Bear Strategies

[Heavy G]

I have read several articles and have done research on bear encounters. I was wondering what some of my hiking brethren's experiences were and how they were handled. I have encountered two Black Bears and both looked me over and went about their business. This is probably close to the norm, but wanted to hear other encounters and how they were handled. Thanks.

[sidebackside]

I was hiking on Porters Creek Trail in Greenbrier in the Smokies. It was about 6:30-7pm and getting dark quick. I was basically jogging trying to beat the nitefall. It had been pouring down rain when I was setting up camp and my tent at the time was pretty much worthless. Needless to say I was alone at the campsite. While trying to ride out the storm in it, it wasn't too long before I was sitting in puddles of water. Thus, why I was hiking at nite.

I had been dropped off at the trail with plans to be picked up the next day. When my tent showed itself to be worth what I paid for it (hardly nothing) I had to pack up and try to make it back to the ranger station to call my family to come get me. So, like I said, I was basically jogging trying to get out of the weather and beat the nitefall. I came around a bend in the trail when I heard something take off running. It made a snarl sound. Not like a growl, like a dog, but a snarl, as if it was letting me know I was to close to it. I heard the bear before I saw it. When I heard that sound it stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked up...and honestly...it was only about 20ft away. I had always heard if you cause a bear to change its behavior your too close! So, the bear and I are at a stand still. He's checking me out and for a split second, for some reason, I couldn't move my feet. I just stood there in complete shock that I had ran up on him and didn't even know it. My heart was in my throat! What seemed to be 5 long minutes of just standing there wondering what was fixing to happen, in reality was probably only 30secs, I slowly, very slowy, continued walking down the trail sideways so I could see him, shouting, "hey bear, hey bear." He never moved. Never. Just stayed there eyeballin' me. As I got out of sight from him and my heart rate slowed back down I picked back up the jogging, which looking back, became a good paced run.

What became funny to me as I finally made it to the ranger station was...the whole way back I never stopped yelling, "hey bear, hey bear." I just kept thinking how insane I would've looking to someone hiking up the trail...soaking wet...cleary frightened...hollering..."hey bear, hey bear."

[cowpoke]

I have only encountered two bears on the trail...both in GA...each time the bear bolted as soon as we saw each other. The encounter at Hawk Mtn shelter was the most memorable...the bear was on the path leading to the privy....about 20 yards away...stood up on it's hind legs momentarily...then bolted into the woods....don't know about the bear but my heart was thumping pretty hard...

[sheepdog]

GSMNP has tame bears and therefor spooky bears. If you look in my gallery you will see a picture of a bear that came within 25 feet of me. He walked right at me down the trail while I was taking flash pictures of him. You can see the flash in his eyes. I finally reached for my bear spray while saying "hey bear, hey bear." He then stopped and got off the trail and went around me.

[Phreak]

I've encountered over 20 bears here in GA and they have all scampered away. No issues.

[mweinstone]

bears have no rights. kill them as much as possible. sterilize the children bears and use them to mine toxic waste.wear alot of bearfur and bear jewelery and eat bear morn noon and night. build bear prisons and bear penal colonys.

[trailangelbronco]

I used to come across Black Bears all the time growing up in maine, they always ran away cause I stink so bad out on the trail.

Then, I moved out west to Grizzly country. Crap yer pants first time you see a 600 lb creature that can out run you. I hile Yellowstone once in a while and mount a small bell on my pack so that they here me coming. Not good to suprise a Grizzly. Also, if you see a cub, start backing up right away and haul ass away for a while. Momma will eat you for getting anywhere near a cub.

Old Grizzlies are scary too, because they have bad teeth. That means that they are in pain, and are in very bad moods. I stay out of grizzly country in the spring, that is when they wake up hungry, and are on the hunt for food, and my butt isn't for dinner. I carry bear spray, but if one charged I doubt that it would save my life. I'd probably just pee my pants and say a brief cuss word.

East coast, you don't have much to worry about. Most times you see a black bear, you only see his butt running away. Campground bears are more daring and used to humans, but don't walk up to one.

[Toolshed]

I've come across bears 4-5 times in PA and several times in the dacks. Except for the time the yearling ran straight at me at a campground in the dacks, to avoid my crated dogs (I jumped out in front of it flashed my headlamp and yelled "Ha!!!". The poor bear peeled off to the left instantaneously and made a "woof" as it ran away. It was actually pretty amusing) every bear I have ever seen has either stood up to get a better look at me before taking off on all 4's or just scampered away on all 4's.
Bears here- Nothing to worry about. Bears in Alaska.... Scary. Haven't been closer that 50 yards and to me, that was close enough for me.

[Lilred]

My only bear sighting is my avatar. First day in the Smokies and he was a yearling. Kept peaking at me from behind his tree. Kinda cute actually, until he started making that woofing sound and stomping the ground with his two front paws. That's when I said goodbye and left.

[Thin Mint]

I encountered a bear in Georgia. Me and about 30 other people were staying at blue mountain shelter. A few hikers pressed on but 20 minutes later came running back into camp freaked out (they were city boys). About a half hour later this yearling tries to come into camp. We all yelled loudly to shoo him off. For the next two hours he attempted to come into camp from different angles about three different attempts. Eventually he went away.

We found out from a ranger that he was an orphan and they were going to relocate him. So he was probably hungary since he didn't have a mom... A few months later I ran into another hiker who came across the bear just an hour or so before us. He fed the yearling. So there were a couple reasons why he was so aggressive in our camp.

[Hoofit]

There's a five year old bear that hangs out at Vogel State Park, a few miles from the walasi hiking center near Burnsville. Everyday, he mooches and sniffs around the trash containers and the rangers there say he's tame. So kids are out there just taking it all in, following him around. Somwhere you have to draw the line, maybe the bear or one of his buddies will drag off a young kid before anyone does anything...its these nights when for some reason it feels good to be inside a tent, however flimsy. Just remember to hang your food well away. I've had more trouble with racoons taking my food than bears but at least you know they're not big enough to eat you...

[fiddlehead]

My rules of thumb: Don't show aggression or fear to a black bear but stay where you are and talk to the bear if he attacks (most likely it will be what is called a "false charge")
I have tried this twice and it seems to work although who knows what the bear was thinking at the time???

Play dead if a grizzly attacks you and the bear spray didn't work. (carry bear spray when in griz country.) I've never had to try this yet.

and Good luck!

most likely, you won't be attacked unless you did something unorthodox.

ps. keep in mind, most bear problems happen in National parks where the bears are not normal.

[leaftye]

Play dead if a grizzly attacks you and the bear spray didn't work. (carry bear spray when in griz country.) I've never had to try this yet.

To clarify, only play dead after the bear begins the attack. Bears aren't so dumb that they'll believe you fell dead just by looking at them.

[trailangelbronco]

In Glacier park Montana, I break the law and my own weight rules by carrying a 357snub nose with full metal jacket rounds. Grizzlies have a very strong skull plate but the rounds that I press would penetrate. A hiker gets killed or mauled almost every summer there.
Grizzlies often just drag people right out of a tent at night, my snubby is in my mummy bag at night with me. Hope I don't blow my jewels off one night, but I don't take chances in Northern Montana.

[sheepdog]

In Glacier park Montana, I break the law and my own weight rules by carrying a 357snub nose with full metal jacket rounds. Grizzlies have a very strong skull plate but the rounds that I press would penetrate. A hiker gets killed or mauled almost every summer there.
Grizzlies often just drag people right out of a tent at night, my snubby is in my mummy bag at night with me. Hope I don't blow my jewels off one night, but I don't take chances in Northern Montana.

used to carry a 44 in Alaska


rule of thumb with a pistol


shoot the bear five times and yourself once

[Mountain Wildman]

shoot the bear five times and yourself once

You are joking right?
Why would you shoot yourself?

[Mongoose2]

Because the five bullets will only piss off the bear......

[steve43]

in about 25 years of hiking various portions of the AT, i've only had 5 bear encounters. in all instances when i yelled "go away bear!" or reached for my camera, they've high tailed it out. i guess i'm just lucky the bears i've met up with understand english or are camera shy.

fifo

[Mountain Wildman]

Not with this:

Charter Arms 44 Bulldog

[sheepdog]

Not with this:

Charter Arms 44 Bulldog

I own that gun. It's a 44 special, that will really make griz mad. Would do the job on black bears though.

Also you can only shoot the bear 4 times and yourself once.
It only holds 5 rounds.