Here’s exactly what you need to know in case you see a bear in real life!
The first steps….
One good way to make sure that a bear doesn’t maul you to death is……..to avoid situations
in which a bear could maul you to death.
Sounds simple enough right?!
But really, you shouldn’t have to change your lifestyle if the risk of a bear attack
is keeping you up at night.
Thankfully, bear attacks aren’t a super common thing since they actually prefer not
to tangle with us humans.
However, when they do happen, they can be very dangerous.
If you love to hike, chances are, you like to hike close to where bears live.
Obviously this is highly dependent on where you live.
If you do live in an area with a high concentration of bears, it’s recommended that you hike
in a group, and make your presence known.
Strength in numbers, right?
Feel free to make a lot of noise while you hike.
This will allow the bear to hear you and keep it moving.
Otherwise, the bear might not know you’re around and then you guys just happen to stumble
on each other in an awkward moment.
You don’t want to be face to face with a wild, unpredictable bear.
So what about camping?
Camping can be tricky because there’s food around, which bears love.
So it’s probably best that you seal your food tightly.
Double bagging it can help as well.
If you’re REALLY trying to go that extra mile, hang your food up on a rope at least
14 feet up in the air!
In the event that you see a bear off in the distance, don’t panic.
It might be scary as h*ll at first, but if you slowly back away and don’t make yourself
seem like a threat, your chances of leaving the situation alive and unhurt are actually
really high.
Most bears aren’t trouble makers and will leave you alone.
Now once you are up close and personal with a bear things can get a bit trickier.
If they show signs of aggression or start to attack, you can try the following...
The #1 Bear stopper
When you think about it, a can of spray seems like a poor way to stop a charging bear hellbent
on making you their next meal.
But after roughly three decades of skepticism after this bear spray was first introduced,
it’s actually become one of the most effective tools to fight off a bear.
It once seemed like something the Adam West version of Batman would keep on his utility
belt, but now many hunters and outdoorsy people in bear country won’t go without it.
Different kinds of bear sprays were first introduced in the late 80’s as a way to
protect both people AND bears.
As Grizzly bear populations across North America began to decline, conservationists realized
that many people were shooting bears in self defense.
And can you really blame them?
I mean if you’re out deer or rabbit hunting and a bear charges you, are you gonna stop
and think “Wait! is this an endangered species?”
According to National Geographic, a conservationist named Carrie Hunt studied different types
of possible bear sprays and presented her findings to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services.
Over the next decade, studies found that bear spray is a more effective way to deter bears
than guns are.
From the same National Geographic article, scientists found that bear sprays were effective
92 percent of the time and that 98 percent of the people who used spray to deter bears
were uninjured.
So what kinds of sprays work?
Mace Brand Bear Pepper is pretty popular, Guard Alaska, seems to be well liked, and
other sprays such as Dragon Fire and Counter Assault have gotten great reviews as well.
Experts recommend carrying your spray in a holster or at least somewhere that can easily
be reached.
Once the bear is charging, spray a cloud of this stuff once the bear is about 40 feet
away.
The bear, unwise to the trick up your sleeve, will charge right into the spray.
The spray is especially useful against more ferocious bears, such as Grizzlies.
Of all the methods discussed in this video, bear spray is far and away the most effective,
and should be your #1 go to option.
Not only does it almost always work, even kids under the age of ten have successfully
repelled bear attacks with bear spray.
What if the bear charges?!
Soooo what happens if you accidentally forgot your spray?
While sprays tend to be the defense of choice against the more aggressive grizzly bears,
other bears aren’t quite as vicious.
Black bears for example, are often known to stage fake attacks, presumably as a way to
scare off potential predators or anyone infringing on their space.
But still, you don’t wanna leave anything to chance just in case they’re serious.
The next time a Black Bear charges at you and you forgot your bear spray, stand your
ground, and make a ton of noise.
Scream like a maniac, tell it to f*ck off, clap your hands, or bang some pots together.
However, some experts have recommended just TALKING calmly to the bear so they know you’re
not a potential threat.
Basically just anything that lets the bear know you mean business and aren’t to be
trifled with.
I’m personally going with option 1, but that’s just me.
Black Bears know a tough opponent when they see one and they’ll often back down or simply
lose interest after you make a lotta noise.
Black Bears are the most common bear in North America.
They make their homes all over Canada and 41 out of the 50 states in the U.S.
They’re both smaller and less aggressive than Grizzly Bears.
That being said, fatal black bear attacks seem to be more common over the past couple
of years.
Oddly enough, the state of Alaska recently saw fatal Black Bear attacks on consecutive
days.
This is definitely unusual because over the past 20 years, there have only been 25 fatal
black bear attacks.
16-year old Patrick Cooper was ki11ed this past June in 2017 while running on a trail
in Anchorage.
He texted his family to tell them a Black Bear was following him.
They sent out a search team who sadly found him mauled to de@th by the bear.
The very next day, 27-year old Erin Johnson was working at the Pogo Mine in Alaska when
she was attacked and ki11ed by a Black Bear.
Both of these tragic incidents are examples of why experts say knowing how to defend against
bear attacks are extremely important.
After a bear makes first contact….
Okay, so what happens when sh*t gets really real?
What do you do then?
A lot of times when bears attack, it’s because they’re trying to defend their territory.
That’s known as a defensive attack, and it’s only when bears feel threatened or
if Mamma Bear is protecting her cubs.
In that case, playing dead is a good idea because that’s a scenario where bears will
only attack until the threat is gone.
Experts have warned though, not to play dead too soon, which might seem like it’s crucial
advice that’s super complicated.
However, it’s actually really simple.
Experts don’t recommend playing dead BEFORE contact.
Play dead AFTER contact with a bear begins Playing dead too soon can actually invoke
a curiosity response in the bear!
Remember, DON’T play dead BEFORE contact!
Wait to play dead once the bear is already attacking you, as hard as that sounds.
While a full grown grizzly bear tossing you around and scratching you is probably one
of the most terrifying things imaginable, it’s really important that you KEEP playing
dead even after the bear is done roughing you up.
Grizzlies are known to stick around for a bit to make sure that the threat is really
dead before they leave.
The National Park Service recommends laying flat on your stomach with your hands behind
your head...almost as though a SWAT team is searching you.
This makes it harder for the bear to turn you over.
The Last Resort
You might think you’re no match for a bear, but sometimes, you just have to fight back
in order to survive.
As I said earlier, most bears don’t want to fight you and only attack for defensive
reasons.
However, in the case when it’s a non-defensive attack and the bear decides you’re a tasty
meal, that’s when it’s time to fight like h*ll.
Playing dead is useless in this scenario since they don’t view you as a threat, but rather
as food.
This is the most likely scenario if a bear has been stalking you.
This means they want food and aren’t just protecting themselves and their cubs.
Experts recommend that you stare the bear in the eyes, make yourself look as big as
possible, and scream and shout.
Let this bear know you’re a freaking force of nature yourself.
If it attacks, well, there isn’t exactly a 1-2 combination to teach here, but throw
rocks at it, hit it with a stick, punch it in the face, go for the eyes, basically, anything
you can do to injure the bear.
At this point you’re fighting for your life and shouldn’t give up under any circumstances.
And as unlikely as it seems, fighting off a bear is actually possible.
What NOT to do
When Dwight Schrute said, “Bears can climb faster than they can run!”
Dwight was right.
Virtually no one familiar with bear attacks would recommend climbing a tree.
Think about it.
You’re in their element.
You can’t beat them at their own game on their own turf.
You’re more likely to beat LeBron James at one on one than you are to outclimb a bear.
Black Bears are especially skilled climbers.
In fact, their claws have evolved over time specifically for climbing trees.
So unless you like your chances against an animal that has a distinct evolutionary advantage,
climbing trees is one of the worst options.
And while Grizzlies may be as good at climbing as black bears, it rarely comes to that.
If you try to run from a Grizzly, they’ll likely catch you before you have the chance
to even try climbing a tree.
Generally speaking, they can run up to 40 miles per hour….which is faster than a racehorse
and a lot faster than any of us.
Even faster than Usain Bolt.
Plus turning your back and running from a bear is likely to trigger predatory instincts
in them.
Once you start running, bears will give chase and at that point, you’re basically screwed.
If a bear attacks, you’re waaaaay better off trying to fight it off than running from
it.
Here’s what’s next!