Piles of bear spray at the airport?

[COEngineer]

I am heading to AK in a month and the thought occurred to me that since a lot of people presumably buy bear spray when they arrive in AK (since you can't fly with it) they have to leave it there when they fly home. So, do hotels and airports just have piles of bear spray abandoned by travellers?

The point is, can I save myself and my hunting partner $100+ and pick up a few cans of this abandoned bear spray for cheap?

Same question applies to gas and water cans.

I checked the Fairbanks craigslist and sure enough there was one ad from a traveller that was selling all of the above items, but alas, he is already home and who knows where his stuff ended up if he didn't sell it in the 2 days before his flight?

 

[Werty]

I used to live in Anchorage. I had guy at a gas station, ask me if I lived there, said yea, gave me a bunch of food and drink. Ask some of the forums, tons of people going that way.
Also check the airport, say your there too pick up your buddies bear spray he left for you.

 

[come2elmo]

In some cases I am just fine paying full price for something so I know where it came from and how it was handled. Sushi, laser eye surgery, ED meds (not that I need them, but if I did), my wife, and bear spray....just sayin.

 

[Gellar]

The 15, 30 and 55 gallon plastic barrels are like gold in the villages. They use them to stash gas in the bush.

Ask your bush pilot if he has any ear spray from previous groups.

 

[bcar]

I've heard there's some facebook pages people have started for exchanging bear spray, specifically in the greater Yellowstone area, but might be worth a look for up there too.

 

[nrpate05]

They sure do leave them behind. I had a friend who worked at the Jackson Hole airport for awhile. He had unlimited access to bear spray.

 

[elkrchr]

The vast majority of float plane charters in AK have a bunch of it. They don't advertise it, but if you decide upon a certain charter service or pilot, be sure to ask about it. My buddies and I have yet to purchase bear spray in AK as we've always been able to grab multiple canisters/person for free from the transporters. When we return, we just put it back for the next bunch of folks to use. I always grab two or three canisters just in case.

 

[F250]

I would not trust my life to a canister of bear spray that has been handled/mishandled, by a person I don't know, under circumstances that I am not aware of. If the canister of bear spray was instead a handgun in a holster, would you blindly strap it on and head into the bush …