Class gives tips on staying safe in bear country (hint: carry pepper spray)

It's safe to assume that people can avoid bear encounters if they stay out of a bear's natural habitat. Since that's likely not to happen in Southeast, a BearFest safety course offered advice on staying as safe as possible when enjoying the outdoors.

Last Wednesday at the gun range, Robert Johnson used his 32 years of experience at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to instruct six people on how to negotiate their way out of a face-to-face occurrence with a bear, and when pepper (bear) spray should be used.

According to a report by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services coveri...