Bear Necessities - What You Should Know If Hiking & Camping In Bear Country

Bear Necessities

What You Should Know If Hiking & Camping In Bear Country

by Stuart Martin

Publication Date: August 1996

He was an avid outdoor enthusiast, who stayed fit from hiking, biking, and climbing. He had brought his family to the Smokie Mountains to share the backcountry experience with them. He climbed out of their tent and decided to take a quick jog in the crisp fog before making breakfast for his late rising wife and daughter.

He'd been running right at her for about twenty seconds and didn't even know it. But she already knew that he was coming at her through the fog. She rose to her hind legs, awaiting the inevitable collision. It all happened at once. Within an instant, his mind put together enough patchy images to allow recognition and reaction, albeit too late. There was a small cub to his immediate left (he nearly stepped on it) and the mother towered directly in front of him on the trail. He did all he could to immediately halt his progress, but the panic threw him down a mere ten feet in front of the mother bear and directly between her and her cub. He hastened to scramble to his feet, but was forcibly slammed back down and simultaneously smothered by the hot, steaming breath of the protective mother.

The preceding was fiction, although probable, and is presented to illustrate how easily people in the backcountry can get into trouble with bears.

Just how dangerous are bears in the backcountry? Statistically, you are actually pretty safe. To date in the U.S. there have been only 50 people recorded killed by bears, even though there are approximately 500,000 bears in North America. Even in the U.S. hotbed of grizzly country, Yellowstone Park, there is only a 1 in 2 million chance of being injured by a bear. For every one death by a bear, there are 34 by domestic dogs, 90 by bees, and 190 by lightning. Statistically, you're still more apt to be killed in Central Park than Yellowstone Park. Even though injuries and deaths by bears are rare, people/bear "conflicts" seem to be on the rise. There were 68 reported conflicts in the state of Montana in 1995; an increase of 75% over the previous year.

Most bears "try" to stay away from people. However, as more of us frequent bear backcountry, some encounters become inevitable. Bears have tremendous senses, especially hearing and smell, which they use in most cases to steer clear of us.

Sometimes these senses bring bears into contact with people. They can be drawn by certain sounds or anything that smells like food. Bears are omnivores, which means they can eat about anything. But bears are mostly vegetarian (except for polar bears that diet on approximately 80% meat), but are still drawn to anything that smells of "sweet or meat."

Excluding polar bears, it's rare that any bear would purposely stalk man as a meal. Most conflicts are as a result of one of three situations:

1. Surprising or startling a bear

2. Presenting an obstacle to it obtaining food, or in its way from fleeing

3. Protecting its cubs

There are proactive things you can do to minimize your chances of encountering bears when hiking:

· Do not hike alone - In many places of high Grizzly activity, solo hiking is prohibited and some parks require a minimum group size of five people.

· Stay alert - Look for the signs of bear activity, scat, tree rubs, tracks, etc. Be aware of the direction of the trail and how easy it might be to startle or suddenly come across something on the trail.

· Make noise - Bells and conversation work best and turn up the volume a bit around rushing streams and during noisy, windy days. Do not whistle as bears may mistake you for a rodent.

· Do not jog - It's easier to come up on an animal and startle it when running, plus the swift movement can excite the bear (as running prey does).

· Scan ahead with binoculars if possible - Give the bear a wide berth if one is seen.

· Be aware of wind direction - Normally bears will smell you first unless you are downwind from them.

· Stay on trails - Although bears do sometimes use trails, they don't "expect" to see hikers off trail.

· Never-ever feed the bears - This violates every natural instinct bears are born with. Handouts "ruin" bears and confuse their natural tendency to be wary of man.

If camping in bear country, follow these tips:

· Never-ever bring or keep food in your tent. In backcountry hang all food/snacks/medicine/etc. at least 10 feet high and 10 feet away from any climbable structure. If above tree-line, use approved bear-proof containers and store them at least 300 feet away from your tent. If car camping, lock food in car or trunk "out of site." Bears have learned to recognize food containers and will go to extra effort to get at them (Note: tennis ball cans look like Pringle cans).

· Use the 300' per side diamond to layout your backcountry camp. (Diagram)

· Wash-up thoroughly before bedding to remove any lingering odors of food or blood on the body.

If you do encounter a bear on the trail or in camp;

· Stop, freeze, then back away slowly; do not run. This only serves to excite the bear (remember; don't act like prey).

· While backing away, talk to the bear. Bears are not accustomed to people talking to them. Reports seem to indicate this helps the bear to decide to walk away (do not shout as this may excite the bear).

· If a bear charges, stand your ground. This is hard to do, but most charges are bluffs.

· If the bear continues to come at you, consider dropping a piece of gear or clothing to get its attention while you continue to back away. Don't drop food; the last thing you want to do is "reward" a bear for being aggressive to humans.

· If the bear attacks you, play dead! Pull your knees tight up against your chest, lock your hands behind your neck and lay face down. Leave your pack on as it offers you more protection.

· If the bear escalates its attack, you may consider fighting back. Experts seem to disagree at what point you should fight back against a bear. If you do, hit him with everything you have about the face, eyes and snout. Remember, you can't really win a fight with a bear, but you may make him change his mind and look for an easier lunch.

· If you are attacked in your sleep or in your tent, chances are it's a predatory bear...Fight back!

Other things to carry with you to protect yourself from bears include guns. Most pundits agree that guns should be a last resort and carried only by those who are truly experts with their firearms. To make things more complicated, most parks prohibit firearms in the backcountry. Airhorns are favored among some who say the loud blast effectively scares the bears away. It simultaneously serves to alert others in your party of the situation at hand. Pepper spray is becoming more and more popular and is endorsed by many rangers. At ten feet or closer, it seems pretty effective in immobilizing the bear, yet has no adverse long-term effects (watch your wind direction though).

Some inconclusive concerns that may attract bears are the odors emitted during sex (maybe best to make whoopee some place other than bear country). Female menstruation is also argued as an attractant. Dogs also pose problems in bear country. It's been reported that dogs will find bears and lead the bears back to camp (which seems a new twist on "he followed me home").

If all this makes you fearful to hike or camp in bear country, remember the statistics. So, if you're going to bear country, think of keeping the wild bear wild. This ultimately helps you and the bear. Don't fear bears, respect them, and remember that you're in "their house." If you need something to worry about, worry about the risk of death on the interstate while driving to bear country!

Credits:

* Bear Aware by Bill Schneider

* How to Die in the Outdoors by Buck Tilton

* Hiking in Bear Country by Keith Scott