How to survive a bear attack – or better yet, avoid one altogether
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/06/19/ ... ltogether/
The best strategy is to never get in harm’s way by enticing or provoking a wild bear. Trying to give a bear food or approaching cute cubs are particularly terrible ways to start an encounter. That’s just looking for trouble.
The US National Park Service site points out each bear and each encounter is different, but there are general guidelines useful in most situations.
First of all, keep your distance if you happen upon a bear. Don’t approach it, and give it plenty of room to walk away from you. Yellowstone tells you to stay at least 100 yards (300 feet or 91 meters) away; Shenandoah National Park in Virginia suggests 200 feet (61 meters) for its black bears.
You can run afoul of the law as well as the bears if you get too close and end up paying a fine.
Other tips:
• Talk calmly to yourself in low tones to identify yourself as human.
• Walk with a group (we’re smellier and noisier in packs) and stay on designated trails.
• If you have a small child or dog, pick it up.
• Don’t put yourself between cubs and their mother.
• Avoid direct eye contact and move away slowly, sideways if possible.
Pratt said don’t be alarmed if a bear stands on its hind legs; it’s not considered an aggressive move.
Almost all encounters are peaceful, Pratt said. Many times, people never knew they were even close to a bear.
What if a bear starts coming at you anyway?
If a bear starts making assertive moves in your direction, you have important decisions to make – and fast.
First thing is: Stand your ground with bears.
With either grizzlies (a subspecies of brown bears) or black bears, “please don’t run. Bears can outrun anybody,” Pratt said. “Don’t climb a tree either. They can also climb trees better than you.”
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife (where the black bear population is growing) also has some tips:
• Make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn to scare bears away.
• Make yourself look as large as possible by waving your arms.
• If you’re with other people, stay together.
Pratt said you can usually intimidate or bluff your way out of sticky bear situations, depending on the bear species and the situation.
But what if a bear is about to attack?
You’re now in the rarest of situations – you’ve attracted a bear’s attention. It didn’t move off. It’s started coming at you aggressively and fast. You think you’re about to be attacked. What’s next?
One very crucial thing is to make a quick ID of the kind of bear, because your strategy is going to be different.
If it’s a black bear, the NPS and Pratt have a clear message: Do not run. Do not play dead.
“You want to stand your ground with black bears. Look as intimidating as possible,” Pratt said. “Throw things not at it but near it. Make that black bear intimidated by you. Let it know you are a big person. Pick something up; yell at it. If it attacks, fight back – aim for the face.”
It’s a different situation with grizzlies
If you’re dealing with a grizzly that won’t back off and an attack is imminent, you’re advised to do the opposite. You should play dead.
“Act as unthreatening as possible with a grizzly. Play dead with a grizzly if it starts to attack,” Pratt said. “Tuck and cover. Get into a fetal position. Wrap your hands around your neck. Lay on your stomach. Once you do that, 99 percent of the time the grizzly will move on.”
NPS elaborates: “Remain still until the bear leaves the area. Fighting back usually increases the intensity of such attacks. However, if the attack persists, fight back vigorously.”
Fighting back a grizzly bear is the last resort – “your Hail Mary pass” as Pratt called it – when all other options are out.
An exception to this rule: If you’re camping in a tent and are attacked, that bear likely sees you as food. NPS and Pratt say this is a time to fight.
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