Springs Gas Station
Tower/Roosevelt Gas Station

Vending Machine with 24/7 Drop Box:

Big Sky Visitor Center
Bozeman Wildlands Building

Safety First

FAQ

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.

There are a number of situations during which deploying bear spray would be appropriate. The most obvious is a charging bear. Another may be if a bear in the area in which 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.

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.


this video is a short demonstration on how to use bear spray

YouTube video player

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.

Ready to Go?

Please make sure you have thoroughly reviewed all the information on this page before proceeding to the rental checkout page.