Nothing will guarantee your safety in bear country, but knowledge of bears and proper behavior greatly reduce your risk. For years people have believed that the one thing predictable about bear behavior is that it’s unpredictable. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists disagree. “Bears have reasons for doing things. It’s only from our lack of understanding that their behavior seems unpredictable, ” says John Hechtel, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He has 18 years’ experience studying bear and human encounters. Hechtel’s job has placed him in potentially dangerous situations numerous times but he doesn’t tell gruesome stories of being attacked, mauled, swatted, or stomped. Because of his understanding of bear behavior, Hechtel is able to use simple, respectful tactics and avoid dangerous encounters. People who have many years’ experience dealing with bears often have few, if any, life-threatening encounters to report. One example is Sandy Jamieson, an Alaskan bear guide for 30 years. He has guided hunters in to some of the most remote and heavily populated bear areas in Alaska and has encountered these animals more times than he can remember. Yet, in all of his experiences, he was forced to kill only one bear in defense of life and property.
Hechtel claims that most confrontations between bears and humans can be avoided when people have a firm understanding of bear behavior and reasons for bear-human conflicts and show the bears respect. Unfortunately, he sees people behave inappropriately with these animals far too frequently. “I’ve seen people do stupid things to bears,” Hechtel says. “I’ve seen people throw rocks at a grazing bear from 2 feet away just to get a better picture.” Hechtel emphasizes that 95 percent of the time, people are responsible for determining whether the outcome of a bear encounter will be good or bad. Most bears tend to be wary of humans and often will do anything to avoid them, Hechtel explains. Hechtel describes the few exceptions as the “food-conditioned” bear. A bear that has had previous contact with people and was rewarded with food or trash is considered a food-conditioned bear. The result is bad for the bear and for people. “A fed bear is a dead bear,” Hechtel says. He explains how ninety-five percent of food-conditioned bears will eventually become nuisances and have to be killed. Dick Shideler, also a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks, says that once a bear associates people with food, it becomes a potential threat to all people in any future encounters. Such food conditioning is entirely preventable, however. Shideler believes that by modifying camping practices and by using proper food storage and trash disposal, people can eliminate ninety percent of the risk of wilderness bear confrontations. Knowledge of bear behavior also helps prepare a person in the event of a confrontation. Don’t panic if you see a bear and the bear eyes you intently. The animal is just surveying the situation, trying to identify what sort of creature it has encountered, and whether it might be in danger. Once the bear realizes it has happened upon a person, the bear usually moves off to more important things – the daily business of being a bear. The Bear Necessities You can avoid them, or make your encounter a safe one, by following these safety tips.
Travel Smart Always be “bear aware”. At trailheads look for posted signs about recent bear activity. Watch ahead for bears or for tracks. Don’t surprise bears. Make plenty of noise when traveling. Hiking in groups is safer than hiking alone. Dogs can be trouble in bear country. Their curiosity has brought back bears to their owners more than once. It is best to leave your dog at home or keep it on a leash. Know the difference between black and brown bears. Both black bears and brown or grizzly bears live in areas where there are state parks. Use more than the fur color for identification. There are cinnamon black bears and black brown bears. Camping In the Backcountry: If there are no trees, hang food off of a rock face or a bridge, or store it out of a bear’s sight off the trail and downwind of camp. Food Cache – All you need is 100 feet of light line, a small weight to attach to the end of it (a plastic bag with a rock in it works fine), and food bags that you can tie to the line. You’ll never have to climb a tree again!
Close Encounters
Protection You are allowed to carry a gun for protection in state parks. Remember, though, that more people are hurt by the guns they carry than are hurt by bears. Select a gun that will stop a bear (.454 Caliber Handgun or Larger, 12-gauge shotgun with slugs or .300 mag rifle or larger) and practice firing it at a rifle range. Any bear shot in self defense must be salvaged and turned over to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Click to see full story: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/safety/bears.htm |
