Bear Aware 101

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Whitney Tilt, Conservation Chatter, June 2018

(photo: Montana Fish, wildlife & parks)

In Montana and the Greater Yellowstone, you hear a lot about bears, especially Grizzly Bears. While there is a great deal of information on grizzly bears and how humans should behave in bear country, the following is a summary from a Bear Aware presentation by Steve Primm in June 2018.Bear Aware 101

What makes a Griz inherently dangerous?

Grizzly bears evolved in Eurasia, crossed the Beringia Land Bridge, and came to Northern Rockies some 26,000 years ago. They evolved in open, treeless terrain with a defensive strategy of responding with over-whelming aggression. As compared with black bears, which evolved in North America and trees. Their defensive strategy is to run and climb a tree.

Know Your Bear Identification

Practice to Avoid Bear Contact

Actively work to avoid close-range encounters altogether by maintaining situational awareness. Be attuned to your surroundings, knowledgeable about potential for an encounter; equipped and mentally prepared to stay safe.

Reducing the risk of the “out of nowhere” encounter. Split second encounters with no behavior to observe, no time to identify species.

Elements of Situational Awareness

  • Sight lines (how far can you see?)

  • Wind direction & speed (effects on scent and sound)

  • Masking noises (streams, wind)

  • Habitat/vegetation (feeding, daybeds)

  • Don’t take lack of tracks as a sign of lack of bears

Carcasses

Carcasses, whether from hunting, vehicle strikes or natural causes, are a major source of food for grizzly bears. Dead elk, cows and other large animals are not portable, so grizzly bears will readily defend them with their trademark overwhelming aggression.

  • Don’t approach!!!

  • Be alert for odor

  • Pay attention to scavenger birds (ravens, magpies)

Bear Spray

  • Know how to use it.

  • Practice deploying it before you go into the field

  • Keep it handy (ready for a quick draw, not in your pack or under jackt and straps)

  • Respect expiration dates as old spray does not have range and impact of new spray.

  • If you see a bear within 500 yards, and it’s not running away from you, get your bear spray ready.

Bear Spray or Firearms-which is more effective in an actual bear encounter?

You Never Know Enough

For more information, follow these links at Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks

(Photo: Montana fish, wildlife & parks)