Bears like thick brush, berry patches and parsnip thickets, but also regularly use hiking trails. The last thing you want to do is startle a bear. Here are five ways to avoid doing so. In this trigger-happy society where there are over m guns — one for every man, woman and child — the most common myth is that you can protect yourself from a bear with a gun.
Forget it. In two studies published in and by bear researchers Tom Smith, a professor at BYU, and Stephen Herrero, professor emeritus at the University of Calgary and author of Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, the profound efficacy of bear spray versus weapons has been proven beyond a doubt.
On the other hand, bear spray has a 20ft spread at a 25ft range. Practice using bear spray before going into bear country. How to survive a bear encounter and what to do if it all goes wrong. Pictured, a very angry brown bear. Skip to main content Skip to footer site map.
Subscribe to the Nature Newsletter. Features Update. You May Also Like. Ensure the bear has a clear and safe escape route with no people or obstacles in its way. Stand tall and look it directly in the eye.
For more information on how to deter black bears, click here. Never try to move a grizzly bear! This is often the case with a mother bear with cubs, a bear defending a food source, or a surprise encounter.
It is simply trying to communicate that you are too close. Try to appear non-threatening by remaining still and calm. Ready 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 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 defence is always your bear spray.
That should be enough to discourage it and send it in the other direction. Click here to learn more about how to deploy bear pepper spray. 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 eating you, it is no longer being defensive and it is time to fight back see next section.
Occasionally, a bear will approach you in a non-defensive manner. It may just be curious. Or they are used to hanging around peopled areas in order to access food.
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