Bears

Black bears and grizzly bears have many things in common. Both bears are highly intelligent and individualistic. Both sleep through most of the winter, and both eat many different foods, most of them plants. Through the course of a single year, both bears use a wide variety of habitats, from low valleys to high meadows. Both have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell; they can detect scents miles away. Both are powerful, fast, and protective of their young. And both species vary greatly in the color of their coat - black bears are not always black and grizzly bears are not always grizzled - making it very difficult at times to distinguish between the two

Bears do not naturally associate people with food, but they are opportunistic feeders. A bear drawn to a camp by the smell of garbage in a fire pit may discover containers of food on a picnic table and learn that campgrounds and campsites provide easy meals. The bear will remember this lesson for the rest of its life and pass the knowledge on to its young. A bear may seek food at camps aggressively and repeatedly over a long period.

Bears are individuals, each behaving differently in different circumstances. There are no precise rules about what to do if you encounter a bear, but there are generally effective measures to be followed.

Always stay alert to your surroundings. Be especially wary in places where there is food favored by bears; for example, berries or carcasses of large animals.

Avoid startling a bear. Where sight distance is limited or flowing water is muffling sounds, make noise by talking, singing, shouting, or clapping your hands. Do not make shrill or high-pitched noises as these may attract bears. Some hikers use bells for noise, but talking carries better, and bells may arouse a bear's curiosity.

Be especially alert if hiking around dawn or dusk. Bears can be active at any time of the day or night but are more often encountered at those times.

Be watchful when traveling off trail. Bears rest and sleep in day beds; for example, next to a log, in dense brush, the depression of a fallen tree, or out in a grassy meadow.

If you see a bear, do not approach it. If the bear has not seen you, calmly leave the area while talking aloud to make it aware you are there and are moving away. Most bears will leave when they see or hear you.

Do not come between a bear and her cubs. Bears are very protective of their offspring.

A bear stands up to better identify what you are, not to threaten you.

If a bear approaches you, do not scream or run or make sudden motions.

Horns are unproven in their effectiveness. High pitched noises can arouse curiosity or anger in bears.

Offensive attacks by bears are very rare. It is difficult to generalize accurately about the reasons for attacks or what to do when they occur. Most attacks thought to have been predation involved black bears, while most attacks by grizzly bears have been defensive, especially by females with cubs. Every instance is different, and what works best cannot be known with certainty in advance.

Food Storage in Camp

Take at least 50 feet (15 meters) of parachute cord or rope on backcountry or boating trips. If the campground lacks a food storage box, place your food, cooking gear, and toiletries in a bag. Choose a tree at least 100 yards (90 meters) from your tent, if possible, and downwind. You want the food bag to be visible from a distance as you approach. Suspend the bag from a limb of the tree so that it is at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the ground and 4 feet (1.2 meters) from the trunk.

Avoid contaminating sleeping gear with food odors; do not use sleeping bag stuff sacks, tent sacks, or clothing bags for food storage.

Remember to hang empty food packaging, garbage, cooking pots and utensils, cosmetics, sunscreen, insect repellent, soap, toothpaste and any other fragrant item with your food.

Never cook or eat in your tent.

Never keep any food, or anything that held food, in your tent.

If you are attacked by a bear you may have to shoot it. Aim for the snout of a charging bear - a high shot goes into the upper skull or even over the top, into the neck or spine; and if the bear hops or you shoot low, you have a chance at the throat, chest, or even a shoulder or leg, all of which can stop the animal, if only long enough for you to aim and shoot again. However, remember that a charging bear is going to cover 40 meters in just about three seconds. This situation will require subconscious, high stress weapon manipulations on demand with the resulting 1 or 2 shots you do manage to squeeze off dictating your survival.