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 no where 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 will attack, so here’s how to avoid getting yourself into those situations and what to do in the event of an attack.
How to avoid a bear attack
- I know its a little obvious but if you see a bear, then don’t get to close
- Don’t let the bear think your 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 your there. Alternatively if its 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 mums 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 and if you’re setting up camp in the wilderness in bear country, its 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 its 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, its better to have it when you need it then get mauled. The ideal time to spray a bear is when its 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 are quite a bit bigger than black bears.
Don’t Run
There is literally no chance of out running a grizzly bear so don’t even try. If you suddenly start to run, the bear may become startled and chase after you. The best thing to do is hold your ground and hope that it’ll turn away. Grizzly Bear’s have been clocked at reaching up to 40mph, and can make a dash of 50 yards in 3 seconds, making them faster than a race horse over short distances, so don’t risk exciting the bear further by trying to run.
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.
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 be literally standing next to a climbable tree, as bolting for one will probably excite the bear and make it charge.
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 when it paws you. When Grizzlies attack its almost always because it thinks your a threat and not because its hungry. The bear will slap you around for a while to make sure your dead, so stay as still as possible and try not to cry out. After its finished it may hang around for a few minutes to make sure your not going to get back up, so stay still until you’re positive its gone.
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.
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 yourself and not the bear.
Be Scary
If a black bear is slowly approaching, then make yourself as big and scary as possible. If your 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 your to big for them and sound aggressive enough, they most likely wont 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 bears 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 cant get you on the ground.
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 over 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 your dead, and not in the way like grizzlies will when they just “think” your dead and no longer a threat, but in the way were your laying in several pieces across the ice. Fortunately though if your in a region where these bears live naturally, then your probably going to be well equipped to avoid or deal with them.