ESSENTIAL SKILLS

How to Scare a Bear: Can it Actually Be Scared?

Written by Kane Dane

Do you know how to scare a bear? Majority of bear technicians have been trying out various strategies on how to keep nuisance bears from assaulting campgrounds and picnic areas. Bears are among the nature’s most gallant animals, and seeing one of them in the wild would definitely be an extraordinary ordeal.

Get excessively close, however, and your experience with a bear can be much more alarming than amazing. Luckily, in spite of people’s continued infringement into bear nations, attacks of bears on people are uncommon, and fatalities are even less common.

Brown Grizzly Bear on Black Metal Fence

However, bears are huge, powerful creatures, and any kind of meeting between humans and bears can most likely turn deadly in case you’re ill-equipped. But in this article, we have prepared some vital tips to help you scare off bears anytime you come in contact with one.

Terrible Cases for Bear Encounters

The following rundown includes the most pessimistic scenario situations for bear experiences.

Bear preparing to attack

These are situations that majority of mountain bikers and hikers might want to avoid:

  1. Bears that have turned out to be addicted to human food and garbage: When bears get to be distinctly accustomed to garbage and human food, they get to be attracted to regions of human occupation. This may incorporate backwoods campgrounds a long way from urban areas. An account of poor backwoods garbage administration by backpackers can include boondocks campgrounds to regular raids of bears.
  2. Bears with first year’s offspring which go up a tree: When it comes to this circumstance, the female bear may not leave the region, yet rather will guard the offspring. The bear may attack faster in the event that you are around its comfort region. Be prepared with your shower, and be ready to climb a tree if needs be.
  3. Bears that have second year’s offspring that may venture in a bluff charge: Once more, this can be an extremely unsafe circumstance as you are currently dealing with more than one bear. While this is extremely uncommon, it would definitely enable the family to secure a kill site more viably.
  4. Bears safeguarding a kill site: Bears are quite aggressive while securing a kill site. Figure out how to look for indications of kill sites, for example, vast aggregations of ravens and other birds or creatures.
  5. Predatory Encounters: While this situation is an uncommon one and generally alludes to savage attacks by wild bears, this can be a very serious experience. Since you are being hunted as prey by the bear, you should be ready for a fast approaching attack. The bear may likely circle you, gradually moving in closer and nearer until it chooses whether to attack you or not.

Reason Why Bears Lose Their Fear of People

Bears have acute hearing and eyesight. Their smelling senses are seven times far greater than that of a bloodhound. They have a sharp ability to notice pet food, refuse, grill flame broils and feathered creature feeders. And once they find a source of food, they always keep the location in mind.

Bears are usually careful when it comes to people, however, if a bear detects food without escaping, he may definitely return for more. Every time this situation occurs, he can turn out to be less frightful and this addiction can prompt to issues. Clashes can uplift during hyperphagia, a sustaining frenzy during late fall and summer in which bears beef up for hibernation and gaining up to 3-4 pounds and devouring 20,000 calories each day.

A man photographing a brown bear, Ursus arctos.

Bears, who don’t have the fear of human are usually referred to as “nuisance bears.” These are usually subadult males, i.e. young bears who have recently separated themselves from their moms are still figuring out how to get foods—and also moms with offspring. In many states, the nuisance bears are usually slaughtered or caught and moved to a far distance with the expectation that they won’t return. Yet, more often than not, this result wouldn’t have been important if people had not made food quite easy to discover in the yard or junk dumpster.

Types of Bears

Here are the major types of bears you should know before going outdoors in an area occupied by bears:

Black Bear

There is about 900,000 of these ones in North America and grownups run in size from about 100lbs sows to huge 500lbs hogs. The name “black bear” is really somewhat misleading; they can possibly be anything from brown to black to white and even a rosy cinnamon.

A black bear pulls a fish from a stream.

The ideal way to disclose to them aside from the greatly perilous brown bear kind is in their build and size. A black bear kind is not only smaller but rather slighter and has a slimmer build and longer ears. You can viably scare off most black bear kinds

Brown Bear

This kind of bear is also called Grizzly or Kodiak bears depending exclusively on geology, brown bears mostly do have a tendency to be brown in nature, however that fur can seem blonde as well. While black bear kinds exist crosswise over the vast majority of the Canada and US, just 200,000 brown bears meander through Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, Montana, Western Canada and Washington.

Kamchatka brown bear

You will know it is a black bear since it will be colossal and recognized by a conspicuous mound on its back, and the way that it will be absolutely unafraid of you. In the event that you notice the presence of a brown bear, the ideal step to take is to run away from it.

Polar Bear

You should know how this bear specie looks like. In case you are doing lot of outdoor activities in the area where they abide, then you are most likely effectively mindful of their conduct and precautionary measures you should take.

Polar-bear-standing-on-shore-ice

You shouldn’t roam a polar bear domain without a firearm.

Scaring a Bear Away

Do you recall the first occasion when you ever come in contact with a bear in the wood? Were you terrified? And if you have never come in contact with one before, would you be frightened if you did? Bears are a similar way. They are born having the fear of people in their nature. Almost every one of them appear to stay haunting anxious of human, notwithstanding when they are enormous, predominant males.

However, in the event that they routinely spend time around humans, they gradually get more well-situated to humans. However, this is how most bears get themselves into issues. Once they are pretty much comfortable around people, they get more attracted and enticing to people’s abundant and high-calorie food.

Also, this is the reason why It is quite essential to scare off bears when they approach humans or are in developed regions. Bears learn faster when people fear them, and much faster when they get access to food out of the experience. Therefore, how would you scare off bear? Yell as noisily as conceivable at it (people do say “get away bear!” or “leave bear!”). Of course, it doesn’t actually make a difference with regards to what you say, yet in the event that you’re shouting something to that effect at a bear, you probably would not joke about this.

Alaska brown bear

And this is the main thing. You don’t have to joke about it! You could yell as much as you like, however, if the bear that you are yelling to doesn’t think you are really serious about it, it will likely overlook you.

Bears are really good at reading the body language of the human. Bold people shouting at a bear, usually brings about the bear leaving faster than when fearful people are shouting. So, to scare off a bear, you need to shout, in your loudest conceivable voice, “Leave BEAR!” and continue repeating it till it eventually takes off. Utilize your voice forcefully and be frantic at the bear, and would not joke about this. Disregard the car alerts, pots, and skillet, applauding, shrieks, or any other things. These don’t work effectively. You need to shout at the bear as if you are the boss and you want it to leave that area, and it surely will.

Read our piece on ways to scare bears so they will leave you – it’s a must read.

Brown Bear Sitting on the Ground

It is highly advised that people should not chase off bears without proper training because attempting such can be severely dangerous. However, running only a couple steps or walking toward a bear while you are already shouting at it, can be very helpful in case you are watchful and are certain that the bear has a route to escape.

Prevention of Bear Problems

Like life matters, the ideal approach to manage a bear issue is to prevent a bear issue. It’s important to know that bears are not only in need of your food basket, they are pulled into stuff like antiperspirant, grimy dishes or even enclosed energy bars as well.

Polar Bear in Body of Water

Put totally anything that have a nice smell in a bear canister or bag and place that no less than 100 feet outside the camp. Do not clean fish or make other convincing scents close where you are planning on resting. Listed below are the things you can use to prevent the problems of bears.

  1. Bear Canisters: These arrive in an assortment of sizes, shapes, and purposes. You will discover “bear lockers” in sorted out campgrounds that have a tendency of having problem bears and progressively, their littler, more convenient cousins are needed for people hiking through bear nation. Basically an extensive, exceptionally intense, plastic food compartment, bear canisters came to fruition due to people’s inability to properly hand bear bags, so now, there is the chance to drag these things about. The main idea about bear canister is to put your food stuffs in it during the evening, then place it 100 feet and above outside of the campsite. That, therefore, provides the bears with something to handle throughout the night. Extra points for still setting or hanging one where a bear cannot have access to, but do not put it someplace that it will be knocked off a bluff or into streaming water, where you will lose it. However, based on actual fact, there are some bears in some mountainous areas that have successfully gotten how to open the bear canister. Here’s a review of the top bear canisters to give you more options – read it!
  2. Bear Bags: The main idea is to balance two bags loaded with your delicious food from a narrow tree branch both excessively tall for a bear, making it impossible to reach and excessively thin for a bear, making it impossible to move on out. You can get the food by pushing one sack up with a long stick until the entire thing falls into your hands. The trouble is, people are not smart enough and bears are too smart. The bears have figured out how to climb trees, then drop onto bear sacks from above or to discover and cut bolster ropes. More often than not, the majority of campers, hang bear packs too low and too near a pleasant, climbable tree branch or in a generally defenseless position.
  3. Bear Bells: You can likewise experience bears while you are just climbing along, tending to your very own concerns. That is just in case you are in effect calm, though. Joining bags to your bear bags (the jingle chimes pulled off from a Christmas tree work fine and dandy) or talking among a gathering of campers will caution bears of your arrival and definitely scare them off from your area.
  4. Bear Dogs: The aroma and sound of a dog or many dogs is as viable a bear hindrance as any that can ever exist. Always keep your dog on-chain while climbing in bear nation and tie it up around evening time, however never abandon a tied-up dog.
  5. Fire: An open air fire, keeps most creatures away, however, tending it throughout the night can keep you from resting and in ranges where there is a huge amount of bear/camper interaction, the bears may never again be afraid of fire.
  6. Fleeing: This is the greatest win to come out victorious in any battle works similarly well in this one. In any case, instead of running, just walk like you would not joke about this. Fleeing from wild animals can trigger them to hunt down prey. No dinner or fish or any measure of ego merits getting devoured over.
  7. An Anti-Bear Armory: Indeed, even the most mindful of campers will usually get themselves up close with a ravenous or inquisitive bear, especially in ranges where they habitually collaborate with people and think of us as a source of food subsequently. In the event that that happens, you will need to scare off the bear.
  8. Propaganda: Most animals are instinctively afraid of humans, as they should be. You should be that reason. Confront your full tallness, open your jacket or coat so you seem bigger, move in a deliberate, considered way, and lift up your hands noticeable all around while yelling menacingly.
  9. Flare Pistol: If you have a bear issue, it is good to maintain a strategic distance from that bear issue. A flare gun can be aimed roughly and can travel close to hundred yards, empowering you to frighten away a bear at a range with a noisy blast and bright blaze, yet most likely won’t harm the bear. Simply be careful terminating ignitable rounds into the forested areas if there is a high danger of fire outbreak. This is likely illicit practically anyplace, take note of that.
  10. Bear Mace: Here is a thing about bear mace. It only has an effective scope of 15 feet or somewhere in the vicinity and has been well-known to scare off bear. To see how efficient bear spray works, click on our article to learn more.
  11. A Big Stick: Bashing a bear at its head with a huge stick is a very powerful deterrent. There is something in a huge stick comprehended by creatures on a primal stance, a great deal more so than with an amusing bit of orange plastic or a senseless human hopping all over and yelling.

WRAPPING IT UP

Being attacked by a bear whether brown, black or whatever, would go pretty gravely for you. But, that is a greatly impossible event. Be mindful, keep them from getting access to your food stuffs, make some sound as you walk through their domain, take your dog alongside and you won’t have any issues. In the event that you come in contact with a bear, watch it from a range and, in the event that it moves near you or your campground, you’ll likely have the capacity to scare it off.

They are also part of nature, don’t bother or mischief them and you will be able to continue laying alert in your tents throughout the night, thinking every small sound you hear is a bear moving toward your tent, for quite a while to come. If you can’t frighten the bear off, and the bear gets to be distinctly aggressive, you should battle back.

Two european-brown-bears playing

Don’t attempt to run, as bears are considerably speedier than people and it might inspire a savage reaction from the bear. Utilize any things accessible, for example, sticks or rocks, to strike of scare off the bear in order to mount the best defense.

To know how to keep those bears away from your campsite, read on this important topic in one our articles.

We believe you really enjoy this article. Have you ever encountered a bear? Do you like to share us your experience? If yes, you can leave us a comment below

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kane Dane

2 Comments

  • A bear dog is an effective defensive mechanism against bears. Black bears are known to run away when chased by dogs.

  • Bear sprays are effective, but it is always wise to avoid intentional bear encounters. It doesn’t matter how prepared you are; bears are simply dangerous.

LEAVE A COMMENT

  −  7  =  3