It's spring here on Grouse Mountain where Grinder and Coola, the two grizzly bears you
can see behind me, have ended their hibernation period.
These two guys were brought to the wildlife refuge as orphan cubs but it means that bears
out in the wild are becoming more active as well.
Seeing wildlife in their natural habitat is a truly special experience and the majority
of interactions with bears don't involve any aggression on the bears part.
In most cases, a bear will act curious, will completely ignore you, or will simply run
away.
Actual attacks are surprisingly rare.
But as trail runners, our speed puts us at an increased risk for sudden encounters with
bears which can provoke a defensive reaction, and the large amount of time that many of
us spend in the backcountry and particularly in grizzly habitat also puts us at an increased
risk.
So in this video, I'm going to focus on how we can avoid potentially dangerous conflicts
with bears.
I'll talk about how to tell the difference between black bears and grizzlies, a subspecies
of the brown bear, and I'll explain what to do in the rare case of an attack.
Most of what I'll be recommending is based on advice from Parks Canada as well as the
authoritative book by Stephen Herrero which I'd highly recommend reading for yourself.
I'll provide a link in the description below.
So let's jump in.
Black bears are much more widely distributed throughout North America than grizzlies, with
populations spread across Canada, the United States, and as far south as Florida and Mexico.
Grizzlies are mainly found in Western Canada, Alaska, and in very small parts of Washington,
Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
There are very few brown bears left in Europe and Asia, and those that do exist have evolved
over thousands of years to be smaller less aggressive and excellent at avoiding people.
Black bears are not always black and grizzly bears are not always brown.
Both species can be any shade of white to brown to black.
Black colored grizzly bears are fairly rare but are frequent enough that you should never
assume a bear is a black bear simply because it's black in color, if you're in an area
where both black bears and grizzly bears are known to live.
Instead, you'll want to rely on other physical characteristics.
Grizzly bears have a pronounced hump between their shoulders which black bears lack.
Black bears can appear to have a similar hump when they drop their heads down to graze which
can be confusing when trying to identify the species of bear from afar but it should be
obvious once the bear lifts its head.
Grizzlies have what can be described as a more concave or dish-shaped profile between
their eyes to the end of their nose, while black bears have a straighter and much more
convex facial profile.
Bears emerge from their winter dens between March to May, having lost between 15% to over
40% of their body weight.
But food can be sparse throughout the spring and studies have shown that bears may continue
to lose weight in many regions until the berries begin to ripen in summer or fall.
Bears are most likely to be found near their food sources, so avoiding or at least being
extra vigilant when passing through these areas can help you avoid conflicts with bears.
Spring and summer foods can include grasses flowers and other vegetation in early stages
of growth.
Bears lack the ability to digest cellulose because, like us, they have a simple digestive
system instead of the multi-chambered stomachs found in sheep and moose, so they can't digest
plants in later stages of growth.
Plants grow more rapidly at higher elevations and have higher concentrations of protein,
so bears prefer to feed at higher elevations in the summer.
Here in Western Canada, early green-up sites can include south-facing avalanche slopes
where heavy snowfall exists.
Snow will melt early in these areas due to the southern exposure and slope angle, and
plant growth begins early at these sites since they receive more of the sun's energy.
Bears here will also feed on the shoots of perennial shrubs like devil's club and salmonberry
which can grow over a meter in the spring.
Later in the season, as other areas begin to dry up, bears will be attracted to meadows
with lots of moisture which tend to attract hikers and campers as well.
So be extra vigilant when running through these, as well as on slopes that may have
accumulated a deep snowpack and a prolonged melt.
Insects can also form an important part of a bear's diet which they'll find amongst dead
fall from fires or blow down from storms.
So be cautious when moving through these areas as well where visibility can also be limited,
particularly in the summer.
But berries and tree nuts are the primary food where available that bears rely upon
to fatten themselves up on before denning.
Bears will actually spend the majority of their time feeding on berries or resting nearby
when they're available in abundance.
Both species of bears are known to forage for food either during the day or at night
depending on if they're trying to avoid people when in more populated areas.
When not eating or traveling and particularly during the hottest time of the day bears will
lie in beds of cool dense vegetation.
Staying on well-established trails should help you avoid surprising a bear while it's
resting.
Bears tend to follow the path of least resistance which can include game trails, stream beds,
ridges, shorelines, and of course man-made trails and roads.
But when trying to avoid people, both species will tend to stick to areas like dense shrubs,
forests, and swamps.
Black bears prefer to forage in, or very near to, the forest to take advantage of the cover
that it provides, and where they can climb a tree to escape danger.
Whereas, grizzly bears have adapted to eat foods found in open environments, as well
as much further from the forest's edge.
In fact, herein lies a potential evolutionary explanation for the different levels of aggression
found in the two species.
Young black bear cubs can very easily climb trees when threatened and their mothers along
with them.
While grizzly bear mothers are required to defend their cubs from predators on the ground.
There are 10 times as many black bears in North America as there are grizzlies and over
90% of reported injuries from black bear attacks have been relatively minor.
While both species can be dangerous under the right circumstances, more than half of
injuries from grizzly bear attacks are major ones.
But these two are very rare.
To put this into perspective, Glacier National Park, Montana has more grizzly bear inflicted
deaths than any other national park, yet more people die there from falls, drownings, and
hypothermia than from bear attacks.
So statistically speaking, your biggest risk may be in driving to the trailhead.
But the risk is great enough that I always carry deterrents like bear spray and a small
air horn when running in grizzly country, and there are some very simple things that
you can do to avoid conflicts with bears in the first place.
The best way to avoid a sudden and accidental run-in with the bear along the trail is to
simply make a lot of noise.
-Hey bear!
Bears generally want nothing to do with us, so giving them as much notice as possible
of your presence allows them to move away from the area.
While small air horns can be used, bear bells are largely considered ineffective.
They're not only very quiet, but higher frequency sounds don't carry nearly as well in dense
vegetation as lower frequency sounds.
So instead, use your voice to speak, yell or even sing when visibility is limited and
particularly near streams or if it's especially windy.
Traveling in tight groups can also reduce the risk.
This is mainly due to the fact that we tend to just make more noise the larger the group
and larger groups may also prevent bears from attacking if confronted.
Try to keep your activities predictable to bears.
This means sticking to regularly used trails and running only during the day.
Of course, as trail runners we often find ourselves exploring off established trails
and even running throughout the night.
This means we need to be extra cautious when doing so by making even more noise.
Just keep in mind that sticking to established trails alone is not a guarantee that you won't
run into a bear.
In Yellowstone National Park, for example, grizzlies are apparently known to travel on
hiking trails themselves at night, but presumably they're doing this when they least expect
to run into humans who normally only hike during the day.
If you happen to stumble upon a large dead animal on the trail, leave the area immediately
and if in a park, report it to the ranger if possible.
Both black bears and grizzly bears are scavengers and suddenly stumbling upon a carcass claimed
by a bear can lead to extremely dangerous encounters.
You should never wear headphones or earbuds when running in bear habitat.
Be alert at all times and pay attention to any noises ahead or off the side of the trail.
And if you're running with a dog, keep it on a leash when in grizzly country.
Dogs are known to provoke defensive behaviors and a bear could chase your dog right back
to you.
So what should you do if you encounter a bear?
Like us, bears are very much individuals who can act very differently depending on the
animal and the circumstances, but there are some general rules of thumb to keep in mind.
If you see a bear at a distance and it hasn't yet seen you, the safest thing is to quietly
retreat and detour.
There's no sense in trying to alert the bear to your presence, as there have been incidences
of grizzly bear attacks from great distances, even when the bear shouldn't have felt startled
or threatened, and a bear may choose to approach you even just out of curiosity.
This should be obvious, but never harass or approach a bear in the wild, especially not
for a photo.
If you do suddenly come across a bear at close distance, stop and remain calm.
Get ready to use your bear spray.
It's important not to shout at a bear or to make loud noises that could be seen as aggressive.
Speak calmly and slowly to let the bear know that you're human and not a prey animal.
Try to avoid making direct eye contact and never run as that could trigger a chase response.
Bears will sometimes stand on their hind legs when confronted, not as an act of aggression,
but just to better see and smell you.
It may even bluff charge or circle you for the same reason, to get a better whiff of
you.
Like a dog, a bear's nose is their window to the world, and it's believed that their
eyesight is actually quite poor.
And once it realizes that you're in fact human, it may only then turn and flee.
Once the bear stops advancing, start to back away slowly.
If the bear continues coming close, stand your ground and use your bear spray.
In cases of sudden encounters with black bears, their behavior can be very different from
that of grizzlies.
Black bears will frequently charge towards a person while swatting the ground and making
loud noises but will rarely attack.
It's not to say that attacks don't occur by black bears, but they are very rare compared
to grizzlies, and in many cases have been successfully fought off.
I've run into black bears countless times while on the trails and in most cases I've
just barely been able to catch a glimpse of their hind sides as they run off into the
bush as fast as they can.
This is why I feel so comfortable spending so much time in black bear habitat without
the need for carrying bear spray and other deterrents as I would without question any
time I'm in grizzly habitat.
But this is a personal choice, and there's certainly no harm in carrying bear spray at
all times as long as you keep it handy and know how to use it.
Black bears are powerful animals and should not be treated casually, but if you were to
become one of the unlucky few to be attacked by a black bear, your best bet seems to be
to fight back.
But telling the species apart can be difficult with any certainty, especially in a sudden
encounter with the bear.
Most of the grizzly bear attacks that do occur are from bears protecting their young or protecting
a carcass, and it's generally only when surprised that a bear instinctively will go immediately
into defensive mode.
This is why you'll often hear the recommendation of playing dead if attacked by a grizzly bear.
As soon as the bear feels that it has neutralized the threat, it's likely to leave you alone,
but you should not play dead unless a charging grizzly is extremely close and you're certain
that attack is imminent.
This is where the recommendations get a little murky and some of the literature is conflicting,
but as a general rule of thumb, my understanding is this: In the case of a defensive attack,
when in doubt, you should play dead.
Lie in your stomach with your hands behind your neck and your legs spread apart.
This makes it harder for the bear to flip you onto your back while protecting your neck
and head.
Defensive attacks generally last less than two minutes, but if the attack continues,
it may have shifted from a defensive attack to a predatory one, in which case you should
fight back.
Predatory attacks on the other hand, meaning bears treating humans as prey by stalking
and hunting them, are extremely rare, but they do happen.
Bears who have been habituated to eating garbage and food left in campsites may eventually
begin to prey on campers during the night.
This is why it's so important to practice proper bear safety when camping, not only
for your own safety but also for that of other campers and the bears themselves.
You should always familiarize yourself with the types of wildlife you can expect in any
area and whether there's been any recent sightings or aggressive behavior.
Notices can often be found at trailheads as well as on the park's website.
Something I plan on doing more often especially in grizzly habitat is to talk over with my
group and maybe even rehearse in advance of starting our run what we'll do in the case
of a sudden encounter with the bear.
But cases of bears hunting people during the day while out on the trails are extremely
rare.
It's safe to say that otherwise there would just be a lot more reported incidences of
attacks, considering how much time people regularly spend in grizzly habitat.
I've linked to a pamphlet from Parks Canada in the description below that summarizes a
lot of what I covered in this video, and for a much more in-depth analysis, I highly recommend
reading Steven Herreo's book, 'Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance'.
In the words of the author, "There is no other animal in North America that drives our imagination
as does the great bear.
We keep bears because of what they do for the human mind, body and soul."
Avoiding conflicts with bears is as much about protecting them as it is us.
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