National park ranger-approved tips for avoiding bear encounters

Summer is the high season in U.S. national parks -- and it’s also a time when hikers, backpackers and even casual visitors may encounter bears. Glacier and Yosemite national parks are popular destinations where officials are committed to keeping humans and bears separate and safe. Here are some tips from park officials to keep in mind:

Glacier National Park in Montana is home to moose, grizzly and black bears, mountain goats, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves and red foxes, to name just of few of the many species found in what is sometimes referred to as the Serengeti of North America.

The National Park Service offers simple advice: If you see any creature in the park, keep your distance. It may seem unnecessary to say, but wildlife in the park often has a magnetic charge for visitors. Although rangers know that human curiosity is unavoidable -- witness the many unauthorized bear jams that clog traffic on park roads -- officials would prefer visitors to avoid making that stop.

On the trail, the rule is the same, complicated by the fact that surprise encounters are always possible, and in bear country -- particularly with grizzlies -- this can be a problem. So arm yourself with a few facts.

First, bear attacks are statistically rare (death by bee sting is more common), and most attacks are defensive and not predatory.

Second, the most common causes of bear attacks include approaching or surprising a bear, startling a female with a cub, getting close to a carcass or other food source and hiking off trail or at night.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when in bear country:

• Make noise. An occasional shout (“Aaaa-oooo” works just fine), a loud conversation (try politics), even singing (opera is good) can be a powerful deterrent. Be aware too that around streams or in windy areas, noise is often diminished by the surroundings so you will have to raise the decibels. And bear bells, derisively referred to as dinner bells by park rangers, carry a sweet little sound that simply doesn’t compare to a healthy and intermittent aria.

• Although bear spray provides a good defense, you’re better off not having to use it at all. But just in case, be sure you read the label and know how to use it.

• Keep children close to you on the trail or on the road.

• Be alert for signs of bears (droppings, digging).

• Don’t hike alone or at night.

• Stay on the trail.

• Avoid being near any animal carcasses and other odorous items.

• Don’t leave packs, food or beverages unattended.

• Keep your pets back at camp.

• View life from a distance; use binoculars and spotting scopes.

• Pay attention to the posted signs.

Finally, if you spot a bear or a bear charges you:

• Do not run or make sudden movements.

• Group together (to appear “bigger”).

• Back away slowly.

• Leave your pack on for added protection

• Talk quietly to the bear (do not shout), and avoid direct eye contact.

If you are attacked, the best strategy is to:

• Drop to the ground.

• Lie flat on your stomach.

• Clasp your hands behind your neck with your elbows planted firmly on the ground; use your toes and elbows to keep the bear from rolling you over.

• Lie still (resistance will only provoke the bear).

-- Thomas Curwen

Source: Center for Wildlife Information. For more information, go to www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org.

In Yosemite National Park, where there are no grizzlies but plenty of black bears, the problem is “more of a human management issue than a bear management issue,” says ranger Adrienne Freeman, who serves on the park’s Bear Council.

With an average of 12 to 20 bears in Yosemite Valley and 350 to 500 parkwide at any given time, adds Freeman, “wherever food sources are, bears will be.”

Although black bears pose little threat to humans, visitors should take precautions to ensure that interactions are rare. Here are a few tips:

• Always keep food safe. Proper food storage is required by law in all park campgrounds. Keep all your food in one of the bear lockers provided; backpackers need to bring along a bear-proof canister.

• Don’t keep food in your vehicle. Black bears can and will break your windows to get it -- even if it’s an empty cooler.

• Guard it. When food is out, it needs to be within arms’ reach at all times.

• Know what “food” is. Bears may think anything with a scent is food, from toothpaste and deodorant to empty ice chests. It all needs to be stored properly.

If you see a black bear in the wild:

• Stay away. Maintain a viewing distance of 50 yards, if possible.

• Relax. Black bears are fairly reclusive, and they’ll rarely take interest in humans.

• Don’t let it approach. If one heads toward you, scare it away (see below).

• Enjoy it. A black bear in the wild is a rare and sought-after sight, says Freeman, and few people are lucky enough to witness it.

If a black bear enters a developed area, like your campsite, you should:

• Scare it. “Yell and scream; bang pots and pans,” says Freeman. That will make the bear leave. Also, park rangers hope, enough frightening encounters will give the bear an enduring fear of humans so that it won’t come back.

• Tell a ranger. Park rangers like to keep track of what bears are up to.

-- Sam Byker