Oddities

What To Do If You See A Black Bear

So I've always read that when you encounter a black bear to "look bigger than you are", "make lots of noise", and "don't run". My wife and I ran into a mother and cub on a hike in Big South Fork this past week and I tried one of these tactics out. When I saw the mother, she was sitting up sniffing and had already spotted me. I alerted my wife and the mother got back down on all fours and started to move toward the side of the trail. When she did this I barked... like a "woof" at her to try and scare her off. She then turned around and raised up a bit to look at me. Then she got back down and left.

This begged the question; Why did she turn back around when I woofed? Maybe that was too close to a sound a bear would have made. Bears don't have very good eyesight, so they depend on smell and sound. It probably couldn't tell exactly what I was. Maybe when you meet up with a bear the particular noise you try to make is important. After this I'd recommend just  yelling or screaming at it. So, lesson learned I guess.

It is actually illegal to approach within 50 yards of a bear willfully. But being in the wilderness like many of us are we run into them unexpectedly. So just as a refresher course for all of us out there, here is the recommended course of action when you spot a black bear in the wild.

  • If a bear spots you and watches you or changes direction, you are too close.
  • Be watchful of the bears behavior for any changes.
  • Don’t run, but slowly back away, watching the bear.
  • Try to increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same.
  • If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting, try changing your direction. If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
  • If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it. Act aggressively and try to intimidate the bear.
  • Act together as a group if you have companions.
  • Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground).
  • Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear. Use a deterrent such as a stout stick.
  • Don’t run and don't turn away from the bear. Don't leave food for the bear; this encourages further problems.

Incidentally our elderly dog, KrissyDog, didn't even see the bears. She did smell the ground as we went by the spot they were. So much for a guard dog...

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Discussion

4 comments for “What To Do If You See A Black Bear”

  1. Great reminders Wade!
    Did anyone happen to get video of Wade barking...? :)
    DSD

    Posted by DSD | October 7, 2008, 12:09 pm
  2. Ha! No video of me barking, not even a picture. :( Oh well, adrenaline was flowing and didn't even think of it until later.

    Posted by Wade | October 7, 2008, 12:41 pm
  3. [...] the same, Outdoorzy offers some sound advice on what to do if you do run into a black bear. Worth a look. And always remember, you don’t have to run faster than the bear to get [...]

    Posted by Quick! Bookmark this for the next time you see a black bear :: UpNorthica | October 7, 2008, 3:00 pm
  4. I might be going to Big South Fork the weekend of Oct. 18th.

    Posted by Brandon | October 7, 2008, 5:42 pm

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