I have a big black bear that keeps coming around, hunting for the garbage cans, rooting through the outdoor shacks and just being a pest in general. I don’t want to kill him, he’s not aggressive but I’d sure like to find a way to put the run on him. Googling non-lethal ammo brings up some hits but there is none available in my area. Anybody have any experience in this matter?
I used pepper spray inside the trash bags to keep furry critters out. A small dab and it’s not desirable anymore.
You mean spraying bear spray inside the bags? Never thought of that.
You need beanbags, but they are hard to find, or you can use a paintball gun, or a flare gun
Do you really want to shoot beanbags at a bear and make it angry? I think the pepper spray sounds like a much wiser option.
Think you are looking for something like this
No, I mean regular pepper spray. Same strength, just comes out slower. Try a little spritz of bear can size spray and you get way too much. And do spray the bag outside the house but inside the bag. Keeps the wife and trash guys happier. One can does about 50 bags.
Pepper spray and air horn setup so that you over load it so the bear will not have time to think other than to run and all the things that bears hate (Spicy spray and loud noises.)
I would call local animal control and see what they ask you to do. They may have a catch and release program to relocate said evening snacker.
I use bleach or ammonia in trash bags, (do not mix those, the mix is very toxic), it keeps racoons and small critters away, it may work with bears, or it may not.
Or keep playing baby shark 24/7 by the trash, it'll drive everything away, even ticks, lol
If using an air horn deters black bears, that would be a pretty good solution.
I did some research on air horns, and I got a nice one for coyotes and other critters.
Bean bags.
I know nothing about bears, or being bothered by such things - but could you not put up some sort of electric fence to deter it combined with the spray deterrents others suggested? I suppose that would depend on how your property is laid out, and how big it is though.
You say it’s not aggressive ( I wouldn’t want to kill it either), but shooting it with something non lethal may turn it that way no? I mean I wouldn’t want to annoy a black bear and if you’ve only got non lethal ammo loaded, you miss and it comes for you it might not end well, turning a hungry passive bear into a really annoyed hungry bear!
Ya know, I’ve thought about putting up a little electric fence around the shack with my garbage cans. I bet that would work and it’d give me a real chub to hear the howl when he hits the fence in the middle of the night. Not sure what it would cost but hopefully not much more than $100. I already have plenty of fence material. Just need the fencer whatchamacallit. Maybe the best idea so far.
An electric fence sounds like a great solution.
It's even better than an air horn. 
Air horns and bean bags require someone to be awake and there. Near nuclear spicy treats doesn’t. Quiet, discrete, effective and no more bears.
That is what my friend did when a bear destroyed few beehives, now all of beehives are behind electric fence. so far no bears touched beehives. but it does cost to put it up, and you need a power line. It is worth to do when you protect such an investment as beehives, or something valuable, but for garbage, it may not worth it.
1. there are solar chargers for electric fences and they work well enough (coyotes) at the local dairy farm.
2. non-lethal 12 ga. works fine for what it is. limited range (~9 yds.) and significant drop from point of aim.
3. and, ammonia actually does work. try that first. it is cheap, so if it does not work, it did not cost much to try.
Instead of nuclear spicy treats, how about really hot hot sauce?
I could recommend some that's cheap and pretty hot.
You could dump the hot sauce all over the place where you don't want the black bear to go.
CIA tried that in USSR, they used dead rats to hide microfilms at the drop sites, but the problem was, hungry stray cats ate those rats, so CIA used tobasco sauce, and dead rats were safe, and spys got their microfilms,