I was thinking about the movie “Cool Hand Luke”, the scene where the escapee spreads pepper across his path to thwart the tracking dogs when it hit me. Could pepper be used as an animal deterrent for hikers? I’m thinking of sprinkling a little pepper on a pack to help keep mice away, or maybe some on a food canister to help keep bears at bay. At least it might provide a negative experience to associate with the canister.

Is anyone aware of black pepper being used as an animal deterrent? Or are the animals immune to the sneeze and merely consider it a spice?