Grizzly Encounters

If you encounter a grizzly in the wild, what should you do?  Your reaction should depend upon the situation and the type of bear.  You must take different precautions for grizzlies than you do with black bears.  If attacked by a black bear, you should fight back forcefully while the opposite is true with a grizzly bear.

Surprising a female grizzly with her cubs will almost always result in the bear charging you to protect her cubs.  Oftentimes, these charges are fakes and she will stop the charge prior to contact.  Sometimes not!  The best advice for all encounters is... if you see a bear, stay away from it if at all possible. Give the bear every chance to avoid you.

If you encounter a bear at close range, the first response is to try and remain calm.  Keep in mind that attacks on humans are rare and you may not be in any real danger.  Typically, bears are only interested in protecting their cubs, food or personal space.  As soon as any perceived threat is gone, bears will usually move on or continue what they were doing. 

In the event you and a bear meet face to face, let the bear know you are human by talking to the bear in a normal voice and waving your arms.  This will help the bear recognize you as they have notoriously poor eyesight.  At this time, some bears will stand on their hind legs to get a better view or smell the air (they have a very sensitive sense of smell).  A standing bear is frequently curious, not menacing. Try backing away slowly, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground.

Do not run as you cannot outrun a bear, especially an excited grizzly.  Just like a dog, a bear will chase a fleeing animal and they can run as fast as 35 miles per hour.  As we mentioned above, bears will sometimes make a "fake charge" and stop within feet of you.  If this occurs, continue to talk and wave your arms at the bear and begin to raise your voice and be more aggressive - make yourself appear as large as possible.  Make noise with whatever is at hand, but do not imitate bear sounds or make a high-pitched cries.

If physically contacted by the bear, surrender by dropping to the ground and playing dead.  A grizzly will often stop attacking if he feels the threat has been eliminated. It is recommended that you lay on your stomach and curl up in a ball with your hands behind your neck to protect your head & neck.  Stay motionless as long as possible as a grizzly may renew its attack if it senses a renewed threat.

The bottom line is that an encounter with a grizzly bear in the wild could be a harrowing experience.  If you at least know what to expect and what measures you can use to avoid such an encounter, both you and the grizzly will be better off. To learn more about essentials for traveling in bear country.  An additional source for bear avoidance tips is at Mountain Nature.