Rules for Black Bear Encounters:
If you encounter a black bear, keep these tips in mind:
- Be prepared. The ground rules are pretty similar between black and brown bear country: Carry bear spray in areas where black bears are active, minimize delicious smelling trash or food, and make noise when walking through the woods so you don’t startle unseen bears.
- Stand your ground. Black bears are less aggressive than grizzlies, so as long as you demonstrate yourself to be large and loud, they’ll usually leave you alone. Shout, wave your arms and create a commotion. Use you backpack and other objects to appear larger. DO NOT RUN. They tend to chase anything that runs away. The best strategy is to stay in place with bear spray ready to fire if the bear gets too close.
- Don’t try to climb your way out. Black bears are much better climbers than you, and once again they like to chase.
- Use bear spray. Black bears are less aggressive and more prone to intimidation, so bear spray isn’t as necessary. If you believe the bear intends you harm (i.e. the bear is starving) create a wall of pepper spray 30-40 feet away.
- Don’t play dead. Keep making noise and looking large throughout the encounter, but if that fails to intimidate the bear you may have to get physical. You may have to punch the bear in the nose or gouge its eyes to show it you mean business. All the while, do you best to create space between you and the bear without retreating — make the bear retreat.
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Photo: OnceAndFutureLaura, Flickr
As a wildlife photographer, I have found cameras chase away bears.(kidding) I use a very strong telephoto lens.
Mostly stay calm and in a non-threatening way, slowly back away.
Always have bear spray with you, in case. If you don’t startle them or corner them, most of the time they will leave you alone.
In the rare case they don’t, bear spray.
Some say to wear small bells to avoid startling the bears. As you say pepper spray often works.
Do you know how to identify grizzly scat? It has small bells and smells like pepper.
I have seen a bear tear the top of a car open when the people inside teased it with food.
In grizzly country what works is a rifle or shotgun with slugs. A 44 magnum might do the job but if you have have a pistol a 50 caliber Desert Eagle is the way to go.
After a bear has been shot hunters have found some of the bullets were caught in the fur and had never even reached the skin. Grizzlies or Kodiak bears (same thing different name) can be concealed in tall grass. What a surprise.