Safety
In Bear Country
There are
many specific things people can do to avoid attracting bears, either
grizzly or black. Good sanitation is a key to many of these. Odors
attract bears to potential food items. Carefully controlling odors
associated with food and products which humans use prevent bears
from being conditioned to being near people. This means that we
need to store food, garbage, cooking gear, and cosmetics where
bears cannot get them. Once conditioned, a bear is dangerous. It
may approach humans closely and come into camps or near homes to
search for food.
Avoiding
Contact
Specific Things you can do
-
Keep
a clean camp.
-
Store
only sleeping gear and clean clothing in the tent. Never sleep
in the clothing worn while cooking.
-
Hang
all food, garbage, cooking gear, and cosmetics in a tree at
least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet from the tree trunk
or nearby branches. If there is a device provided for storing
or hanging your food or other items, use it. If you are camped
near your vehicle, store these items in the trunk. Use PVC-type
float sacks for storing items to minimize odors.
-
Never
use the stuff sacks for tents or sleeping bags to store food,
garbage, cooking gear, or cosmetics. This may transmit smells
attractive to bears to tents and sleeping bags.
-
Where
hunting is permitted, store game meat as you would human food.
Dispose of fish entrails by puncturing the air bladder and
dropping them in deep water, allowing natural decomposition.
-
Dispose
of used tampons or sanitary napkins by packing them out in
a sealed plastic bag.
-
Pitch
your tent 100 yards uphill from the area where you're cooking
and storing food, if possible.
-
Never
bury or burn garbage.
-
Never
cook in or near a tent.
-
Avoid
cooking strong-smelling foods; use dehydrated foods when possible.
-
Use a
stove instead of a cooking fire whenever possible.
-
Store
horse and pet feed the same as human food.
-
If dogs
are permitted in the area, keep your dog on a leash; a free
ranging dog may lead a bear back to you.
-
Stay
informed about recent bear activity in the area.
-
Leave
a travel plan with a friend, and sign in and out at the trailhead
so that someone will know when to expect your return.
-
Avoid
sudden encounters and destruction of habitat. Stay on trails.
-
Hike
in groups to avoid surprising bears.
-
Hike
in daylight hours only.
-
Make
human sounds by talking, singing, or clapping your hands. Avoid
high-pitched voices.
-
Stay
alert. Be aware of your surroundings. The potential for a bear
encounter always exists. Look for paw prints, droppings, fresh
diggings, torn-apart logs, and rocks that have been turned
over. These may signal that a bear is active in the area.
-
It is
easy to become absorbed in photography, bird watching, or sightseeing.
Stay alert.
-
Bear
food supplies such as berry fields, fish spawning areas, and
animal carcasses should be recognized and avoided.
-
Watch
for noisy streams and wind directions that may mask your sound
and scent.
-
All bears
have the ability to climb trees, some better than others.
-
Just
because you don't see bears doesn't mean they are not around.
Grizzly bears hide or make daybeds in thick brush, often near
trails.
-
Always
carry a used bandana, shirt, or parka that you can drop easily.
Avoid dropping food, this will only encourage the bear's aggressiveness
toward other hikers.
If You Encounter a Bear
If
you see a bear, stay calm and give it plenty of room. Do not
startle it; detour slowly, keeping upwind so it will get your
scent and know you
are there. If you can't detour wait until it moves away from your route
before proceeding.
When a bear first detects
you, it may stand upright and use all of its senses to determine
what and where you are. Once it identifies you it may ignore
you, move slowly away, run, or it may charge. A wild bear rarely
attacks unless it feels threatened or provoked.
On four legs, a bear
may show agitation by swaying its head from side to side, making
huffing noises and clacking its teeth.
A charge or retreat may
follow. Flattened ears and raised hair on the back of the neck
indicate aggressive intent. If a bear runs with a stiff, bouncing
gait, it may be a false charge.
Never run, and do not
try to climb a tree unless you are sure you have time to climb
at least 10 feet before the bear reaches you. Bears can run very
fast.
If attacked by a bear,
do not run. Bears can easily outrun you. Try playing dead. Lie
flat on your stomach, or lie on your side with your legs drawn
up to your chest. Clasp your hands over the back of your neck.
Bears have passed by people in these positions without harming
them.
Information
obtained by United States Forest Service
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