Bear Attacks
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How do I stop bear attacks when camping?
No matter how cute some bears may seem, they are not animals to toy around with. Not all encounters with a bear are going to be violent, but there is always a risk that the bear is going to get mad and attack you. Bear attacks are frequently lethal, and hikers, campers, and backpackers are at risk because of the food that you will be bringing with you.
Bear Attack Statistics:
Reliable statistics on bear attacks are very hard to obtain - many attacks happen far from civilization or are not reported because no one is injured. However, there have been a number of known deaths and injuries. For example, black bears have killed 56 people in North America in the last hundred years (see here). There is also some evidence here that bears are getting more aggressive and that attacks that injure people are on the rise. There are some statistics here on grizzly bears - in Alaska alone there are over 100 attacks per year. You can also look at a pretty extensive collection of documents on bear attacks here if you're really interested.
Are there any products available to stop bear attacks?
Yes, you can get bear mace, which is basically just really strong pepper spray. It doesn't work all the time (so don't get cocky and decide you can just start chasing bears around with it) but it will cause even most aggressive and angry bears to run away.
What can I do to keep bears from attacking a camp site or attacking when I'm hiking?
Some basic tips to stop bear attacks when you're outdoors:
1) Sleep in a tent if you can, not a sleeping bag. There is evidence that bears think people in sleeping bags are food.
2) Get in groups. Bears are far less likely to attack a bunch of people than one - it is more intimidating. Group together and spread both your arms and legs out - have you ever seen a pissed-off cat? It tries to make itself seem bigger - that's your goal here. Keep everyone close enough that the bear doesn't decide to attack someone who seems to be away from the group.
3) Use bear spray if you've got it, but be cautious about it. If the bear hasn't attacked you, it is probably better to just let it be if it doesn't seem to be coming in your direction. This is best used as a "last resort."
4) "Bear-bag" your food. Bear-bagging is when you use a long rope to hang your food in a bag from a tree, well above where a bear can get at it (10 feet is usually good enough as far as height, but also put it four feet "out" horizontally from the trunk). Put the food in a bag, and toss a long rope over a tree branch. Then tie the end of the rope to the bag, and pull it up so that it hangs above the ground - then tie off the other end to the tree trunk. This is a VERY crude drawing I did of it, but it should give you a rough idea:
If you want to make your life easier, you could also just buy bear canisters - a great modern invention that saves you all the hassle. It's just a plastic thing you can stick your stuff in where animals can't get at it or smell it. These are so effective that many parks are actually requiring them now before you can camp there. Also remember dirty dishes! People often forget these - bears may smell the food on them and come into your campsite.
5) Don't eat in your tent. The smell can get inside and won't diffuse into the air easily - meaning a bear may be going straight for where you're sleeping.
5) Bang pots and make noise at the bear if it is coming into your camp. Keep your distance, but often bears will be frightened away by this. The traditional way to try to warn away bears when hiking is a bear bell.
6) If the bear does not run away, you should slowly retreat. Back away, and
7) If the bear runs at you, do NOT try to run away - unless you've got a car you can get into or on top of, the bear is going to outrun you, period. They are much faster than they look. Go into a fetal position and cover your face and your stomach.
There are also a lot of old myths about what you should do when attacked by a bear, and there are some that are generally considered bad ideas today. What NOT to do:
1) Throw stuff at the bear. Throwing rocks at them used to be recommended - now it's not. It is more likely to just make the bear mad.
2) Play dead. This is again a bad idea - if you're dead, you're food, and many bears will treat you like it.
Are bears more likely to attack menstruating women?
This is a common warning that has been spread around since the 1960's - people claim that bears are much more likely to attack women who are menstruating. This stems from several attacks that happened pretty close together in time and were directed against women. Yellowstone Park has done some research on this question available here, and the upshot is that there is no real evidence to support this except possibly with polar bears. Yellowstone does recommend being cautious anyway and treating any tampons or feminine products as if they were an attractant to bears. This means placing them in Ziploc bags after use and storing them with any other potentially attractive items (which are usually hung well above the ground so that bears can't get at them).
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