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Bear & Wildlife Safety
7 min read
Most wildlife wants nothing to do with you. Trouble usually comes from two things: surprising an animal at close range, and animals that have learned humans mean food. Handle those two and you've handled most of the risk.
Food and scent storage
This is the single most important habit — for the animals' sake as much as yours.
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Use a bear canister, a provided food locker, or a proper hang, depending on local rules. Canisters are required in many areas.
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Store everything with a smell: food, trash, toothpaste, sunscreen, chapstick.
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Cook and eat away from where you sleep — a rough rule is 100 yards between tent, kitchen, and food storage.
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Never keep snacks in your tent.
Avoid surprising animals
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Make casual noise in dense brush, near loud streams, and around blind corners — talk or call out.
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Hike in a group and keep kids and dogs close.
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Watch for fresh sign: tracks, scat, diggings, or a carcass. Leave the area if you find a carcass — a predator may be guarding it.
Bear encounters
Stay calm; most bears are as eager to leave as you are. Identify the species — the right response differs.
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Don't run — it can trigger a chase, and you can't outrun a bear.
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Talk calmly, make yourself look large, and back away slowly while facing the bear.
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If a black bear actually attacks, fight back hard, aiming for the face and muzzle.
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If a grizzly/brown bear makes contact in a surprise, defensive encounter, play dead: lie on your stomach, hands over your neck, legs spread. Fight back only if the attack continues or turns predatory.
Bear spray
Where bears live, bear spray is more reliable than a firearm for stopping a charge — but only if it's reachable.
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Carry it on your belt or hip, not buried in your pack.
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Know how to flip the safety by feel; practice the motion.
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Deploy a cloud aimed slightly downward when a charging bear is close (within about 30–60 feet), adjusting for wind.
Moose, elk, and other big animals
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Moose injure more people than bears in some regions. Give them a wide berth, especially a cow with a calf.
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Warning signs: ears back, hackles up, licking lips. If a moose charges, run and put a large tree, boulder, or car between you — unlike with bears, running from a moose is fine.
Mountain lions
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Rarely seen. If you do meet one, do not run or crouch.
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Make yourself big, open your jacket, shout firmly, and back away while facing it.
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If attacked, fight back and stay on your feet.
Small stuff that ruins trips
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Rodents chew through packs for food and can carry disease — hang or box your food even where there are no bears.
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Check for ticks daily and remove them promptly with tweezers, pulling straight out.
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Treat clothing with permethrin and use repellent in mosquito country.
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Give snakes room; most bites happen when someone tries to handle or kill one. Watch where you put hands and feet.