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How to protect yourself and your property in bear country
By Kris Popp

Romanticized by some and vilified by others, bears are North America’s largest carnivores and are definitely to be taken seriously. Like most other wild animals, grizzly, black and polar bears are usually wary of people and would prefer to avoid them. However, this is becoming more difficult since their habitat is increasingly developed by humans and recreational use of wildland grows in popularity. As our paths cross with bears more often, it is not only our own safety that may be at risk. In fact, our choices and behaviours can be very injurious to the bears whose wilderness home we are sharing.

By educating ourselves, and following some basic guidelines, we can significantly reduce the risk of injury to ourselves, our property, the bears, and in the long term, the ecosystem as a whole.

One of the first things to remember is that the safest encounter with a bear is NO encounter with a bear. Consider taking the following steps to reduce the likelihood of any unwanted meetings:

1. Make a lot of noise, particularly if you are somewhere with poor visibility, if it is windy, or if you are near noisy, rushing water. Clap your hands and/or talk loudly. Travel in groups wherever possible. If a bear can hear you coming, they’re more likely to avoid you.
   
2. Learn to recognize the signs that bears may be in the area. Fresh scat, tracks, or diggings are valuable signals that it may be time to head home. If you see a lot of ravens, or actually find an animal carcass, leave the area immediately. Bears also have a very predictable vegetarian diet specific to the seasons. Being able to identify certain types of vegetation (such as raspberries) may help you to avoid encounters.
   
3. Keep yourself and your campsite attractant/odour free. If you’re camping, store your food, scented toiletries, and garbage away from your tent. Some campsites provide hanging poles, or bear-proof canisters. If not, you can hang these items by rope between two trees (at least 4 metres above ground and 1.3 metres from the sides of the trees), or put supplies in several sealed layers of zip lock bags on the ground at least 100 metres from your site. Cook at least 100 metres away from your site, wash your dishes and yourself immediately afterwards, and consider changing clothes as well.
   
4. Stick to official trails and campgrounds. Ask park officials about bear activity in the area. Only use trails during daylight hours.

If you do encounter a bear:

1. Try to identify the type of bear as this will affect how you will defend yourself should the need arise. Polar bears, the most easily identified, are the largest of the three varieties. Both grizzlies and black bears can range in colour from blonde to black, but grizzlies are generally larger and are identifiable by a distinctive shoulder hump on their backs.
   
2. If the bear has not noticed you, keep it that way. Back away slowly, and quietly, and give the bear the right-of-way on any trail you may be using.
   
3. If the bear has seen you, and is not behaving aggressively, you want to let it know that you are human and that you are not a threat. Speaking in low tones and waving your arms calmly will help the bear to identify you as human. Move backwards slowly, avoiding direct eye contact with the bear.

In the event that you encounter a bear and it shows signs of aggression:

1. Do not run. Bears can run a lot faster than you can (up to 50 kilometres per hour), both up and down hills. Running may just excite the bear’s instincts to chase you. Continue trying to retreat slowly, speaking in low tones, and waving your arms calmly, avoiding direct eye contact.
   
2. Consider climbing a tree if there is one immediately available and if you think you can climb it to a height of 10 metres. Know that black bears can climb trees and some grizzlies can too, so the goal in doing this is to appear less threatening and possibly ward off an attack.
   
3. Be prepared for the bear to charge you. It may run to within 10 feet of you before veering off or stopping. Again, do not run, and if you are carrying a back pack, don’t drop it. Try to stay calm.

Ultimately, an aggressive encounter could end in attack. Bear attacks can generally be categorized as defensive or predatory in nature. Defensive attacks occur when the bear is either surprised by you or sees you as a threat to its food source or cubs. Predatory attacks occur when the bear is hunting you or sees you as prey. Remember:

If a black bear, or any bear that appears to be stalking you, makes contact with you, fight back as aggressively as you can. Use whatever means are available to you and show the bear that you are not easy prey.

Most grizzly bear attacks are defensive in nature. If a grizzly bear makes contact with you, play dead. Lie down either in the fetal position, or flat on your stomach, with your hands behind your neck. If you’re carrying a pack, keep it on for added protection. Sometimes an attack may begin as defensive but become predatory. If the attack last longer than a couple of minutes while you’re playing dead, it’s possible that it has become predatory and you may need to begin defending yourself.

Bear attacks are rare, and any of us visiting, or even living in bear country can play a role in keeping it that way. When bears become habituated to people, it creates a risk both to their safety and ours. By making educated, responsible choices to avoid all contact with bears we can protect ourselves, and future bear generations.

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