Surviving Black Bear Encounters
More Articles Related to WildlifeI encounter black bears in the forest on a regular basis, probably half a dozen times this year and a few hundred times during my life. It helps that I live in a rural, mountainous and forested location, go into the woods every day, usually hike alone, am quiet and observant.
Whether we see them or not, the bears are there and very few people, percentage wise, ever have any trouble with them.
Are Black Bears a Threat?
If black bears were stalking people as food, these mountains would be littered with the carcasses of hikers. I have yet to come across one.
Never in all my years has a black bear seemed a threat. 9 times out of ten they run away, like a cannonball through the woods. Occasionally a bear will look toward me and sniff the air (They have poor eyesight) before ambling off. Once in awhile a bear will follow me at a distance, zigzagging across my track so that I catch occasional glimpses. Bears do this to people quite frequently, but chances are it goes unnoticed as the bear can be very quiet and clever.
Since bears are naturally curious and also associate people with food (not eating them but rather raiding garbage cans and campsites) they are interested in us and what we are doing. They are not stalking you personally as food; get that idea out of your mind. If bears were stalking people as food, these mountains would be littered with the carcasses of hikers. I have yet to come across one.
Black Bear Cubs
I run into black bear cubs seemingly without mothers quite often (the mothers are nearby, rest assured). Sometimes the first thing they do is climb a tree. Often they change their mind and scramble back down and run off. The youngest cubs will sometimes be very curious about you, and if you are dumb enough you may actually pet one and it will act happy to see you. Again, this may be because they have become accustomed to people in my area which is heavy with tourists.
Why Black Bears Go Bad
I make it a point to avoid official campgrounds, prefering the quieter areas of the mountains and forest. However black bears will make it a point to visit them. These bears can become quite brazen as they look for food and are so used to people they may become dangerous. Often these bears are destroyed by park rangers - so DO NOT feed the bears. You are doing them no favor by doing so.
Fear Not the Black Bear
Black bears get a bad rap and there is a great deal of misinformation and bragging about exaggerated bear encounters out there. Don't believe it. It is more dangerous to climb a 3-ft step ladder than meet a black bear.
The real survival dangers in the wilderness are not the wildlife. The real wilderness dangers include hypothermia, panic when lost, and drowning. If you want to fear an animal, man is the one that is most dangerous to you by far.
So remember - black bears are NOT a threat to your survival.
Northern California
If you're attacked by a grizzly, lay on your stomach and protect your head. The grizz will swat you and amble off. THIS MAY NOT WORK WITH A BLACK BEAR! It may just eat you as you lay there! They are different beasts!
Va.,USA
I'm by no means a expert on blackbear behavior, but my experience with them from hunting them and strolling up on one occasionally while hiking gives me a little reason to worry about the boar(male bear). But experiences with sows(females) normally with cubs in late November and early December are different. If your not a bear hunter give them a wide birth between you and their cubs, try your best to stay downwind and go about your business.
Im no expert on bear vision but they have a good nose. If they think that their cubs are in danger they will charge to protect their young. If your not armed for this type of situation then climbing a tree of about 16 to 20 inches in diameter above their reach is your best bet. If you can't buffalo them by making yourself as large and loud as possible to scare them off. I would try this first which has worked for me while hiking.
Take it from experience the protective mother will charge. I've encountered bears for years while camping/hiking and hunting and the mother will charge you to protect her young.
Survival Topics: I've encountered female black bears with cubs on numerous occassions, and the mature bear has always left the area. Occasionally the cubs, especially if very young, will not immediately follow the mother and may even approach out of curiosity. Of course as with all animals it is wise to leave them alone.
I've never had a black bear charge, nor have my numerous friends who also have experiences with black bears.
Every year hundreds of thousands of hikers and other outdoorsmen visit the White Mountains of NH where Survival Topics is located, prime black bear country, with thousands of bear encounters and virtually no incidents of charging bears except where bears are being illegally fed as in public campgrounds.
I stand by what I have written, and believe that anyone who has numerous tales of black bears charging them is either telling tall tales or somehow purposefully disturbing bears in hopes of creating incidents.
Canada
In my experience, trouble with black bears is due to who was there BEFORE you. It is wise to always explore areas in which you plan to camp, and don't camp near someone else's recently-used site. Many people are careless with food scraps, wash water and even grease they fried something in. If the area has an active population of bears, cook away from your tent or shelter. I've camped for 40 years in bear country. I have seen tents and boat covers shredded by bears because people weren't careful with food, and have chased a few out of others' campsites. An axe or hatchet banged on a frying pan is good improved bear scaring equipment - if the bear turns on you, throw the pan at it and defend with the axe - but I've never, ever had to do that, they always run away from the noise. And once a bear has visited a camp site, this is your cue to move and camp somewhere else!
Survival Topics - you are absolutely right. Black bears that are dangerous are almost always made so by people feeding them either on purpose or because they are not taking precautions putting food out the reach of bears.
Because I am in the forest nearly every day of the year, I meet up with black bears on a regular basis. Because they are intelligent and curious animals, black bears do not always run away at first. Sometimes they even stand up to get a better view before ambling off into the brush. Never have I felt threatened and I have probably unexpectedly met bears several hundred times in the forest. No doubt on many more occassions I have been near bears without even knowing it.
Canada
Bears and any animal for that matter are far more afraid of humans. Unless you are near or threatening their young or are in the territory or close to their home. I beleive that the animals know that man have been on top of the food chain for thousands of years and dare not challenge out of karma and respect. You should also return the same respect and never underestimate an animal.
Also i think this is accurate bears can smell food up to 25 miles away. Sounds far however they are known to run up to 20/35 mph so you can get a vistor very fast.
nova scotia, canada
We have a bunch of black bears here and I see them almost every month. These bears have never attacked anyone so your information is right on the mark.
You are welcome to share this Survival Topic with others. I only request that you use a short blurb (not the entire survival content) and this code to
link to the origional:
New Mexico
As usual, this survival web site provides good, relevant information.