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Excerpts from
Living in Bear Country ©
Linda Masterson, 2006
If you do meet a black bear, it
will most likely turn tail and run off. If it doesn’t, you should stop,
stand still and stay calm.
Talk to the bear in a normal, calm voice,
in as much of a monotone as you can master. You can say anything you
want, as there is no evidence that bears can understand English. “Hey
bear, hey bear, we’re here and we’re getting out of your way now,” is
easy enough to remember! If you are in a group, only one person should
be the “bear talker” as several people talking will likely sound
contentious to a bear, no matter what you’re saying.
Don’t approach any closer, and don’t whip out your camera and start
taking pictures. It’s important not to make any sudden or abrupt
movements. Let the bear see you are a human and mean no harm, by slowly
waving your arms and continuing to talk in a low, firm monotone voice.
Don’t offer the bear any food.
Avoid direct eye contact. Bears and many other animals may view this as
hostile or aggressive behavior. If the bear stands up, he is only trying
to see you better to figure out what you are and assess whether or not
you are a threat.
Don’t run. Running triggers a chase response in many animals, including
bears. Remember, bears can sprint at speeds of up to 30 mph. You can’t
outrun a bear. If the bear paws the ground, huffs and puffs, clacks and
snorts, or runs directly at you, he’s doing what is called a “bluff
charge” to try to scare you off. If you stand your ground, the bear will
probably stop a few feet from you and turn the other direction and run
away. No matter what happens, do not run away. After the bear gets back
to where he started from, you can continue slowly backing away, talking
and waving your arms. He may bluff charge you several times until he is
comfortable turning his back on you and leaving.
Don’t climb a tree. Adult black bears can climb a 100-foot tree in less
than 30 seconds. Mother black bears often send their cubs up a tree when
they sense danger. You don’t want to end up a tree with a couple of cubs
and mama bear waiting patiently below for you all to come down! If the
bear is sufficiently interested in you, you’ll just end up fending off a
bear in a tree. When a dominant bear chases another bear up a tree in a
battle of “who’s turf is this, anyway?” the treed bear often gets yanked
to the ground and pummeled a few times to teach it a lesson. Bears
survive being pummeled by other bears a lot better than people do. Don’t
climb trees to escape a black bear.
Don’t ‘play dead’, and don’t turn your back on the bear. Back away and
be prepared to stop and hold your ground if your movement away seems to
irritate instead of calm the bear. Clacking teeth, popping noises,
moaning, woofing or barking sounds are all vocal cues that mean the bear
is as uncomfortable with the situation as you are. They are not
indications of aggressive intent or an imminent attack. Truly aggressive
black bears are eerily silent.
If a Black bear attacks you: Fight back. Even if you don’t have bear
repellent spray, people have successfully fended off black bear attacks
using their bare hands, rocks, backpacks, and even water bottles! |
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