How to Survive a Bear Encounter

Grey J · Aug 24, 2017

An article appeared in the Sunday NY Times magazine this week, 8/20/17 on this topic, featuring advice from John Hechtel, a retired wildlife biologist for Alaska's Dept of Fish and Game who professes to love bears. His first instruction is "Help the bear identify you as human. Talk in a calm but firm voice. Put your hands above your head and wave them slowly. Avoid reacting in a way that makes you look like prey: no screaming, flailing or running." He also talks about 2 categories of attack, defensive and non-defensive and how one's strategy may differ if you can identify what type of attack it is.

A defensive bear will attack to protect its cubs or its food. It tends to look agitated, may paw the ground, roar, or salivate. The non-defensive bear wants to eat you. It tends to look coolheaded and confident and what Hechtel calls "pushy" with head held high and ears erect. In a non-defensive attack, fight for your life. Use what's handy and go for his face and ears.

He says people often remember only to play dead which may work in an attack by a defensive bear that only wants to neutralize what it believes to be a menace. He describes a woman who continued to try this approach even after a black bear began chewing on her leg. My favorite line in the article is "If a bear is eating you, don't play dead."

iAmKrzys · Aug 24, 2017

Grey J said:
An article appeared in the Sunday NY Times magazine this week, 8/20/17 on this topic, featuring advice from John Hechtel, a retired wildlife biologist for Alaska's Dept of Fish and Game who professes to love bears. His first instruction is "Help the bear identify you as human. Talk in a calm but firm voice. Put your hands above your head and wave them slowly. Avoid reacting in a way that makes you look like prey: no screaming, flailing or running." He also talks about 2 categories of attack, defensive and non-defensive and how one's strategy may differ if you can identify what type of attack it is.

I wonder if blowing a whistle is more like "Hey I'm a human" or more like screaming?

DougPaul · Aug 25, 2017

The best thing to do depends on the species and the nature of the encounter/attack. Read "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance" by Stephen Herrero. https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks...03674491&sr=8-1&keywords=bear+attacks+herrero

Doug

iAmKrzys · Aug 27, 2017

DougPaul said:
The best thing to do depends on the species and the nature of the encounter/attack. Read "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance" by Stephen Herrero. https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Attacks...03674491&sr=8-1&keywords=bear+attacks+herrero

Doug

I have this book and read it several years ago. I just dug it up and looked at the index but did not find any reference to using a whistle.

DougPaul · Aug 29, 2017

iAmKrzys said:
I have this book and read it several years ago. I just dug it up and looked at the index but did not find any reference to using a whistle.

A bear may not associate a whistle (or the classic bear bell*) with humans. The voice however works well (therefore the new tradition: "Hey Bear!", repeated frequently).

* A hiking magazine reported an experiment with a wild grizzly: they rang a bell and got no response. They then snapped a twig and the bear snapped to attention. The bear may also not associate a snapped twig with humans, but it is a typical noise made by a nearby animal. (This evidence is anecdotal, but suggestive.)

Doug

ChrisB · Aug 29, 2017

Grey J said:
My favorite line in the article is "If a bear is eating you, don't play dead."

I just got back from a month in Montana where hikers and fisherman are NOT at the top of the food chain! It's a very interesting (and foreign) feeling to be looking over your shoulder on every hike and bushwhack up a quiet river.

You don't go anywhere without a big can of bear spray for each person in the group. Sometimes two cans. And locals often supplement that with a big handgun strapped to their side. Yikes.

We spent two weeks in and around Glacier and saw only one grizz. But while we were there, the town of West Glacier had a memorial for a local killed by a bear in 2016. He was mountain biking (outside the park) on a wooded trail when he came around a corner and hit a grizzly broadside who was standing in the middle of the trail. The bear killed him and then went about its business.

This guy was a law enforcement employee for the park and had lots of experience with bears. He was just unlucky.

But, the expansion of mountain biking in bear country is now an issue out there. Mountain bikes travel relatively fast and often silently and that's not good if you hope to avoid bears.

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