How to Survive a Bear Attack

When people think of wild bears they normally imagine a dangerous creature that’s to be avoided at all costs, but in reality, bears are nowhere near as aggressive as the movies have made out, and would rather avoid a person than attack them. But there are various instances where bears become aggressive, so here’s how to Survive a Bear attack and how to avoid getting yourself into the position of an attack in the first place.

(A grizzly bear, the most common and aggressive of the two types you’re likely to run into)

How to avoid a bear attack

I know it’s a little obvious but if you see a bear, then don’t get too close. Don’t let the bear think you’re sneaking up on it as it will feel threatened and may attack. If you see a bear that hasn’t seen you, then talk loudly or make some noise to let it know you’re there. Alternatively, if it’s not necessary to go past the bear, then turn back and find another route.

If you see a bear with cubs then stay well away. Bears will resort to attacking someone much quicker if they feel their young are threatened, so if you see cubs then their mum is probably close by.

Be careful of how you store your food. Bears have an excellent sense of smell and can detect certain foods from great distances, so make sure everything is packed in sealed containers if you’re setting up camp in the wilderness in bear country, and it’s a good idea to hang your food up a tree a good distance from your camp. A hungry bear will go towards any food it smells, and if it’s hungry enough will be willing to attack whoever has it.

Always carry bear spray. This is always available to purchase in countries where bears are common, and though the canister may be bulky, it’s better to have it when you need it than get mauled. The ideal time to spray a bear is when it’s charging at a distance of 40 to 50 feet, so when the bear gets close it’ll run into a cloud of spray and hopefully turn back.

Grizzly bears

The Grizzly bear, also referred to as a brown bear is the most common type of bear in the world and is quite a bit bigger than black bears. They are more aggressive than black bears and harder to scare away.

Don’t Run

There is no chance of outrunning a grizzly bear so don’t even try. If you suddenly start to run, the bear may become startled or excited and chase after you. The best thing to do is hold your ground and hope that it’ll turn away. Grizzly Bears have been clocked at reaching up to 40mph and can make a dash of 50 yards in 3 seconds, making them faster than a racehorse over short distances, so don’t risk exciting the bear further by trying to run.

Get loud

If the bear shows no signs of leaving and is steadily walking towards you, then try to seem as big and agreeable as possible. spread your arms and jacket out to look bigger, and shout as loudly as you can in an attempt to make it consider you not worth risking. This should only be done if the bear isn’t going to leave on its own and is making its way toward you, shouting at a normally peaceful grizzly bear as it is leaving might make it think you’re a threat instead of just a weird two-legged animal walking through its woods.

Spray em

If you have bear spray, get it out the second you see a grizzly close by. They can run very fast and bear spray is your best chance of stopping it. Always aim for the face and try to create a mist it will have to run through to maximize how effective it is, and if you aren’t sure when to spray, its always better to do it sooner rather than later.

Climb a tree

If you happen to be right next to one or are positive that you can reach one in time, climbing a tree may save you. Grizzlies can actually climb trees, but their long claws and huge body weight make it considerably harder than for a black bear, and so are easier to fend off from up a tree. This method is only realistic if you happen to be literally standing next to a climbable tree, as bolting for one will probably excite the bear and make it charge. It is also something to use in the event that there’s no way to scare the bear away and you don’t have anything to defend yourself with like a can of mace.

Play dead

When a bear charges you, hit the ground and lay face down on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread out your legs and try to stop the bear from turning you on your stomach where it paws you. When Grizzlies attack it is almost always because they think you’re a threat and not because it’s hungry. The bear will slap you around for a while to make sure you’re dead, so stay as still as possible and try not to cry out. After it’s finished it may hang around for a few minutes to make sure you’re not going to get back up, so stay still until you’re positive it’s gone. This method is only to be used after everything else, even trying to climb a tree because of the danger of what could happen. Grizzly bears can weigh over 300kg and have huge claws, and just standing on someone is enough to break bones.

Black bears

This type of bear is much smaller and less aggressive than a grizzly, but can still do a good amount of damage. As with the grizzly the first thing to do is to use your bear spray, but in the event you thought you’ll be fine so didn’t buy any, then here’s what to do.

Stand your ground and don’t run

Same as the grizzly, you have no chance of outrunning a black bear and doing so may cause it to get excited and charge when it otherwise wouldn’t have. They are much less likely to avoid confrontation than grizzly bears are but are also more curious and likely to get closer just to see what’s going on.

Don’t climb a tree

Black bears are excellent climbers and can scale a tree much faster than any human. They have claws designed for gripping trees and can even fight well whilst climbing, so going up a tree will only disadvantage you and not the bear.

Be Scary

If a black bear is slowly approaching, then make yourself as big and scary as possible. If you’re wearing a coat grab the corners and pull it out like a cape to make yourself look bigger, and all the while shout like a crazy person. If a black bear thinks you are too big for them and sound aggressive enough, they most likely won’t bother and will start to walk away. In this event don’t be the first to leave the scene, wait until the bear has retreated before setting off again, and always watch your back.

Fight back

Fighting a grizzly bear will only annoy it and cause it to damage you further, but black bears aren’t as tough. If one attacks you then grab any kind of weapon you can, a knife or branch or anything you can use to fight it. If you don’t have a weapon then try and punch or kick the bear’s nose and eyes, all the while trying to keep a little distance from it so it doesn’t hug you. Black bears are considerably stronger than people, so the aim is to strike it while keeping enough distance so it can’t get you on the ground. Fighting a bear in any situation is not recommended, but if you have no choice because it attacked you, then trying to injure a black bear enough for it to run away is better than playing dead and hoping it doesn’t step on your neck.

Polar bears

Just run, not that it’ll do any good. Polar bears are the biggest, fastest, strongest, and most aggressive bear there is, they are also the only type of bear that actively hunts humans for food. These creatures can grow to weigh close to a ton and are strong enough to kill a man with a single swing of their enormous clawed paws.

This type of bear will not leave you alone until you die, and not in the way grizzlies will when they just “think” you are dead and no longer a threat, but in the way where you are laying in several pieces across the ice. Fortunately though if you are in a region where these bears live naturally, then you are probably going to be well-equipped to avoid or deal with them.