[birdeyes]

Just the other day while at Pitt Lake, saw a bear lurking around across the dyke. It saw us at the same time and like they, it stand up to try to identify us and then go back down and went away. I know bear can swim and probably the dyke is shallow enough for him to wade through.

The incidence got me to think:

-Make yourself loud to announce your presence. However for birding, if you do that, you will scare off all the birds. Obviously, being a first year birder, I am making more sounds than I should as I always see birds flying away from me.

-Smell of food - I usually bring some snack bars in my bag, while sealed, I am sure it is okay. However, if you munch a huge snack bar while walking, wouldn't it attrack bears and the like? (It just happens that on that day, I have small snack bars that I can munch down in one mouthful.) Does anyone carry food in their bags while walking trails?

-Go with a large group - I am sure there are people that has someone to always partner with but I am sure there are birders that do birding by themselves on most days.

-Bear spray - if you carry the spray in the backpack, I don't really think I can swing the bag around, unzip, find it and then aim with any speed? Anyone bring it with them on a trail?


Has anyone here have any wildlife encounters and 'street smart' that they can share?

[birdergirl]

Hi Mario,

You gave some good tips, hiking in groups, making loud noise etc. Sounds like you had a positive encounter with this bear.

Bears live in those areas we have to learn how to live with them and respect them and give them space when we bird and are out in nature. You will see them when you bird in certain areas locally like Minnekhada, Colony Farm, Debouville Slough, Pitt Lake and even Burnaby Lake etc.

Usually there is no problem and they are more scared of you than you are of them. Usually the bears are going for berries but if they worry you tend to avoid trails that are full of berries or are marked "bear active" trails. You really only have problems if you surprise a mother with her cubs, a bear on food or surprise a bear and it feels threatened.

That is why it is always good to be "bear smart" and to make noise when you hike by talking or wearing a bear bell. Taking out all food and garbage and knowing what fresh bear scat and tracks looks like is also a good idea. Eating non smelly food like dry foods are best. You can carry bear spray as well but be sure you know how to use it and be aware this only works if the bear is too close for comfort. Also as you mentioned having it in your pack is not effective if you can keep it on your belt for quick access it is better. Bear Spray is necessary for backcountry hiking and a air horn is also a good tool to have. Learning how to react if you do see one is vitally important such as not running away but by backing up slowly with a steady voice or making a wide detour if you see one is in the distance. When I run into them I say in a firm but calm voice "Go Away Bear" and clap my hands and they usually go running the other way only had two instances where it did not work. Whatever you do don't run and never turn your back on the bear. Keep looking at them but not right in their eyes, they can run 60KM an hour and climb trees and swim really good. I am trying to say you cannot outrun a bear so don't try.

In your case you said you saw the bear standing up and as you know this is actually not a sign of aggression but the bear is trying to see who you are! If you back up slowly and keep that firm but calm voice you shouldn't have a problem. The bear was just curious and like in your case it just sauntered away and went the other direction.

Signs of aggression are much different and that is when the bear is snapping his jaws, head down low, growling and their ears are flattened down on the head, or charging you. Predatory bears are extremely rare. Hopefully you never have to deal with any of this but if you do you have to act quick. I suggest dropping your backpack and moving backwards that pack can buy you some time. This gets more complex depending on what the bear is doing and if you are dealing with a Grizzly or a Black Bear. There are varying things you can do I suggest you do some reading about bear behavior. If you ever see a bear behaving aggressively give him space and try to remain calm remember that most of the time a bear will just bluff charge you and not actually attack. Still it is is wise to learn what to do in case of an attack with both species. Bears are not the aggressive scary monsters they are sometimes portrayed as. However, they are wild, large, strong and can be dangerous animals which are deserving of our respect.

All said and done bear attacks are extremely RARE and don't let the fear of running into bears deter you from birding. If you do you will miss out the key is just to be aware of your surroundings and to be "bear smart" when you hike.

Hope this helped a bit.

Cheers,
Mel

[AJMBirds]

I can provide a tip for photographers. No matter how interesting the bird, take time to remove your eye from the camera and assess your surroundings every so often. I was in the arid and open White Lake basin a couple of years ago following a Say's Phoebe and a Western Kingbird as they leapfrogged each other down the fence line toward the corral. I had my bear aware radar turned off as I thought it was pretty low risk. Needless to say, when I eventually got down to the corral and removed my eye from the camera, I found that I was within a very uncomfortable distance of a rather large shiny black bear. Luckily it just wandered off as I backed away. Will never turn off the radar again. Another tip - you don't have to be able to outrun the bear - just the person you're birding with.

[KenW]

aha perfect time to add my two bits worth as I watch a sow and two ( ultimate in cuteness0 cubs amble across my front lawn.
All of you had excellent ideas
I usually bird alone and do a fair bit of backpacking ( in black and grizzly tertitory), usually on my own

I employ what I call a four layer defence with regard to bears.
1. Use my most powerful weapon, my brain ( yes, I can hear your smartass comments now) In other words, be aware and alert. Quite often you will see bears before they see you allowing you to assess the situation. ( black, grizzly, sow & cubs, etc) Depending on the situation, let the bear know you are there
2. I don't use bear bells when hiking, I clip my iPod with small external speaker to my pack and play my tunes. The sound of a human voice carries a long way. If I see / meet other people, I turn it off.
3. A small air horn ( marine type). it's small, light, carry it on my belt, and is loud enough to wake the dead. It can be used at a much longer distance than spray, and can be used into the wind too.
4. bear spray. Well, if I an truly honest, I just carry it to spice up my carcass

[birdeyes]

Thanks for all the ideas. No, the bears will not stop me from birding for sure. Just that there are so many outdoor experts here that I figure there might be some better ideas than that available from official channels. I like the one about just need to run faster than your companion. Yes, bear sprays are really questionable and I should really consider the air horn.

Nonetheless, here is another story that someone else shared.

"Well I'm struggling to sleep so i thought id write it out in full. Yesterday evening i set out to do a quick 5km run on the cross country ski trails at the fernie alpine resort. So i ran from our hotel over to the start of the trails, i didn't have best feeling about it from start.

Anyways i set off down the trail, I'm generally very aware of bears so i was shouting and making lots of noise from the off. I had gone at most 600m (could still some of the condo buoldings) and was heading uphill when i heard crashing behind me. I turned and a black bear was charging me, when i first saw it was about 10m away but got to within 1m.

I didn't have time to react other than to start screaming at it. We circled each other for a minute or so, me shouting and trying to look as big as possible. The bear was not so much being aggressive more curious, it didn't stomp or make any sounds. In somewhat pure panic i threw my jacket at him, he was somewhat interested in it. I was able to start backing off and probably made it 200m back down the trail. I then really screwed up, i couldn't see the bear so i started to run.

I probably made it another 200m (could see the parking lot through the trees) when i turned and saw the bear chasing after me. I ve heard stories about how fast they are but nothing prepared me for the reality. It was probably the must awe inspiring/utterly terrifying thing I've ever seen.

The bear caught up with me blocking my escape. We had another standoff, he blocked my escape and forced me back up the trail. At times he probably got to within 2 feet of me, i close on a couple of occasions to punching it as a last resort.

At this point he backed off a liitle and i was able to call 911. I spoke with dispatch for the entire rest of the encounter. The bear forced me back almost to where i had first seen him. He stood on his hind legs watching me from about 100m away and then took off back down the trail to the parking lot. My only thought was [...] what do i do now, my escape was blocked and i had no idea where the bear was!!

Dispatch advised i stayed where i was, for the next 5 mins or so there was no sign of the bear. I found some rocks and a small branch, at least it was something to fight back with. Out of no where the bear came crashing through the forest on my left on an old quad trail. We circled each other i was screaming and throwing what rocks i had. I managed to work my way round so i was down trail of him.

For the next couple of minutes i slowly walked backwards constantly watching him. After a 100m or so i turned a bend in the trail and lost sight of him. I was then able to walk back to the parking lot, once there i ran as fast as i could to the nearest hotel where i ran into the rcmp and a conservation officer.

I went back up the trail with the consetvation officer (armed with a rifle) to the spot. I snapped the below photo of where it went down and got my jacket (intact). We found tracks and signs he had been foraging under rocks when i disturbed him on the side of the trail. CO estimated it to be a 2 - 3 year old male black bear.

Whats really kept me awake tonight is what i did wrong. If this maybe helps someone down the line then that would be awesome.

1. Trust your gut - i really didn't have a good feeling about my choice of route. I almost baled and ran on the road.

2. Bear spray - if you are in bear country always always take bear spray with you. I always do, expect this time.

3. Expect the unexpected.- I've spent the last 4 years climbing mountains, running crazy trail race, exploring the back country and have never had a problem with bears. Of course the night i choose to go run a crappy x country ski trail is the night i run into a bear.

4. Don't ever run- this was the dumbest thing i did. They are so fast. The sight of the bear running me down is something that will live with me forever.

5. Make noise- i thought i was making lots of noise bit it clearly wasnt enough.
I think i did job of making use of what i had at the time. He really didn't like the screaming and the rock throwing. Having my phone and being in cell service was a huge plus.

I don't think the bear was necessarily being aggressive. I completely surprised him and from then on it was a game. According to the CO they will try and trap him and move him on elsewhere.

All in all it was a terrifying yet completely humbling experience. I have to feel that as we humans continue to expand, these animals will be pushed into an increasingly smaller pocket and encounters like this will become more regular

"

[Brad]

They say that when you see a bear, your body goes into one of three possible modes: fight, flight, or photography.

I was with my family up in Smithers, BC and we came across this grizzly. We were on quads, which would allow for a faster get-away, but they are certainly quick when they need to be. We gave him a lot of space and let him know we were there with some hand claps. Thankfully, he wasn't feeling aggressive, though he definitely wasn't afraid of us either. He eventually scampered off into the bush, and we carried on with a little more pace!

I hope you have safety on the trails!

[nealdoan]

Always have to remember that when we go out, it is the animal's habitat we are going into. You never know when and where you might encounter bears or other large critters (cougar, bobcat, etc.) We humans have in many cases encroached on their "homes". Just yesterday a Bear and her two cubs crossed the fairway at the Falls Golf Club just as we were approaching our balls. Needless to say we stayed in our cart and waited until they had made their way back into the bush. Always a good idea to back off and they will usually go their own way.

Hazzard on the 7th Fairway by Neal, on Flickr

Hazzard on the 7th Fairway by Neal, on Flickr

[stusteelhead]

Some excellent information posted above between your brain and bear spray the two best lines of defense, however I figured to add some information regarding bear spray. Many people believe the burning sensation to the eyes is what stops the bear when in fact it is the bronchial constricting properties that do. This is very important to realize because if the bear doesn't inhale the spray it can be ineffective. I remember reading a story of a hiker treed by a black bear, and he sprayed the bear point blank to no effect but then in a moment realized that the bear was snarling (therefore exhaling at the time). He waited a moment for the bear to take a breath and resprayed, making the bear takeoff. There are some great videos and courses on how to use bear spray that I would encourage people to watch and or take, they recommend creating a wall of spray in front of you as opposed to try and shoot the bear from a distance when you will invariably direct the spray over top of the bear. Great thread, with important information not only for your safety but also the bears. Many of these tips also apply to our other furry feline friends. A tip I also do, especially when crouched down shooting in the backcountry is I put my sunglasses facing backwards on my hat, not sure if it helps but the fishermen in the Sunderban, in India wear backwards facing masks to help prevent tiger attacks

[birdergirl]

Great tips guys and beautiful photos of some amazing bears Brad and Neal. Seeing a Grizz is always special. The Black Bear Cubs are also adorable Neal. I really like what you said that we have to remember we are now in the animal's habitat and have to give them respect they deserve. With such high level of development now bear encounters are becoming more frequent where we used to not see them.

Stu that's a great tip about how spray actually works on bears

Here is a good video illustrating how it's mostly effective on the nose:
https://vimeo.com/17383424

Here is also a video put out by Parks Canada on how to use Bear Spray:
https://youtu.be/aIvpLzHiCrg

Here is a helpful pdf on Staying Safe in Bear Country:

http://www.bearsmart.com/docs/StayingSafeScript.pdf

Cheers,
Mel