Lateagain

I have read conflicting advice, 1/ Play dead or 2/ Make a noise, depending on what type of bear! But can't remember which is which. Going to Yellowstone next spring so really want to get it right.

starrs

You make a lot of noise so you don't surprise one on the trail. Hopefully, if they know you are there, they will avoid you.

If not, here's what Jack Hanna did -
http://www.zimbio.com/Jack+Hanna/art...+Confrontation

starrs

A video of him talking about the encounter -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdqgB3AaGEg

logandog

Do what my wife did,marry it.

John

I've been hiking in Glacier Park over 18 years. The trick is to NOT see a bear. Don't hike alone, talk loud, sing, clap your hands any kind of noise will do especially near streams or blind corners.
Unlikely you will see one but if you do , back off slowly, DO NOT make eye to eye contact as the bear will look upon this as threatning, continue to back down slowly. DO NOT RUN!! It can outrun you easily.
Finally, if it does charge, use your bear spray.
Before starting out take time to read directions on the most effecient way to use the spray.
Make noise as you hike, hike with a group and you shouldn't have a problem.
In the unlikely chance you do get attacked;
Grizzly-try to lie face down and cover the back of your neck with your hands and lie still.
Black-fight back if you can with whatever you have on hand.
This assumes you know the difference between a Griz and a Black.

nytraveler

Bears are much bigger, stronger and faster. You are a puny, slow, weakling. The bear can easily kill you if it wants.

the only thing you have on your side is brains. Use them to make sure you DON'T meet a bear.

(There was a woman attacked by a polar bear in the zoo some years ago. She had climbed over the outer railing and sat up against the inner bars and stuck her arm through them to taunt the bears. One of them jumped up out of the water and bit her arm. Luckily it lost purchase on the side of the pool and she escaped with serious bites. She said - I thought it was just a big stupid slow thing. In that case the woman didn;t even have the advantage of brains - without the slick side of the pool she probably would;t have survived.)

Kealalani

shat?

Fra_Diavolo

I have seen this advice:

"The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur.

Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper."

J62

You don't need to out run the bear. You just need to out run 1 of your fellow hikers.

John

Wearing bells where I come from is known as
BEAR DINNER BELLS

PaulRabe

Do an internet search for the phrase

bear aware

for the best advice on handling bears. As someone who has, for many years, hiked alone in bear country -- and has been blessed enough to see bears under those circumstances -- the advice I can give is as follows:

1) make enough noise that a bear knows you're coming. 99% of bears run as soon as they realize a human is around, so the best way to not have a bear problem is be make the bears know you're around. The LAST thing you want to do is surprise a bear on the trail.
2) If you see a bear AT A DISTANCE, make the bear aware of your presence with a lot of noise. Usually the bear will run away as soon at it realizes that you're a human.
3) Do nothing that will make a bear fight with you. If you come across a deer carcass or bear cubs, LEAVE THE AREA.
4) Do the same if you meet a bear up close. But be prepared for the next steps.
5) ABOVE ALL ELSE, **DO NOT RUN**. The fellow hikers who tries to out-run you are telling the bear "chase after me," the ones who uses their brains and refuse to run will survive.
6) Back away from the bear, continuing to make noise, but keeping your eye on it for possible reactions. Do not taunt the bear by direct eye-contact or your own growling noises.
7) Continue to do this even if the bear rears up, makes a huffing noise, or even makes a bluff charge. In all three cases, the bear is testing you to determine the degree of threat YOU are making.
8) If it appears the bear is approaching you in an attack mode, then you have three choices:
a) use the bear spray you brought along (you did make it easy to access, didn't you?).
b) if it's a black bear, be prepared to fight it with stones and sticks. The idea is to convince the bear that you're not worth the trouble. A few whacks to its head may well make it decide that other food is less of a headache.
c) for a grizzly bear, (b) will NOT work. This, and ONLY this, is the time to lay down on your stomach and cover your head with your pack and arms.

In case anyone wonders, I should mention that intelligent outdoors people have known for over 200 years that you can NOT rely on a firearm to stop a bear charge. Since you're in a national park, you won't be able to carry hunting rifles, so even a stupid outdoors person would have to rely on a concealable handgun -- and using that on a grizzly would be the WORST thing to do. So be smart enough to NOT carry a gun for bear protection: all you'll get is a false sense of security, an angry bear that blames you for its pain, and a fine for violating unambiguous law (we do believe in law and order, don't we?).

Lateagain

I am visiting Yellowstone NP next year hence the question. I am starting to get a little nervous as I don't think I will be able to stay calm like you advise and will possible freak out. I have only seen one bear before in Kings Canyon but it was busy eating so I could back off, but I was very frightened. Do I get the bear spray in Yellowstone.

Orcas

Here's the story of a bear attack on one of the members of our City Council recently. He was at his vacation home in Wanatchee, Washington. He was out fiddling with his headlamp at night near his house and the bear just jumped on him. Not a pretty picture:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_kin...104431574.html

He's lucky to be alive.

You definitely do not want to see a bear up close.

boots08

It seems that different things have worked for different people. When a bear was attacking her husband in Montana, a woman swung her camera and hit the bear square in the nose. It stunned the bear and it ran off.

Another man stabbed one with his jack knife. Even though it didn't seem to do much damage, it frightened the bear off.

There might not be enough time or rational thought to identify which bear is on the attack. I would err on the side of submission/playing dead. Many bears will leave the attack area shortly after they think you're dead.

starrs

We were able to rent the bear spray when we visited Glacier. We stopped at this little motel/RV park for breakfast and had breakfast, bought some stuff in the gift shop, got tickets for the boat ride in Glacier and rented the spray.

It was $10/day if returned unused.
$65 (I think) was to be charged to the card if we didn't return it or it was used.
We thought it was a deal

I've been to Yellowstone several times and haven't felt the need for bear spray. If I were camping or hiking in Yellowstone, I'd have some with me though.

321go

What PaulRabe said. I grew up hiking in bear country, and can count on one hand the number of times I saw a bear. Signs of bears, sure, but not bears themselves, because we were taught to make plenty of noise as we hiked. And pay plenty of attention to #3 on his list - if you see a carcass, get out of there.

Orcas, did that happen in a rural area? We sometimes have bears come into semi-suburban areas here in Florida, but usually because they've lost their habitat and because of people leaving food (dog food or garbage) out where bears can easily get it.

Lateagain

Thanks to all your reassurance and advice. I think I will stay in the car.

spirobulldog

OH NO. Just stick to areas with people and you will be fine.

Orcas

321, I have been wondering the same thing. Wenatchee is a town on the Columbia River, but there are areas that are more rural towards the edges. One of the articles gave a vague address re the location of the vacation house but it doesn't map out, so I haven't been able to figure that out. We know people who have had bears in their yards in some of the more exurban suburbs of Seattle, where there are very large lots and forests near by. We have seen a coyote in our yard, in a fairly dense suburb. So, it is hard to say.

sunbum1944

On the news in the past week has been an interview with a Belleview Wa resident who encountered a bear in his driveway when he went out to get the nrespaper- the mans theory was that he should try and stay upright so although the bear had him to the ground several times, the man struggled to his feet ( I always thought you were supposed to play dead) The man said he could feel the bears teeth scraping across his skull. At one point the man kneed the bear in his stomach - I think the bear finally ran off when the mans wife came out.

The mans whole head was a mass of scars and he lost an eye -

They had quite a tussle - so even being in an area where there are people does not exclude you from a bear attack