Bear attack a reminder to be safe in the backcountry

Recently, a tree planter in the Tumbler Ridge area was injured after an encounter with a bear—assumed to be a grizzly—turned violent.

A 21-year-old female working in the Tumbler Ridge area had to be airlifted to the hospital after she was injured in what appears to be a defensive attack.

She was planting trees in a cutblock area southwest of Bearhole Lake Provincial Park when the incident occurred shortly after 3 pm on July 6. The planter is expected to make a full recovery.

According to Conservation, the bear bluff-charged, then turned away. The victim retreated to a nearby roadway, where the bear attacked. The bear eventually disengaged and ran off. A co-worker came to her aid and called for help.

There were signs of bear in the area although no bears were seen by the four Conservation Officers who attended the scene. “At this time, Conservation Officers do not have conclusive physical evidence but believe the attack involved a grizzly bear,” says a release by the Conservation service.

The victim was flown to Prince George directly from the cutblock. She remains in hospital in stable condition.

Due to the defensive nature of the attack, and remote location, Conservation Officers believe the risk to public safety is low and are not undertaking any trapping efforts.

But the incident reminds us that, while bear attacks are rare, they do happen.

So, what’s the avid outdoorsperson to do? Avoid getting outside when the bears are out? Carry a gun?

We prefer the middle course, which is to travel in bear country safely, armed with knowledge of how to prevent bear encounters and how to behave when you do encounter a bear.

The best bear encounter on the trail, as they say, is no bear encounter.

Fortunately, outside of a handful of incidents over the last few decades, bear encounters in Tumbler Ridge end well…at least for humans. Bears that start to associate humans and human activities with food quickly wind up dead. That means when travelling in and around Tumbler Ridge, you need to do what you can to keep bears from making this association.

Bears generally hibernate for five to seven months. Females, particularly pregnant ones, hibernate longer than males. Hibernation is an important survival strategy for bears because their main foods—green vegetation, berries, fish and insects—are not available in winter. Black bears typically emerge from hibernation between March and May.

With only about six months to build up fat reserves for hibernation, they must eat a great deal of food. They are particularly attracted to foods that are abundant and high in protein and energy and that they can get with little effort. And, since bears are omnivorous, they are quite willing to eat most anything they can get their paws on. And human food? Is very high in calories.

Here are some simple precautions you must take to prevent the food-conditioning of bears and avoid dangerous bear encounters.

The best defense

Some people refuse to hike in bear country without a gun. And while there are stories about people being able to shoot a bear while it is charging, the fact is, bear spray is statistically a much better defense.

In a study from 2008, researchers looked at 83 encounters where bear spray was used: 61 brown bears, 20 black bears and two polar bear. Pepper spray proved over 90 percent successful in stopping the bear’s “undesirable” activity, and 98 percent of people involved in these incidents were unharmed by the bear.

There is a downside; 14 percent of the people were caught in blow back from the spray, and three percent were fully incapacitated.

The same researches looked at how firearms did in preventing bear attacks, looking at 269 bear-human conflicts in Alaska from 1883–2009.

Handguns proved 84 percent effective, while rifles proved 76 percent effective.

That sounds okay, though not as good as 98 percent. Worse, according to the researchers “firearm bearers suffered the same injury rates in close encounters with bears whether they used firearms or not.”

Basically, firearms didn’t statistically keep people from getting injured by bears. This means that people shot bears that still attacked them. People didn’t shoot bears, and they didn’t attack.

One of the main arguments against bear spray is some variation of the wind might blow the spray back into your face and not hitting the bear. This is a legitimate concern, but as seen above, only two people in the study were incapacitated when deploying bear spray. And more importantly, about half the bears involved in firearm incidents were killed, whereas none of the bears involved in bear spray incidents were.

When hiking or backpacking

There are precautions you can take when out hiking in the wilderness. These include:

• Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife.
• Bear caches should be used if they are available. If they are not, store food, preferably by hanging from between two trees at least 30 metres from your campsite, four metres up and one metre from the nearest tree.
• Pack out all your garbage. Store garbage with your food, out of reach of bears.
• Obey all closures and warnings.
• Always be aware of your surroundings and watch for signs such as fresh bear scat, scratches on trees and digging.
• Use caution in areas with high-quality food sources such as ripe berries and if you find a carcass or see scavengers, leave the area immediately.
• Surprising a bear can be very dangerous, so consider whether you are travelling up or down wind and if there is running water or heavy rain that can mask your sound.
• Make noise with your voice and clap your hands.
• Travel in groups when possible and always keep pets under control or on a leash.
• Always check ahead for bears in the distance. If one is spotted, make a wide detour and leave the area immediately.
• Make warning noises and loud sounds.
• Watch for bear sign: tracks, droppings, overturned rocks, rotten trees torn apart, clawed, bitten or rubbed trees, bear trails, fresh diggings or trampled vegetation.
• Stay clear of dead wildlife
• Take note of signs that may indicate carrion, such as circling crows or ravens, or the smell of rotting meat.
• Carcasses attract bears. Leave the area immediately!
• Report the location of dead wildlife to BC Parks (if in a park) or BC Conservation.
• If you have an encounter with a bear, please leave the area immediately and report it as soon as possible. Some people think that all the BC Conservation service does is shoot bears. However, most COs got into the job because their love of wildlife and do all they can to protect bears. As the incident last month shows, they don’t always destroy bears, even ones that attack people. But they do track these incidents.
• A special note for bikers. Mountain bikers are at risk of a high speed collision with a bear as trails are often good quality berry-producing habitat and bikers travel relatively silently at a high speed. When mountain biking, make sure to slow down around blind corners and call ahead.

Whatever your outdoor pursuit, if you do see signs of bear activity or hear noises, make sure your bear spray is readily accessible and leave the area if at all possible.

When Fishing

Fish smells are a strong attractant for bears. Here’s some tips when fishing.

• Do not store food or bait in your tent and keep your campsite clean.
• Giving bears plenty of room. Leave your fishing spot if a bear is in the river and give them plenty of space. If approached by a bear, reel in, and leave the area. Cut your line if playing a fish. You may return to your fishing spot when it is safe to do so.
• Bleed and clean your catch in the stream, not at your campsite, and throw offal into deep or fast moving water.
• Do not handle roe used for bait on picnic tables. Wash your hands afterwards and do not wipe on clothing.
• Do not build fires or cook by the river’s edge.
  

Camping in Bear Country

The first time laying down to sleep in just a tent can be nerve-wracking for outdoorspeople, no matter what their experience level.

• Reduce or eliminate odours that attract bears. At the campground, store food in air-tight containers in your RV or car trunk.
• Always keep children nearby and in sight.
• Always sleep in a tent, not under the stars.
• Keep pets leashed. If possible, keep pets at home. Free-running pets can anger a bear and provoke an attack.
• Do not bury garbage or throw it into pit toilets. Only paper and wood may be burned: plastics, tinfoil, and food items do not burn completely and the remains will attract bears (and create an unsightly mess). Storing garbage in bear-proof containers is recommended.
• Cook and eat well away from your tent.
• Clean up immediately and thoroughly. Never leave cooking utensils, coolers, grease or dish water lying around. Dispose of dish water by straining it and then throwing the water into a gray water pit or pit toilet. The solids should be packed out with the garbage. If you are in a location with no pit toilet, dig a sump pit at least 60 metres from your site and about a foot deep. Pour water into that, then re-cover.
• The odours of cosmetics, toothpaste and insect repellent can attract bears. These should be stored out of reach with your food and garbage, never in your tent. Leave strongly perfumed items at home.

The last line of defense

Sometimes, though, even the most careful person can have an encounter with a bear. Your response depends on the species and whether the bear is being defensive or offensive.

Bears sometimes bluff their way out of a confrontation by charging then turning away at the last moment. Generally, the best response is to do nothing to threaten or further arouse the bear.

Every encounter is unique and the following are offered as guidelines only to deal with an unpredictable animal and potentially complex situations, but here are some general guidelines.

A bear that seems agitated will make noises such as jaw-popping, moaning, woofing and may even stomp the ground or bluff charge. These are all signs of a bear behaving defensively and letting you know you are too close. Speak softly and calmly and back away slowly from a defensive bear. Do not make direct eye contact but keep the bear in sight. If you have bear spray, pull it out and be prepared to use it. If the bear charges, stand your ground and discharge the bear spray when the bear is in range (5 to 10 m). Most bluff charges stop short of contact but you may be knocked down.

Turning and running from a bluff charge can trigger a more violent reaction from the bear.

Grizzly Attacks From Surprise
(defensive)

• Do nothing to threaten or further arouse the bear.
• Play dead. Assume the ‘cannonball position’ with hands clasped behind neck and face buried in knees.
• Do not move until the bear leaves the area. Such attacks seldom last beyond a few minutes.

Black Bear Attacks From Surprise (defensive)

• Playing dead is not appropriate. Try to retreat from the attack.

Grizzly or Black Bear Attacks
Offensively (including stalking you or when you are sleeping)

• Bears do not typically make a lot of noises when attacking offensively. Instead, they sneak up on people. If a bear attacks you with no warning, do not play dead. Try to escape to a secure place (car or building) or climb a tree unless it is a black bear. If you have no other option, try to intimidate the bear with deterrents or weapons such as tree branches or rocks. If you have bear spray, now is the time to use it.

Grizzly or Black Bear Attacking For Your Food

• Abandon the food. Leave the area.
• Do not deal with a problem bear unless it is an emergency.

Bear Facts

• Bears are as fast as racehorses, on the flats, uphill or downhill.
• Bears are strong swimmers.
• Bears have good eyesight, good hearing, and an acute sense of smell.
• All black bears and young grizzlies are agile tree climbers; mature grizzlies are poor climbers, but they have a reach up to four metres.
• If a bear is standing up it is usually trying to identify you. Talk softly so it knows what you are. Move away, keeping it in view. Do not make direct eye contact.

How to Identify a Bear

Identifying what type of bear is approaching will often determine how you respond to it.

Black Bear (Ursus americanus Pallas)

Colour: Despite the name, black bears range in colour from black to brown to cinnamon or even to blonde, often with a white patch on the chest or at the throat.

Height: Approximately 90 cm at the shoulder.

Weight: 57 kg to more than 270 kg (125 to 600 lbs). Females are usually smaller than males.

Characteristics: Straight face profile; short, curved claws; barely noticeable shoulder hump.

Habitat: Prefers forested areas with low-growing plants and berry-producing shrubs (e.g. small forest openings, stream or lake edges, open forest).

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis Ord)

Colour: Varies. Black (rare), brown or blond. Fur often white-tipped or “grizzled”.Light-coloured patches may occur around neck, shoulders and on rear flanks.

Height: Slightly above one metre at shoulder; 1.8 to 2.0 metres when erect.

Weight: 200 kg to more than 450 kg (400 to 1000 lbs). Females are usually smaller than males.

Characteristics: Dished or concave face long; curved claws; prominent shoulder hump.

Habitat: Semi-open spaces preferred. High country in late summer and early fall; valley bottoms late fall and spring.

What to do if you see a Bear

If the Bear Does Not Approach

• If spotted in the distance, do not approach the bear. Make a wide detour or leave the area immediately.
• If you are at close range, do not approach the bear. Remain calm, keep it in view (don’t turn around). Avoid direct eye contact. Back away calmly, without running.

If the Bear Approaches

• If the bear is standing up, it is usually trying to identify you. Talk softly so it knows what you are. If it is snapping its jaws, lowering its head, flattening its ears, growling or making ‘woofing’ signs, it is displaying aggression.
• Do not run unless you are very close to a secure place. Move away, keeping it in view. Avoid direct eye contact. Dropping your pack or an object may distract it to give you more time. If it is a grizzly, consider climbing a tree.