Bear notes: Some knowledge for hiking and camping in bear country

Everybody loves a good bear - be it Teddy, Winnie, Yogi, or Boo-Boo -, but meeting the real ones face-to-face on a trail is another matter. All because there is a problem with bears: we can read and learn all we want about them, but up close we'll see that... 

T H E Y  A R E  H U G E.  

A big fat bear - License our images here.

I'm not an expert in this topic and neither have vast experiences dealing with bears. I just take photos and once in a while a bear comes into my camera frame. This post is a collection of notes from different sources. Be warned, use them at your own risk.  

There are three commands to wander in bear land. 

1. Learn about bears. 
2. Learn about living with bears. 
3. Learn to defend from bears. 

Welcome to bear country - Ocala, Florida. 

THE BEAR

Bears, it turns out, are a lot like humans. They form alliances with strangers, they make calculations about relative costs and benefits, they lay down rules and punish those who break them.

          Benjamin Kilham, In the Company of Bears

Colors

There are black, brown, and the white polar bears. But don’t rely only on color for identification because black bears come in brown, cinnamon, blue-gray, blond, or white. Confusing, right?

What about grizzlies? 

Grizzlies are a subspecies of the brown. They were first reported by Sebastián Vizcaíno, a Spaniard explorer that found a group feasting on a whale carcass in California - today they only survive in the state flag.  

Where do we find bears? 

The black ones run from sunny Florida to freezing Alaska. Browns and grizzlies live in Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, and Canada. Grizzlies are also found in remote areas of Montana, Idaho, and Washington state.

This map shows the black bear distribution. 

Where the black bears live in the United States - Public Domain map. 

And for the grizzlies:

The current habitat of grizzlies in yellow. 

Admiralty Island in Alaska has the highest density of brown bears in North America. It was called the "fortress of the bears" by the Tlingit and "fear island" by the Russians - we can get the idea.

The mighty Polar bears run through northern Alaska and Canada.

Other bear stuff

• Bears have a smell 100 times better than us.
• They are faster and better climbers. 
• These animals are smart, fast learners, curious, and opportunistic feeders. 
• Bears hate surprises. 
• They mate from May to July and hibernate in cold climates from November to March or April.
• In hibernation, they will wake up if disturbed.
• When a bear stands on its hinds, it's investigating its surroundings.  

Bears have an excellent smell. 

Bear encounters

• Each encounter is unique, and the bear response varies from individual to individual - some behave more aggressive.  
• Bear attacks may be defensive or predatory. 
• In a surprise encounter with humans, they may respond with defensive aggression - usual response of grizzlies and brown bear moms with cubs.
• In a predatory attack, the bear sees you as food. 
• Adult males are often the main culprits of predatory attacks. 
• The curious approach of a bear may transform into a predatory attack. 
• In hunting mode, bears will try to surprise you. 
• Defense is the only way out from a predatory attack.
• Most bear attacks happen in daylight and during summer, but bears may behave aggressively in September and October when they need to pack weight for the winter.
• Bears that kill humans are eliminated because they have lost the fear - exception: defensive attacks and if the animal didn’t feed on the victim.

Warning of active bears on a trail of the Smokies. 

LIVING WITH BEARS

The gypsies believe the bear to be a brother to man because he has the same body beneath his hide, because he drinks beer, because he enjoys music and because he likes to dance.

          Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

Camping with bears

• Bears wandering into campgrounds at night are looking for food leftovers, garbage, or a prey.
• Public campgrounds may attract habituated bears - they may have problem with disposing trash and food leftovers. 
• Animals conditioned to feed on humans or garbage are dangerous. 
• Never pitch the tent near a trail, feeding site, meadow, drainage, or a gentle ridge - wild animals share our trails. 
• Doug Peacock recommends bushwhacking at least 100 yards off trail and to check the surroundings for signs of bears - move camp to another spot if anything is found. 
• Sleep with the spray ready and at hand.
• Camouflage fabrics draw less attention than bright colors - according to research from biologist Tom Smith.

Bear-proof food locker in a campsite of Northern New Mexico. 

Food handling in bear country

• Never feed bears - voluntarily or involuntarily.
• Cook food far from the tent.
• Avoid foods with strong odors - like fish and bacon. 
• Clean utensils, dispose of the garbage, and change clothes after cooking. 
• Bear-proof all your food and any smelly thing that may attract them. 
• If there are no food lockers in a camp, use bear-proof storage. 
• The old method of hanging food in a bag on a tree doesn’t work all the time - bears are clever and sometimes there are not good trees by the camping area. 
• BearVault containers are good to protect food - the link is affiliate. 
• Lay the bear-proof food containers on the ground at least 50 feet away from the tent. You can put clean cookware on top for an improvised alarm. 
• Odor proof bags also help for food storage. Well-known brands are Opsak Loksak Odor Proof bags, Heeta Waterproof Dry Bag, and Ursack Bear Bags.
• For car campers: Double bagging and freezing food leftovers diminish the odors. Never leave food unprotected inside a vehicle. 

Florida black bear in Homosassa Springs State Park.

On deterrence 

• Things that bears don’t like may be used to keep them away - caveat: they learn fast that something means no danger, so deterrence needs to be compound. 
• Bears don’t like bleach, ammonia, Lysol, and Pinesol cleaners. Poured on a cloth, these products may mask the odors of the trash - avoid the ones with fruit scents and NEVER mix bleach and ammonia because fumes are fatal, and ammonia can blind the bear.
• NEVER spray bear spray around camp. When it dries, the odor can attract bears. 
• Electric fences work in areas with high density of grizzly or polar bears.
• Noise makers, sound alarms, and motion activated lights can scare a bear - until it gets used. Some folks build noise makers with a soup can filled with pebbles and taped shut. 
• Human voices help, so a loud radio talk show may keep them away. Music does not work.
• Setting unwelcome mats outside of doors and windows deny access to bears. Use plywood sheets with nails 2 inches apart and protruding ¾ inch. 
• A good fire may be a deterrent at night.
• High pitch whistles and banging pots or pans may work for throwing wandering bears from the camp. 

Bear education and warnings in Florida trails. 

On hiking 

• There is strength in numbers. Hike in groups.
• Avoid hiking early in the morning, near sunset, or at night.
• Be noisy. Go extra noisy near running water and trail corners. 
• Don't move fast to decrease the chances of surprising a bear. 
• Stop and listen frequently. 
• Stay alert for signs of bears - scats and tracks. 
• Avoid bear trails and be extra careful if you encounter a carcass - bears defend their food.
• Beware when walking through berries or glacier lilies - grizzlies love them. 

Bears are good climbers. 

Bear encounters

• Move out of the trail if a bear is coming from the opposite direction. 
• Keep a distance of at least 100 yards (90 meters) from the animal.
• Keep your dog on a leash.
• Stand your ground - NEVER RUN, because this may provoke a chase and they are faster. 
• Keep the backpack on for extra protection and remain alert with the bear spray at ready.
• Talk calmly to the bear. Panic and fast movements can awaken its instinct to prey.
• Back away slowly. Stop if the bear gets agitated - move head, huffs, clacks teeth. Bears display aggression when scared. 
• Human habituated bears are dangerous because they don’t fear us. 
• Juvenile bears are unpredictable.
• A bear following a person is a problem - especially if opening and closing the jaws. 
• Head lowered straight and flat back ears may show an imminent charge.
• Attacks are lightning fast. 
• Use bear spray against a charge.
• Out of options, play dead with a grizzly - if not a predatory attack. Cover your head and neck with your hands. Lay face down or make a fetal roll to protect the chest and abdomen - bears often go for the head. Don’t allow the bear to roll you over. 
• NEVER play dead with black bears. Their attacks are mostly predatory. Fight back! Be aggressive. Yell, throw stones, use the spray, the gun, the knife, punch its face... whatever it takes, fight back! Alaska wildlife biologist John Hechtel said once that black bears "don't kill; they eat."
• Opening and closing an umbrella sometimes scares a bear. 
• Andrew Skurka scared once a bear by throwing a hiking pole - check video at the end of the post.
• If throwing stones or using slingshots, aim for the hinds.

MEANS OF DEFENSE

The young man rashly shot him with his musket, wounding him sufficiently to make him furious. The tremendous brute hurled his thousand pounds of ferocity at the hunter, and one little tap of that huge paw crushed his skull like an egg-shell.

          Samuel Hall Young, Alaska Days with John Muir

Three roads to take if meeting the wrong bear: 

1. Bear spray.
2. Firearms.
3. Both. 

The two brands of bear spray we have owned. 

Bear Spray

• The most advised method, but sometimes controversial on data and effectivity. Biologist Tom Smith's research shows that spray worked 100% of the time on polar bears, 92% on grizzlies, and 90% on black bears. Bear spray didn’t work in some predatory attacks by black bears. The spray drove the animal off, but it came back later.
• Bear spray is easy to carry and easy to deploy. 
• Carry the spray handy. Never inside bags - no time for zippers under attack.
• A wide cloud of aerosol doesn't need hyper precision but must factor wind direction to keep it away from us.
• Point the spray a little under the head of the bear because the aerosol rises. 
• Discharge for at least six seconds when the animal is 30-40 feet away (10-13 meters).

Which bear spray to buy? 

• The content is basically the same for all brands. 
• The differences are mostly on can size and reach - some brands trade the aerosol reach for duration. 
• The more amount and reach, the better.
• Keep an eye on the expiration date because chemicals degrade.
• Leaving marketing aside, UDAP, Mace Guard Alaska, Counter Assault, and Frontiersman should work well - check them in this affiliate link to Amazon. 

Ruger SP101 in 357 Mag. 

Firearms

• Bears are massive and all calibers don’t work - even if some have killed grizzlies with a .22. 
• Common caliber suggestions are .300-Magnum rifles, 12-gauge shotguns, .357-Magnum on handguns for black bears, and .44-Magnum for grizzlies (full metal jacketed ammo).  
• You need to know how to use your weapon, where to shoot, and have good accuracy shooting under pressure. High caliber handguns are hard to shoot effectively.
• A wounded bear is a bad idea. 

Both

Carrying bear spray and a firearm gives two options - always better than one. Bear spray is not perfect, so the firearm may be the only Plan B when all fails.  

C has a friendly bear living in the truck camper.  

EPILOGUE

There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to 'mean' horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid.

          Theodore Roosevelt.

Don’t worry too much about bear attacks. If the stats of reported deaths from black bear attacks between 1900 and 2009 are true, only a hundred humans have died in a century. We've more chances of dying in car accidents, shot by criminals, or from a Pit Bull attack. Falls in mountain trail should be a bigger concern for hikers.

Said that, it's important to be prepared for the worst-case scenario when hiking and camping in bear country.   

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• Stephen Herrero, Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance.  
• Frank C. Craighead, Jr, Track of the Grizzly.
• Doug Peacock, Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness.
• Jack Olsen, Night of the Grizzlies.
• Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, website.
• Recommended carnivore control program for the Northwest Alaskan Pipeline Project, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, October 1980 - PDF
• Fatal attacks by American black bear on people: 1900–2009, Stephen Herrero, Andrew Higgins, James E. Cardoza, Laura I. Hajduk, Tom S. Smith. 
• Behavioral and physiological characteristics of grizzly and polar bears and their relation to bear repellents, Gary D. Miller, University of Montana. 
• Response of captive of captive grizzly and polar bears to potential repellents, Gary D. Miller, University of Montana. 
• Brown bear wakes up from hibernation and kills 38 reindeer calves, Live Science.
• Reflections On The Fatal Grizzly Bear Mauling In Wyoming, Steve Primm, Mountain Journal.
• Imagine Making A Wildlife Movie Whose Lessons Save Your Life, Steve Primm, Mountain Journal.
• Lake Tahoe bear killed after clawing woman’s face, Amy Larson.
• Night of the Grizzly – A True Story Of Love And Death In The Wilderness, Yellowstone by Bearman.
• Bear Proofing your Camp, Rick Curtis. 
• Video of Andrew Skurka after scaring a grizzly in Alaska, YouTube. 
• Video compilation of bear attacks (graphic images), YouTube.
• If You Live in Bear Country, Then You Already Know—Bears Must Fear Us

(Some books and products links in this post are affiliate to Amazon.)