As a result of moving into remote retreat areas, you may begin to have encounters with North America’s bear population. Even in suburban/urban areas, a lack of hunting and the return of forests has seen bears make a comeback, raising the likelihood of bear-human encounters. Even if you live somewhere with a low likelihood of bear encounters, you should know the proper actions and make preparations, because bears can turn up anywhere.
Steps For Bear Camping
I’m going to outline the steps for bear camping. Knowing this is helpful for keeping your homestead secure from bears, traveling in bear country, and knowing tactics for a bear encounter and bear defenses that will help keep you, your family, and your property safe. There is much confusion surrounding bears, so I hope I can clear things up for people who have limited bear experience, and I hope to remind experienced back country folks about good habits.
False Information About Bears
Over the years, I have heard a lot of poor information about bears that is silly, wrong, or dangerous but is passed off as fact. Everything in this piece comes from personal experience or what I have been taught by friends with first-hand experience.
Here are two so-called “facts” that I have heard thrown around that are preposterous:
Myth #1
The first myth is that menstruating women should stay away from the woods because bears are attracted to the odors. Call this one busted; the National Park Service shows no correlation, with the possible exception of polar bears.
Myth #2
The second myth is that bears are attracted to gasoline because they can smell the dead organisms that make up “fossil fuel”. A fellow student in a wildland firefighting class tried to tell me this one. Some of the other students actually believed him. (Bears may actually be attracted to the smell of gasoline, but I highly doubt it has anything to do with the dead dinosaurs.)
As with all things survival, seek out good advice, do your own research, and get multiple opinions.
Three Types of Bears Found in North America
There are three kinds of bears living in North America: Black Bear, Brown Bear, and Polar Bear. I have been lucky enough to observe all three North American bears in the wild. They are fascinating but dangerous animals that should be kept at a distance. Bears are not your friends, but they don’t have to be your enemies either.
Black Bears
Black bears are the bear that most folks in the lower 48 are going to encounter, as they live throughout North America. They are expert tree climbers and prefer wooded areas. Sometimes they can be a blueish or cinnamon color instead of black. They are the smallest of the bears, although I have seen black bears in Alaska that looked big enough to be dark colored Grizzlies. Don’t let the smaller size fool you, as they can be feisty and mischievous, being notorious camp robbers. While they usually eat berries and plants and avoid confrontation, they can be dangerous if they feel threatened. Like all bears, they will defend carrion and cubs violently. My father, who is a former guide and bush pilot, has only once killed a bear in defense when a young black bear tried to liberate the moose that he had just bagged.
Brown Bear
Brown bears have two subspecies: the inland grizzly and the coastal brown. They prefer open areas, like mountains above the treeline and tundra. Historically, they were found in the American west as far south as Mexico, but now they are confined to Alaska, western Canada, and parts of the American Redoubt. They are omnivorous, with the bulk of their diet coming from salmon runs. Brown bears account for the majority of fatal attacks every year in the United States. They are less shy than black bears, simply because they are apex predators with no fear of anything in the wild except other bears.
Polar Bear
I’m not going to discuss polar bear precautions and defense because it isn’t relevant for most of us, but I will throw out a few fun facts. Polar Bears eat almost exclusively meat, mostly Ringed Seals. They roam the Arctic Icecap during the winter, and I have personally seen them on the polar icecap just a few hundred miles south of the North Pole. They sneak up on their prey and attack by surprise, so many human victims aren’t even aware that an attack is imminent until the polar bear pounces. An Arctic marine biologist confirmed to me that polar bears have actually been seen covering their black noses with their paw to make themselves completely invisible against the ice as they sneak up behind seals. Also, Polar Bears are often unfazed by the sounds of gunshots, because they are accustomed to the loud noises of cracking ice packs.
Wild Bears Natural Fear of Humans
All of the bears I encountered in Alaska were very wild and still had a natural fear of humans. In the Lower 48, bears I have met have been less frightened by humans, possibly because they have come to associate humans with trash and other food. A bear that becomes habituated to people is a dangerous animal, as it will be more aggressive in seeking out humans and human activity as a potential food sources. This is especially true of cubs that are taught early on by their mothers to forage for trash and other food created by humans. By keeping bears in your area wild, through best practices, you are protecting yourself and future generations, as well as the wild bear population.
Stay Vigilant and Alert Bears To Your Presence To Avoid Surprise
Whenever traveling in bear country always stay vigilant, and if the situation allows alert bears to your presence. This is especially true in thick brush and undergrowth, where you should announce your presence to any bears by yelling, singing, or whistling. Bears will generally move over for humans, if they know you are coming. If you are hunting or in a survival situation that necessitates noise discipline, it is doubly important to keep a sharp look out for bears that might be sleeping or foraging, as a surprised bear is an angry bear.
I almost learned this lesson the hard way, walking in some dense alder brush in Alaska when I was fifteen. I accidentally got within 30 feet of a sleeping brown bear that looked about as big as a VW bug at the time. When he woke up, he roared loudly and ran away towards the mountains as fast as he could go, leaving me shaken but wiser about bear country travel. Also worth noting is that I had become complacent because I had seen so few bears in the area over my years of exploration. Bears roam around and you never know where one might turn up.
Survival Lesson– Complacency is Enemy
There’s a survival lesson that applies to all areas: Complacency is the enemy. This is a case where there is real safety in numbers. For every additional person in your group, the chances of attack decrease and drops to zero once you have five people. Leave your dogs at home if possible, as dogs will chase and try to fight bears, probably resulting in the deaths of both the bear and the dog.
The Three General Bear Situations
There are three general bear situations that you may encounter: Meeting a bear that is traveling/foraging/resting, meeting a bear defending carrion or other food, and meeting a bear with cubs. The latter two are the most dangerous situations, as the bear could be confused about your intentions and become aggressive.
A Bear and Her Cubs
Never become between a female bear and cubs. Always give a female with cubs a wide berth. To the sow bear, you are the equivialant of the stranger with the rusty van and free candy. A mountaineering guide I knew was out walking one day with his wife on a trail near Anchorage, Alaska when they inadvertently moved between a female and two cubs. They held their ground at first, but the mother bear started to charge, and they did not have a firearm or bear spray.
He turned to run, and the bear was on him in an instant. Ultimately, he survived the mauling, but he almost lost an eye and his face had to be rebuilt with metal plates. A few lessons: (1) Always hold your ground or retreat slowly while facing the bear, (2) Always pay attention to where you are going, and (3) Have a means of defense.
Meeting a Bear Defending Carrion and Other Food
In the wild, carrion or other meat is something that a bear will fight for. If you come to a bear that is sitting on carrion, avoid the bear, try to leave the way you came, and give the bear wide berth. The bear sees you as a possible competitor for precious food and may become aggressive. If you are hunting in bear country, do your best not to leave killed game unattended, as a bear will not hesitate to claim your kill. Of course, in a survival situation, you may have to kill the bear to ensure that the bear does not take what you need to survive.
Running Into Bears That are Traveling or Foraging
Walk through the woods and open country long enough, and you will run into bears who are minding their business. Some bears may be curious when they meet you, stopping to look and even standing up on their hind legs for a better view. In any bear stand off, help the bear make up its mind by holding your ground, waving, and yelling. The goal is to present the bear with a novel situation that makes it want to retreat. If the bear still doesn’t budge, fire warning shots to get the bear to run. My former employer, who was a hunting guide on Kodiak Island and a polar bear guard for oil crews on Alaska’s north slope, said that this was enough to put almost every bear he encountered on the run. By helping bears associate negative things with humans, you protect bears and other people.
End Bear Encounters
Try to end all bear encounters by scaring the bear away. If the bear begins to charge, use your bear spray or gun to stop the bear. If you do not have a means of defense available, stand your ground because as soon as the bear sees you run, it will chase you. The possible exception to the “stand your ground” rule is if you are near an easily climbable tree. (Just keep in mind that bears can climb trees too.) Often, bears will simply be bluffing when they charge, so continue to hold your ground and do not run. If the bear is attacking and you have not been able to stop it with your means of defense, get into a tight fetal position to protect your belly and face. This may help you survive the worst of the attack. You can’t outrun a bear, so don’t try.
If See Bear In Wilderness In Native Habitat
Of course, many of us venture into the wilderness so that we can see bears and other wildlife in their native habitat. If you see a non-aggressive bear at a safe distance (outside 200 yards is my comfort zone), it is fine to watch and take pictures, but don’t try to get closer or do anything to antagonize the bear. It seems like many people (people who don’t read SurvivalBlog) expect the wilderness to be like Disney Land. Bears are wild animals with claws and teeth. Leave them alone.
