Buzz
To ensure safety in bear habitats, it's crucial to protect yourself. Keep strongly scented items like food and trash away from your campsite, vehicle, and residence. Should you encounter a bear, remain calm and vacate the area if possible. If a bear charges, use bear pepper spray as a deterrent, regardless of its species.
Precautionary Measures
Securing Your Residence from Bears
Safeguard your trash using bear-resistant containers. Bears are attracted to odors emanating from food, prompting them to search through garbage. Bear-resistant trash cans feature lockable lids to prevent bear access and are more durable than conventional ones.
- Consider storing garbage in a locked shed.
- Dispose of garbage near pickup times whenever feasible.
- Double bag garbage to contain odors and regularly clean trash cans to minimize lingering scents. Alternatively, apply ammonia to garbage to deter bears.
- Caution: Never mix bleach and ammonia, as it produces toxic fumes.
During the summer months, relocate bird feeders from your yard. Bears, being omnivores, are attracted to both meat and plant-based food sources. They won't hesitate to raid the bird seeds you leave out. When bears emerge from hibernation in the summer, they're likely to pay your yard a visit for a tasty treat.
- If you opt to keep bird feeders, hang them high, at least 10 feet (3.0 m) above ground level with no nearby trees. Additionally, regularly clean up the seeds that accumulate beneath the feeder.
- If a bear is spotted near your bird feeders, refrain from replenishing the birdseed for at least a month.
Position fruit trees away from your residence. Similar to birdseed, fruits can entice bears to your home, especially if left unharvested for too long. If you have fruit trees, avoid planting them adjacent to your house. Instead, place them towards the rear of your property or yard.
- Furthermore, harvest fruits promptly when they ripen, or even when slightly unripe. Remove any fallen fruit from the ground promptly to prevent spoilage.
Avoid leaving pet food outdoors, particularly overnight. Bears are drawn to any food source, including outdoor pet food like dog kibble or livestock feed. If you must store food outside for your animals, retrieve it at night when bears are more active and likely to forage.
- Use airtight, scent-proof containers if storing food outdoors is necessary.
Position compost heaps and woodpiles towards the rear of your property. Food remnants in compost can attract bears, particularly strongly scented fruits such as melons or pineapples. Woodpiles can harbor insects and small animals, which are also appealing to bears.
- Avoid including strongly scented fruits in your compost, as they may attract bears.
Clean your barbecue grill thoroughly after each use. Burn off any residual food particles by allowing the flames to flare up. Then, scrape down the grill using a grill brush while it's still warm. Once it cools to a comfortable temperature, scrub the grill with a sturdy brush, dish soap, and warm water to eliminate any grease residue. Concentrate on cleaning the grate and the area beneath it.
- Leftover residue, especially meat drippings, can attract bears. If feasible, store your barbecue in a secure location inaccessible to bears.
Avoid leaving food outdoors near your residence. After dining outside, ensure all food is brought indoors by the end of the evening. Do not leave out food scraps or leftovers that could attract bears.
- Tidy up the dining area by wiping down tables and removing any remaining scraps.
Secure beehives and chicken coops with electric fencing. Bears find chickens and honey irresistible, so it's crucial to safeguard these enclosures with electric fencing. Place them away from your house and shielded by electric fencing.
- You can find electric fencing kits at hardware stores. To install electric fencing, position a post at each corner and one every 40 feet (12 m). Add insulators and run the wire along the posts. Connect the wire to the charger to electrify it.
Deploy deterrents around your property to deter bears. Motion-activated lights and electric fencing can frighten bears away from your premises. Consider installing bars or grates over windows to fortify your home, as bears can break through glass.
- Motion-activated water spraying systems, designed for various animals, might also dissuade bears.
Seal off spaces beneath decks and porches during the winter months. These areas serve as ideal hiding spots for bears, so it's essential to block them off, especially in winter. Purchase large wood panels to cover these spaces and secure them in place with nails. Additionally, block off any crawl spaces beneath your house with wood panels.
- Similarly, reinforce doors on cabins and add sturdy shutters to windows. Bears occasionally break into vacation homes to hibernate, especially when they're certain humans have left the area.
Keeping Bears Uninterested While Camping
Opt for a campsite located away from areas that might attract bears. Bears are drawn to hiking trails, salmon streams, and places where they can find animal carcasses. Avoid setting up camp in these areas to minimize the risk of encountering bears.
- Choose an open area for your campsite where you have good visibility of your surroundings and bears can easily spot you.
Position your cooking area at least 100 yards (91 m) away from your tents. Keep your sleeping and cooking spaces separate by a distance of at least a football field's length. To measure the distance, take approximately 120 steps from your sleeping area. This distance helps ensure that bears are kept away from your sleeping area to enhance safety.
Minimize food odors by consuming canned or dried food. Food scents are attractive to bears, so opt for canned or dried food items to reduce the likelihood of drawing bears to your campsite. Foods like beef jerky, dried fruit, and canned soups are preferable to cooking fresh food, especially in bear country.
- However, keep in mind that bears have a highly sensitive sense of smell, so this alone may not completely deter them.
Use bear-proof containers to store food. Invest in containers specifically designed to resist bears when camping. These containers are robust enough to keep bears out and are available at camping and outdoor stores. They also help mask food odors to minimize the risk of attracting bears. Alternatively, use airtight containers to conceal food scents.
- Avoid storing food inside your tent, as it may attract bears while you're sleeping. Instead, store food in campers, trailers, or vehicles, which are more difficult for bears to access.
- When camping in remote areas, securely store food in bear-proof containers and hang them at least 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, ensuring they are at least 4 feet (1.2 m) away from branches and the trunk of a tree.
- Similarly, if your clothes carry food scents from cooking, change into fresh attire before sleeping and store the scented clothes in a bear-proof container.
Conceal fragrant items that might attract bears. Food isn't the only scent that can lure bears; strong odors from items like perfumes, soaps, and other toiletries can also attract bears to your campsite. Store these scented items alongside your food or better yet, leave them at home and opt for unscented alternatives whenever possible.
- Consider minimizing the use of scented items altogether to reduce the risk of attracting bears.
Tidy up your cooking spot once you've finished your meal. Avoid leaving food remnants scattered around, as they could attract nearby bears. Also, ensure to collect any food scraps that fall in your campground and dispose of them properly.
- Clean cooking surfaces using warm, soapy water, followed by a rinse with clean water.
Remove food waste from your campsite before bedtime. If you're camping in a shared campground, take your trash to the main disposal area before retiring for the night. This reduces the likelihood of bears visiting your campsite.
- Before disposing of dishwater, strain out any food particles and dispose of them along with your trash.
- For backcountry camping, hang your trash along with your food from a tree at least 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, away from branches and the trunk.
- Avoid burying or burning food waste, as bears can still find it.
Preventing Bear Encounters While Hiking
Invest in a bear bag to store your snacks. Bears have a keen sense of smell, especially during the summer and fall seasons when they forage extensively. A bear bag can help mask the scent of your food, deterring bears from approaching.
- A bear bag is constructed from durable polyethylene material. Place your food inside a separate aluminum liner before putting it in the bear bag to prevent tearing. Then, place the entire setup in a waterproof, airtight plastic bag to minimize odors.
Make noise by talking, singing, or creating sounds while hiking. Alerting bears to your presence reduces the likelihood of surprise encounters, making them more likely to avoid you. Consider carrying a satellite radio set to a talk show if you prefer not to vocalize.
- Carrying a satellite radio tuned to a talk show can also serve as an alternative to vocalizing.
Opt for hiking with companions to deter bears. Bears are less likely to approach groups than individuals. Groups tend to generate more noise, giving bears an opportunity to retreat unnoticed before encountering them.
Choose another path if you spot a bear in the distance. When encountering a bear, calmly retreat while maintaining visual contact. Consider taking an alternative route or retracing your steps. Leaving the bear undisturbed increases the likelihood of it leaving you unharmed.
- However, never venture into an area where you've spotted a bear. Exit the vicinity immediately upon sighting one.
Dissuading an Aggressive Bear
Stand firm if charged by a bear. Bears can outrun humans by far, and fleeing may provoke pursuit. Instead, wave your arms and produce loud noises. Often, the bear will opt to retreat rather than attack.
- Avoid making direct eye contact with the bear, as it may interpret it as a threat.
- Avoid attempting to climb a tree. Even if successful, black bears may follow you, while grizzlies are less likely to pursue but may still attempt it.
Utilize bear spray in the event of a bear charge. Bear spray, which has an extended range compared to standard pepper spray, can typically reach up to 30 feet (9.1 m). If a bear approaches, create a barrier between you and the bear by spraying the pepper spray.
- To use the spray, release the safety and depress the nozzle. Aim for a distance of 30 to 60 feet (9.1 to 18.3 m) when the bear is approaching. Direct spraying towards the bear's face if it comes closer.
- Practice using the spray with an inert can, accounting for different wind conditions. Keep the spray easily accessible, such as in a holster, as retrieving it from a backpack may be too slow in an emergency.
- Avoid spraying yourself or your gear, as it can be ineffective in deterring bears and may pose risks if sprayed directly in the face.
Feign death if attacked by a bear. In the rare event of a bear attack, assume a fetal position and remain motionless. This posture protects vital organs, and a bear may cease its aggression upon realizing you pose no threat.
Resist if the bear persists in attacking. If playing dead fails to deter the bear after a few minutes, resort to self-defense. Kick, throw rocks, wield sticks, and use any available means to fight back. Your assertiveness may intimidate the bear into retreat.
Pointers
Caution
- Avoid using ammonia balloons as bear deterrents. Bears can suffer blindness from ammonia exposure, making this method highly inhumane.
- Never mix ammonia with bleach, as it produces toxic fumes. When cleaning bins or trash cans, use either ammonia or bleach separately, but never together.
