Bears/Cougars and the West Coast Trail
 

Hello,
I recently read about the West Coast Trail and would love to do this hike in late May. My husband is very concerned about the bears and cougars that you may see while hiking/camping. I agreed to do the research and find out whether it was really an issue. So far, the majority of bear information I can find deals with the Rockies, so I was hoping someone on this site could provide us with some information on the West Coast Trail and help ease my husband's concerns so we can do this trip! :)
Thank you very much in advance for any thoughts/help you can provide.

Take care,
Melissa

As a regular visitor to less trafficked areas of WCVI I can tell you with confidence that wild animal attacks on the WC trail are unheard of.
Of course that's not to say there are no Bears or Cougars-there are all kinds but they pose no threat.

One night while camping in nearby Carmanah Provincial Park I was rudely shaken awake by my companion who hissed &quot;<i>there's something outside the tent</i>&quot;!
&quot;<i>It said woof</i>&quot;! she added
My response was a groggy &quot;<i>wha, wha, there's nothing outside the G**D*** tent go back to sleep</i>&quot;!
Of course I knew full well there <u>was</u> a Bear outside the tent but what did she expect me to do-run outside and pull a Tarzan act in my birthday suit?
We hung our food in a tree and Bear attacks on sleeping campers are in no way common.
Sure enough in the clear light of day we could see where Brother Bruin had circled the area no doubt looking for a meal and when he found none he moved on.

Sadly there have been Cougar attacks on Northern Vancouver Island-usually children from small native communities.
It's thought that Cats who've yet to establish a hunting territory fare poorly and thus gravitate to the smell of food associated with human settlements-children with their high pitched voices and erratic movements don't trigger the avoidance reflex that wild animals have for humans.

If you're still unsure do a search for the <u>Juan de Fuca Trail</u> and the <u>Galloping Goose Trail</u>-both are through more settled parts of the south Island where Deer are much more common than carnivores.

i'm very leary of bears BUT, on the very rare chance that you may see one, you can't let it stop you from exploring. just be very smart when camping, bring some bear spray just in case.

The good news is that there are no grizzlies on Vancouver Island. I have done the trail over 50 times and have seen a bear on only a few occasions. If you know how to bearproof your camp and what to do if you encounter a bear enroute you will be fine.

I have never seen a cougar on the trail in all that time, even though they do have a presence there. Same applies to cougars as to bears.

If your husband or you have any misgivings then you may look at doing a guided trip and then you may feel a greater security.

A co-worker of mine did the trail a few summers ago and was followed by a cougar for two days. It must have been very un-nerving. I have never heard of any other issues like this. Most people's problems/accidents on the trail are not due to wildlife, but falls, exaustion and even blisters.