Tips for hiking in bear country

[Mark Layne]

Last time I was in the Rockies I kept close to a fellow whom I had seen put a chrome plated .357 Magnum in his bag with his Technika
Mark

 

[Lee L]

Oh I almost forgot one of the most important tips...stay away from the garbage dump.

Shortly after my wife and I hiked across Glacier NP 25 years ago, two summer concession employees at the park were killed by a grizzly. The campgrounds were all full, so they'd camped by the garbage dump.

Death by grizzly is still rare, even with the park overfilled with ignorant tourists, which I saw a lot of last summer at Glacier. Statistically speaking, you'd be better off using the guns to defend yourself on the drive to the park against the idiot next to you on the cellphone driving 90mph without watching traffic. The bear spray won't penetrate the glass, it disperses too quickly at speed, and it's hard to hit the AC intake directly.

The park rangers at Glacier carry and recommend pepper spray as the most effective protection against grizzlies.

Lee

 

[RobertP]

Mark, I'm not so sure that keeping close to him was a good idea. All he had to do was shoot you in the foot in case of a bear attack. Just kidding

 

[benjiboy]

44 Magnum Revolver (I am not totally joking)...
Actually one of your best bets along with all these bells and whistles are large dogs. Also remember the species matter some bears (like polar bears) think you are food. Others are just threatened by your presence.

I have fired a 44 magnum, it was so powerful I couldn't hit a barn door with it and would probably be a bigger danger to myself and the public than any bear, generally in my experience the higher the calibre of a gun the more difficult it is to hit what you're aiming at .

 

[Vaughn]

I have fired a 44 magnum, it was so powerful I couldn't hit a barn door with it and would probably be a bigger danger to myself and the public than any bear, generally in my experience the higher the calibre of a gun the more difficult it is to hit what you're aiming at .

This is my worry about letting National Park users take guns into the Park. I believe they are considering this in Parks located in States that have right-to-carry laws, or something along that line.

I can just imagine a bear coming into a campground late at night and having several campers opening up on the poor thing. The idea of bullets flying around (and through) tents is a bit scary.

Vaughn

 

[johnnywalker]

Waiting for dinner



Still waiting. Where is that serving wench?

 

[TheDreadPirateRobins]

I would stick with some form of noisemaker and pepper spray. I can't imagine being able to get off a shot that would instantly stop a bear with any sort of easily carried firearm. Bears are huge, and they can last a long time even if you mortally wound them. I am a good shot, but I imagine that if I were bodily shaking with adrenaline I would lose all sense of Charles Bronson cool and wish I had that pepper spray.

But really, in my country (U.S.), the largest danger I face on a back country adventure is traveling the highways to and from the back country adventure.

 

[SteveinAlaska]

Ahh, someone with lots of grizzly experience. Do you do anything to let them know you're coming?

Murray

Not a lot of grizzly experience, but a lot more black bear. I was taught to be as quiet as possible and pay attention to my surroundings. I haven't looked in on this thread in a while, surprise to see the amount of comments! I would have to agree on the .44 Magnum if you can handle the gun, a handgun is secondary to me- rely more on the rifle.
Final note here, I thought photography was warm well lit studio with attractive model with a smile on her face Ahhh some day!

 

[Ian Grant]

One important piece of advice is knowing that you're entering bear country

That sounds rather obvious, but the first time I was in the US I went walking in a State Park on the suggestion of one of my hosts (from a US photo company). So l did for 2 or 3 hours and it was only when having dinner that evening with someone else I was warned about the bears and rattlesnakes. Not a big danger as it was November and cold, and black bears but one I should have been aware of the risks.

There was probably more chance of running into some like Ron (PE) than a bear, it was just south of Rochester

Ian

 

[131802]

The answer to most bear problems is an abundance of caution and a handy can of pepper spray. Make sure the can isn't in the bottom of your backpack. This story from the Anchorage Daily News from more than ten years ago still sticks in my mind:

Dead Link Removed

Mark

 

[Mark Layne]

Mark, I'm not so sure that keeping close to him was a good idea. All he had to do was shoot you in the foot in case of a bear attack. Just kidding

Point well taken

 

[MurrayMinchin]

A friend of someone I work with was out trail running with his dog and they ran into a black bear. The man climbed a tree, the dog chased the bear, and the bear climbed the same tree to get away from the dog. The two of them spent hours in the tree until the guys wife came looking for him, and took the dog away.

I heard this story a couple days ago and still chuckle about what the guy must have been thinking when the bear started up his tree

Murray

 

[Ian Grant]

Dogs probably put you in more danger with bears or snakes. The dog smells them roots them out they potentially attack you.

That happened to my youngest sister about 10 yrs ago, snake bites are extremely rare in the UK, but my sister's dog worried the snake & she walked into its escape path and was bitten. The antidote/serum at the hospital was was out of date, no other was availably for miles, she was on the point of total kidney failure 3 days later when an Indian doctor(on a language & conversion course) heard about her and was able to treat her. UK doctors aren't trained to treat venomous snake bites, except with the correct antidote, as we only have one type of venomous snake.

Ian

 

[jpeets]

Relying on a handgun to defend against a bear seems just plain silly. Under the stress of an attack, there is little to no chance of hitting anything vital.

Don't know about guns n' grizzlies, but a friend doing field work in polar bear country was obliged to learn how to use and carry a shotgun loaded with buckshot. Devastating at close range on anything.

 

[KenR]

Spray guns?

As someone who has to fly to the western National Parks, a firearm is not an option. On a Ranger led hike a few years ago in Glacier N.P., the Ranger stopped us, handed out a couple of canisters of pepper spray and made sure that every third person had spray and then showed us how to us it. He said that there had been "an unfortunate incident" last season in the next area that we were to enter. No bears were seen, and so he was able to collect the canisters at the end of the hike. If its good enough for him, its good enough for me, and so I've bought and then given away canisters of pepper spray on subsequent trips.

 

[Matt5791]

Interesting thread - I am still on my tour of California (see my other thread) and I was out at a nice view point with my 5x7 camera, various other kit etc. in Yosemite shooting Half Dome from somewhere near Glacia Point, when who should come ambling along, but a black bear and cub.

I have never packed my stuff up so quickly. Fortunately the car was not far away (although the bear was kind of between us and the car). She didn't deem at all frightened of us and was making straight for us too - I suppose she thought we might have had some sandwiches or something.

Matt

 

[thefizz]

I hope you got a shot of the bear and cub before you packed the gear and ran