Bear Attacks! Tips to Help You Avoid or Survive One

Basic stragegies for bear safety #2. 

Avoid encounters with bears whenever possible.

Like many other things in life, when it comes to bears, the best surprise is no surprise.

Dr. Tom Smith notes that "the greatest contributing factor to bear attacks is surprise. Bear attacks have consistently occurred in habitats where visibility is poor, underscoring the fact that given a chance, most bears will avoid a conflict with people."

Mick Holm, former Superintendent of Montana's Glacier National Park, noted that "Your best defense is to avoid a bear encounter in the first place by making your presence known."

Many people like to wear "bear bells" on their packs, hiking stick or ankle, but the value of the bells in alerting bears is a subject of some debate. Talk loudly, sing, or clap your hands at intervals, to let bears know you're in the neighborhood. This is especially important if you are hiking in areas of dense vegetation or in places where other noise (such as a waterfall or rushing river) can mask the sound of your approach.

Late summer and early fall when bears and people may be looking for the same berry patch are a time to be especially alert - and to make your presence known.

Basic strategies for bear safety #4. 

Know how to react if you DO find yourself close to a bear.

You'll find some different advice from most experts depending upon whether you're dealing with a grizzly (or brown bear as they're often called in Alaska) or a black bear. Keep reading for links to those tips. This information is very important, so please take a look. For sake of space, I won't repeat it here.

Please note that with the exception of those white polar bears, the color of the bear's coat is not a reliable way to tell a grizzly from a black bear. You'll find information about bear identification in one of the modules below.

Different actions are also recommended for surprise encounters vs. an actual unprovoked attack (if you're asleep in your tent, for example.)

There are, however, at least two general rules:

• Never get between a mother bear and her cub(s), and give a mother with youngsters even a wider berth than other bruins.
• If you find yourself close to a bear, never run. You simply can't outrun a bear, and the attempt could cause the animal to begin a pursuit. A bear that outweighs you by several hundred pounds can run 30 m.p.h. or more, and forget the old fable that bears can't run downhill. On a recent trip to Alaska, I saw a large grizzly run full-speed down a steep slope. Thankfully, I was in a vehicle a safe distance away!
  
  Climb a tree? Take a look at the above photo and see if that sounds like a great idea.
  
  (Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service North Central Research Station.)

Bear Pepper Spray - Don't leave home without it in bear country 

What you don't know CAN hurt you if you're carrying the wrong spray.

Bear pepper spray is an important, last-resort defensive measure for anyone who spends time out of doors in Bear Country. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about this product and its proper use.

It's absolutely essential to avoid confusing "bear spray" or "bear pepper spray" with other pepper spray products. Many people mistakenly purchase and carry one of the numerous personal defense or law enforcement pepper sprays designed for use against other humans rather than bears. The products are definitely not the same!

For defense against bruins, be sure you only purchase and carry bear spray products that meet EPA standards and are clearly labeled "for deterring attacks by bears." Carrying the wrong product can create a false sense of security and put you at risk when it doesn't perform as needed during a bear encounter. You'll find a link to a list of products that meet EPA standards a little further down this page.

In addition to the above information, Chuck Bartlebaugh, Director of the Center for Wildlife Information, offers the following recommendations for minimum standards for bear pepper spray:

• Spray distance of 25 feet under optimum conditions. (Factors such as wind, moisture and the age of the canister itself can all reduce the effective distance of the product.)
• Minimum spray duration of 6 seconds;
• Minimum net content of 7.9 ounces or 225 grams.

What you need to know about carrying and using bear pepper spray 

• Bear spray should be carried in a quickly accessible location such as a hip or chest holster. If faced with a charging bear, you don't have time to start digging in your pack. In your tent, keep the spray readily available next to your flashlight.
• Bear spray should be used as a deterrent only in an aggressive or attacking confrontation with a bear. These products are only effective when sprayed as an airborne cloud and make direct contact with the eyes and nose of an approaching animal.
• These products are not a repellent and should never be applied to people, tents, packs, other equipment or the surrounding area. Research at the Alaska Science Center found that the residue from the spray may actually attract bears, even several days after the product was used!
• Keep a firm grip on the canister and aim slightly down and toward the approaching bear; many people tend to aim too high, which could allow the bear to run under the cloud of spray;
• Don't forget that a bear can run at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Try to spray early enough so the bear, if charging, runs into the widest bear pepper spray cloud and has time to react to the product. If possible, spray when a charging bear is still 30 to 40 feet away.
• Each hiker or other backcountry user should carry his or her own bear spray. You may meet more than one bear, or if you're part of a group and only one person is carrying spray, Murphy's Law says that person will be too far away to help when a bear poses a threat to another group member.

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