It’s normal to be afraid when you meet a bear. The reality is that most encounters with bears rarely lead to aggressive behavior, and attacks are even rarer. Remember, most bears prefer to avoid contact with people, and any bear you see is probably just as frightened as you are!
The first and most important thing is to know what kind of bear you are dealing with — it makes a big difference. If you run into a black bear on a mountain trail, be grateful for your good luck. Compared to polar bears and brown bears, black bears are a lot less likely to attack.
Brown bears (sometimes known as grizzly bears) are the most aggressive bear species, while polar bears are always hungry and, unlike black and brown bears, polar bears will actively track and hunt humans in their arctic terrain. Their massive height and size make them terrible opponents who are able to knock out prey with a single swipe of their claws.
Human-bear interactions have become more and more frequent since various regulations and conservation efforts have increased the bear population throughout North America, with black bear sightings especially on the rise. Fortunately, bear attacks are very rare in general, and, if you follow the advice outlined below, you’ll know exactly how to survive an encounter with a bear.
So — remain as calm as possible and follow these simple guidelines whenever you are in bear country.
First, Be Prepared
Carry bear spray (a form of pepper spray), which has proven to be more effective than handguns in deterring bear attacks. Grizzly bears are currently protected as an endangered species in the lower forty-eight states, so killing one will result in a federal investigation with forensic analysis. (Click here to learn more about bear pepper spray.)
Best Precaution: Avoid
The best way to prevent an unpleasant bear encounter is to avoid them all together. Bears usually avoid people, and most people do not even know when they have come close to a bear.
In order to avoid a surprise or an unpleasant encounter with a bear, avoid moving through bear habitat silently and alone. Travel in groups (the bigger the better) and make noise by talking or singing. Put the iPod away and pay attention to your surroundings.
Bears have an incredible sense of smell, so when you’re stopped for the night, follow the commonsense strategies of double-bagging and hanging your food. Place all food, cookware and utensils at least one hundred feet from your tent, and never set up camp near bear scat or tracks. Store all scented products (toothpaste, soap) with food and cooking supplies. Do not sleep in the same clothes that you have cooked since food fragrances can remain on fibers.
When it Happens
Keep calm and ready your bear spray (or other deterrent). If the bear is close and has spotted you, get big. Wrap your arms around and make noise. Often this strategy will make bears stop in their tracks and run off. Stay together when you are in a group; you will appear larger and more intimidating if you stick together.
Try to figure out if the bear is a grizzly or a black bear. Grizzly bears and black bears behave differently in a given situation, so it helps to know which type you have to deal with.
If possible, try to determine whether there are cubs or whether the bear defends an animal carcass or other food source. Females with cubs or bears who defend food sources can act aggressively as they defend their cubs and/or food.
Types of Encounters
1) Bears at a distance
When you see a bear in the distance, respect its need for personal space. Do not approach it, even to get a photo, and give it as much space as possible. Consider turning around and leaving the way you came. If you must continue, take a detour and give the bear a wide berth. Bears can cover large distances in a relatively short time.
2) Close encounters with a bear
If you encounter a bear on the trail, or in your campsite, stop what you are doing and evaluate the situation. Identify yourself by speaking in a quiet, appealing tone. Back slowly, preferably in the direction you came. Go, do not run, and keep your eye on the bear, so you can see how it reacts. In most cases, the bear will flee.
If you are in your camp site or other place bears shouldn’t be, and you are sure the bear is a black bear, consider trying to move it out of the area. Ensure the bear has a clear and safe escape route with no people or obstacles in its way. Stand up tall and look it directly in the eyes. Yell at the bear, and say, “Get out of here, bear!”. Keep a can of pepper spray ready (with the safety removed) in case the bear approaches too closely. Never try to move a grizzly bear!
3) Dealing with a “defensive” encounter
Sometimes a bear that feels threatened will “act” aggressively to defend against a perceived threat. This is often the case with a mother bear with cubs, a bear defending a food source, or a surprised bear. The closer you are to the bear when it becomes aware of you, the more likely it is to react defensively: it may pop its jaws or swat the ground with its front paw while blowing and snorting, and/or it may lunge or “bluff charge” toward you in an attempt to get you to leave.
In this situation, the bear doesn’t want to fight any more than you do. It is simply trying to communicate that you are too close. Try to appear non-threatening by remaining still and calm. Prepare your bear spray by removing the safety lock. Speak in an appeasing voice and back away, increasing your distance from the bear. Leave the area immediately.
Defensive responses that result in physical contact almost always involve grizzly bears surprised at close range, on a carcass or protecting young. The very few defensive attacks by black bears have been females protecting cubs, but these are very rare.
If you encounter a bear on a carcass, get as far away from the bear’s cache as possible; leaving the area quickly and quietly preferably in the same direction you came in. If the bear is about to make contact, use your bear spray. Do not play dead and do not act aggressively. Get as far away from the food cache as possible.
If a bear that is behaving defensively is intent on making contact, your first line of defense is always your bear spray. Point the nozzle just above the bear’s head so that the spray falls into the bears eyes, nose and throat. When it is 20 to 30 feet away, give it a long blast. That should be enough to discourage it and send it in the other direction. (Click here to learn more about bear pepper spray.)
It’s the escalation of fear that leads to bad decisions. There have been a number of bear attacks that I’ve read about that could have been avoided if the situation hadn’t been misread. – Ben Kilham in Among the Bears (pg 244)
If the encounter involves a mother grizzly bear with cubs, and the bear makes physical contact, fall to the ground and “play dead.” Roll over onto your stomach and cover your neck and the back of your head with your hands. Keep your legs and elbows wide so the bear can’t flip you over. When the attack stops, remain still and wait for the bear to leave. Do NOT get up until you are absolutely certain the bear is no longer in the area – even if you have to wait 30 minutes or longer.
If an attack is prolonged or the bear starts trying to eat you, it is no longer being defensive and it is time to fight back (see next section).
4) Repelling an aggressive or non-defensive bear
Occasionally, a bear will approach you in a non-defensive manner. It may just be curious. Perhaps it’s a young adult bear that is simply testing its dominance. Or it is food conditioned and/or habituated. Very rarely, it may see you as potential prey.
In any event, never turn your back on a bear, and never try to run. Both of these actions can kick-start a bear’s predatory reflexes—and you’ll never be able to outrun a bear, as the animals can travel at up to thirty miles per hour. Instead, slowly walk away sideways, keeping an eye on the animal so that you can monitor its movements. Get out of its way if you can, which may be all it wants. If the bear follows you and its attention is clearly directed at you, then stand your ground and prepare to use your deterrent. A bear that is initially curious or testing you may become predatory if you do not stand up to it.
Act aggressively. Look it straight in the eyes and let it know you will fight if attacked. Shout! Make yourself look as big as possible. Stamp your feet and take a step or two toward the bear. Threaten the bear with whatever is handy (stick, pole, bear spray). The more the bear persists, the more aggressive your response should be.
If the bear attacks, use your deterrent and fight for your life. Kick, punch or hit the bear with whatever weapon is available. Concentrate your attack on the face, eyes and nose. Fight any bear that attacks you in your building or tent.
There’s no tried-and-true, written-in-stone protocol for handling a bear attack, in part because attacks are so rare. So it’s no surprise to find debate among bear-country dwellers about how to handle a grizzly charge versus an encounter with a black bear. Some say that playing dead is more likely to work with the former, claiming that the latter’s less frequent attacks are more likely to be offensive.
But all agree that pepper spray is the single best deterrent, one so effective that it has been used successfully by children under the age of ten. (Click here to learn more about bear pepper spray.)
