If it feels like you’ve seen a lot of bear attack headlines lately, you’re not imagining it.
Over the past several weeks, a string of high-profile incidents has put bears back in the national conversation. A hiker was killed in Glacier National Park — the park’s first fatal bear attack in nearly three decades. Another hiker survived a grizzly mauling on the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail just weeks later. Yellowstone visitors also found themselves on the wrong end of an encounter with a protective mother bear and her cubs near Old Faithful.
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Frightening, yes. But before you swear off hiking forever, let’s add some perspective.
Millions of people recreate in bear country every year without incident. Most bears want nothing to do with humans, and most negative interactions are the result of surprise encounters, improperly stored food or people who are wildly unprepared for the environment they’re entering.
But a little knowledge goes a long way.
So before you lace up your boots and head into bear country, here are a few things every hiker and camper should know.
Don’t surprise the bear
Most bear encounters happen because neither party knew the other was there until it was too late.
That’s why the No. 1 rule of hiking in bear country is simple: make noise.
You don’t need a bear bell. In fact, many wildlife experts will tell you they’re largely ineffective because they aren’t loud enough to alert a bear until it’s already nearby.
Instead, use your voice. Your outside voice, as they taught us in kindergarten.
GRIZZLY BEAR MAULS HIKER, DRAGS HIM DOZENS OF FEET ON GLACIER NATIONAL PARK TRAIL
Call out “Hey bear!” from time to time. Chat with your hiking partner about where you’ll get beers afterward. Complain loudly about the incline. Whatever. The goal is to let the bear know you’re coming so it has plenty of time to leave the area before you arrive.
This is especially important near rushing water, around blind corners and in dense vegetation where sound and visibility are limited. In fact, one of the common threads in several recent bear encounters — including Daniel Crago’s grizzly attack in Glacier National Park — was that environmental conditions made it difficult for either the bear or the hiker to hear the other approaching.
Hike in groups whenever possible
Bears generally prefer easy problems and low-risk situations.
A group of hikers is bigger, louder and more intimidating than a lone person walking through the woods.
While there’s no magic number, hiking with three or more people is often recommended in bear country. If you’re heading deep into the backcountry, this is one of the simplest ways to reduce your chances of a negative encounter.
Store your food properly
I don’t know how many videos of bears breaking into cars have to go viral before people accept that these animals have phenomenal sniffers.
Bears aren’t just smelling your hot dogs and hamburgers. They’re smelling the toothpaste, deodorant, lip balm, sunscreen, beef jerky wrapper you forgot about and the shirt you wore while cooking bacon.
In camp, keep your sleeping area, cooking area and food storage area separate. Use bear-resistant canisters or bear boxes whenever they’re available. If you can hang the grub, do it.
And for the love of all things holy, do not store food in your tent.
Keep a clean campsite
A clean camp is a safe camp.
Wash dishes promptly. Dispose of trash properly. Don’t leave food scraps sitting around. And if you’re in serious grizzly country, some experts even recommend changing clothes after cooking before climbing into your sleeping bag.
I promise being too careful beats a hungry middle-of-the-night visitor every single time.
Carry bear spray — and keep it where you can actually reach it
Notice I said “carry” it. Not “own” it. Not “pack” it. Carry it.
If your bear spray is buried beneath a rain jacket, two bags of trail mix, a first-aid kit and three layers of backpack zippers, it might as well not exist.
Keep it in a chest holster or on your hip where you can access it at a moment’s notice. Practice removing the safety clip before your trip so you’re not trying to read the instructions during a high-stress encounter.
Know when and how to use bear spray
Bear spray isn’t something you deploy every time you see a bear in the distance. If a bear is calmly minding its own business 100 yards away, leave it alone and continue creating distance.
Bear spray is intended for situations where a bear is approaching aggressively or charging.
If that happens, remove the safety clip, hold the can with both hands, and prepare to spray when the bear is roughly 30 to 40 feet away. Aim slightly downward to create a cloud between you and the animal.
Think of it less like aiming a water gun and more like building a wall the bear has to run through.
If you encounter a bear, don’t run
I know. This is antithetical to every survival instinct in your body. And it’s easy for me to say from behind a laptop — while not being stared down by a grizzly. But do not run from a bear.
Bears can sprint up to 35 miles per hour. Usain Bolt’s human sprint speed record is 27.78 mph. You’re not Usain Bolt, and you don’t need me to do that math for you.
If the bear hasn’t noticed you, quietly back away and give it space.
If it sees you, remain calm. Stand your ground. Speak in a calm, firm voice and slowly make yourself appear larger by raising your arms.
Most bears will leave if given the opportunity.
Keep dogs under control
Your dog may be friendly. The bear does not care.
One of the more common ways bear encounters escalate is when an off-leash dog runs toward a bear, annoys it, and then comes sprinting back to its owner with an angry predator in pursuit.
Keep dogs leashed in bear country, and maintain control of them at all times.
Cubs are only fun to watch at Wrigley
If you spot a bear cub, congratulations. You are almost certainly much closer to its mother than you’d ever like to be.
Never approach cubs. Never position yourself between a mother and her cubs. And never stop for a photo — no matter how awestruck you are by the adorable danger puppies.
An otherwise peaceful mother bear will f— you up if she thinks you pose a threat to her babies.
Not all bears are created equal
The good news is that most bear encounters never escalate to an attack.
But if things do go sideways, the type of bear you’re dealing with can influence how wildlife experts recommend responding.
Black bears are often more timid and more likely to retreat if you stand your ground, make yourself look large and fight back if attacked. In the rare event of a predatory black bear attack, experts generally advise fighting with everything you’ve got.
Grizzlies, on the other hand, are more likely to attack defensively — particularly when surprised or protecting cubs. In those situations, playing dead may be the recommended response if physical contact occurs and bear spray fails to stop the attack. The National Park Service guidance is to lie flat on your stomach, hands clasped behind your neck, legs spread to make it harder for the bear to flip you.
God, that sounds terrifying. But it’s very good information to have.
Of course, the goal is to never find yourself in this position in the first place. That’s why making noise, storing food properly and carrying accessible bear spray remain your best defenses.
The recent string of bear encounters is a good reminder that when we head into the wilderness, we’re guests.
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Bears don’t know we come in peace. They don’t understand we’re just there to get our steps in, snap a few photos and then head home for burgers and a shower. They’re simply being bears.
Most of the time, that’s not a problem. But a little preparation and a healthy respect for wildlife can make all the difference between a great story to tell and a story that ends up on the evening news.
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