Black Bears
Black bears are making a comeback in Connecticut. Would you know what to do if you encountered one on a hike or in camp? There is a ton of misinformation being passed around. Here is what we've learned over the years.
First and foremost, let me start by saying that I used to be terrified of running into a bear on the trail. As far as I was concerned a bear was a bear whether it was a grizzly bear, a black bear, or a brown bear. I didn't know any difference. As far as I was concerned they were big and dangerous. This fear actually kept me out of the woods for a long time, even though, at the time, there weren't really any bears in CT.
If you learn nothing else about black bears, learn this: They are to be respected, but not feared.
According the the CT DEP here is what you should do if you encounter a black bear in the woods:
It is extremely unusual for a black bear to act aggressively towards humans, and that goes for any black bear, even a mother with cubs. The idea that a mother black bear will protect her cubs is a myth. A mother with cubs is no more dangerous than any other black bear. Unless you surprise them the mother and cubs will likely be up a tree before you ever even know they're there.
If you really don't want to see a bear when you're hiking in the woods there's only one thing you have to do. Make noise: wear a bear bell, sing as you hike, hold conversations with your hiking partners, whatever you want to do, just make noise as you walk. You will definitely annoy people who go into the woods for peace and quiet, and who might want to see a bear, but if it makes you more comfortable, that's what matters. Bears don't want anything to do with people, at least they shouldn't.
When do black bears become dangerous?
Black bears can become dangerous if they're starving. Generally there is plenty of food for them in the forest and this is not something to be concerned about, but there have been rare cases of emaciated bears attacking humans.
Black bears are dangerous when they become habituated and lose their fear of humans. This happens when humans feed bears. Don't feed bears to try to get close to them, or to get that photo to amaze your friends. Feeding bears makes you an ass, and will likely cause the bear to need to be euthanized. Some people, when they encounter a bear will just drop whatever food they have to distract the bear and run away. Worst idea ever, you think you're saving yourself, but all you're doing is putting other hikers in danger. Now you've created a situation where the bear will start to associate hiking backpacks with food.
On overnight trips protect your food and other smellable items when backpacking by utilizing bear hanging methods, bear canisters, and/or bear boxes if they are available. Cook well away from your sleeping area and store all cooking items with your food in the bear box, canister, or hung.
Our First Bear Encounter:
Sidetrack and I were on the Tunxis Trail in New Hartford when we saw our first bear. We had seen a fair amount of bear scat in that area on previous hikes, and had just seen bear scat earlier that morning.
When we saw the bear we had been hiking along quietly. We had been chatting earlier, but were quiet at that moment. The trail was following wide woods roads and I had actually just looked up and gotten startled by a bright white sign up at the woods road intersection ahead. The bright white sign had looked like a person wearing a bright white shirt. We hadn't seen another living soul on the trail, and didn't really expect to due to the threat of rain.
We had a laugh about me being startled by a sign and kept walking. I looked up again as we approached the intersection and saw a large, black object sitting just on the other side of the intersection, on one of the other woods roads It took my brain a few seconds to process the object... large, round, black, brown snout. The next words out of my mouth were "Oh my God, it's a bear!" I stopped walking as Sidetrack looked up and started reaching for his camera. As he did so, I stepped off the trail, behind a tree. Yeah, so getting behind a tree is the protocol to follow if you see a moose, but I still felt better with something between me and the very large animal. I knew not to be afraid of black bears, I preach not to be afraid of black bears, but I was still shaking like a leaf, so I watched Sidetrack and the bear from behind a large tree.
Sidetrack wasn't the least bit frightened, all he could think about was getting his camera out and getting a picture, which didn't happen. It was all over in seconds, as soon as the bear figured out we were human. After the bear crashed through the woods then the adrenaline hit, it was basically "Our first bear, high five!!" Then we plopped down in the woods road intersection and had a snack before moving on.
It was a textbook bear encounter, we were never in any danger. Hell, we've had scarier encounters with deer.
If there are bears in your neighborhood:
Bring in bird feeders during times when bears are active and food is more scarce (November to March). Add a few cap fulls of ammonia to your trash bags and garbage cans to mask food smells. Store trash bins inside a garage or a shed with tightly closed lids. Put trash out the morning of collection only, not overnight. Clean your grill thoroughly after use and store it inside once it's cool. Never leave pet food outside and don't store food for pets or livestock outdoors. Don't add meats or sweets to compost.
The key to living peacefully with bears is simple: DON'T FEED THEM. Let them believe that humans are scary and dangerous because, really, we are. It is humans that cause bears to become habituated, and habituated bears must be destroyed. Black bears that aren't habituated can be enjoyed from a distance, and do take the time to enjoy them they are beautiful creatures.
Remember, this is the protocol for Black Bears. Grizzly encounters are different.
8/31/2015
In light of the video making its' way around the internet, the woman with the bear encounter in Sessions Woods, I just wanted to add a little to this entry.
First off, lets not be mean. I'm not in the business of being mean, it rarely helps, it doesn't educate and educating is what needs to happen. The video honestly broke my heart, and the next few paragraphs are my (Molasses) opinion based on what I saw in the video. The woman making the video clearly made mistakes, sure, she was certainly terrified, and from what I could tell in the video, the bears looked like they were young, curious and possibly not properly afraid of humans. Had this woman been properly educated about bears she would have known what to do and that would have helped the situation tremendously. I urge every person who spends time in the woods to take the time to educate themselves, and others, about proper bear protocol. This video is proof that bear education is a must!
Sidetrack and I have hiked Sessions Woods more than once. It's a very nice place with a number of trails and it's usually a pretty busy place. It's the kind of place a person can go to feel safe running/jogging/walking alone. Honestly, it's so well frequented by humans that you wouldn't really expect to have a bear encounter, but this just goes to show, it can happen anywhere, especially if the bears are becoming habituated.
What should she have done to improve the situation for both herself and the bears? This really wasn't the time to pull out the phone and start taking video's. Instead, she should have lifted her arms above her head, making herself as big and imposing as possible, and she should have yelled at them and backed away slowly. Who knows, by yelling, she may have even attracted other humans, which also would have improved the situation. The more big, imposing, yelling humans the better! Based on what I was seeing in the video, the bears kept running back to the base of a tree after approaching her, which means they were nervous and timid. If she had made herself look bigger and had started yelling, those bears would have most likely climbed the tree and not come down. It would have been the first step towards these curious bears learning that humans are scary.
I suspect those bears have received food from humans in the past, which makes it even more important for any more humans they come into contact with to be scary, to help undo the damage that had already been done. In order to save these beautiful creatures that are now making their way back into our lovely, green, state, we need to make a real effort to educate hikers, and anyone who spends time in the woods. Each and every person needs to learn to respect the bears, don't feed them, enjoy them from a distance, and along with that, how to deal with bears who were not respected by those who came before you.
Remember, you've a much better chance of getting murdered by another human being, or of getting killed in a car accident on the way to the trail, than you do of getting attacked by a black bear. The woods are a safe place to be, respect black bears and other wild animals and we keep the woods safe. As a human you have the responsibility to be a good Steward of Mother Nature.
And, of course, sometimes the encounters we have don't go by the book, but that goes for anything in life doesn't it?
For more information about Black Bears or to report a sighting visit the CT DEEP website.
If you learn nothing else about black bears, learn this: They are to be respected, but not feared.
According the the CT DEP here is what you should do if you encounter a black bear in the woods:
- Don't approach the bear. View it from a safe distance and make sure the bear has an escape route.
- Make your presence known by making noise and waving your arms.
- Stand your ground, then slowly back away from the bear. DO NOT RUN, do not try to climb a tree. A bear that feels cornered or threatened may bluff charge. This means they may snort and run towards you, but stop before they make contact. (If this happens, again, DO NOT RUN, stand your ground, hold your arms in the air and make noise. You fight back with black bears, you NEVER play dead.
- When hiking in bear country your dog should always be leashed. Dogs are supposed to be leashed anyway. You can always put a bear bell on your dog too.
It is extremely unusual for a black bear to act aggressively towards humans, and that goes for any black bear, even a mother with cubs. The idea that a mother black bear will protect her cubs is a myth. A mother with cubs is no more dangerous than any other black bear. Unless you surprise them the mother and cubs will likely be up a tree before you ever even know they're there.
If you really don't want to see a bear when you're hiking in the woods there's only one thing you have to do. Make noise: wear a bear bell, sing as you hike, hold conversations with your hiking partners, whatever you want to do, just make noise as you walk. You will definitely annoy people who go into the woods for peace and quiet, and who might want to see a bear, but if it makes you more comfortable, that's what matters. Bears don't want anything to do with people, at least they shouldn't.
When do black bears become dangerous?
Black bears can become dangerous if they're starving. Generally there is plenty of food for them in the forest and this is not something to be concerned about, but there have been rare cases of emaciated bears attacking humans.
Black bears are dangerous when they become habituated and lose their fear of humans. This happens when humans feed bears. Don't feed bears to try to get close to them, or to get that photo to amaze your friends. Feeding bears makes you an ass, and will likely cause the bear to need to be euthanized. Some people, when they encounter a bear will just drop whatever food they have to distract the bear and run away. Worst idea ever, you think you're saving yourself, but all you're doing is putting other hikers in danger. Now you've created a situation where the bear will start to associate hiking backpacks with food.
On overnight trips protect your food and other smellable items when backpacking by utilizing bear hanging methods, bear canisters, and/or bear boxes if they are available. Cook well away from your sleeping area and store all cooking items with your food in the bear box, canister, or hung.
Our First Bear Encounter:
Sidetrack and I were on the Tunxis Trail in New Hartford when we saw our first bear. We had seen a fair amount of bear scat in that area on previous hikes, and had just seen bear scat earlier that morning.
When we saw the bear we had been hiking along quietly. We had been chatting earlier, but were quiet at that moment. The trail was following wide woods roads and I had actually just looked up and gotten startled by a bright white sign up at the woods road intersection ahead. The bright white sign had looked like a person wearing a bright white shirt. We hadn't seen another living soul on the trail, and didn't really expect to due to the threat of rain.
We had a laugh about me being startled by a sign and kept walking. I looked up again as we approached the intersection and saw a large, black object sitting just on the other side of the intersection, on one of the other woods roads It took my brain a few seconds to process the object... large, round, black, brown snout. The next words out of my mouth were "Oh my God, it's a bear!" I stopped walking as Sidetrack looked up and started reaching for his camera. As he did so, I stepped off the trail, behind a tree. Yeah, so getting behind a tree is the protocol to follow if you see a moose, but I still felt better with something between me and the very large animal. I knew not to be afraid of black bears, I preach not to be afraid of black bears, but I was still shaking like a leaf, so I watched Sidetrack and the bear from behind a large tree.
Sidetrack wasn't the least bit frightened, all he could think about was getting his camera out and getting a picture, which didn't happen. It was all over in seconds, as soon as the bear figured out we were human. After the bear crashed through the woods then the adrenaline hit, it was basically "Our first bear, high five!!" Then we plopped down in the woods road intersection and had a snack before moving on.
It was a textbook bear encounter, we were never in any danger. Hell, we've had scarier encounters with deer.
If there are bears in your neighborhood:
Bring in bird feeders during times when bears are active and food is more scarce (November to March). Add a few cap fulls of ammonia to your trash bags and garbage cans to mask food smells. Store trash bins inside a garage or a shed with tightly closed lids. Put trash out the morning of collection only, not overnight. Clean your grill thoroughly after use and store it inside once it's cool. Never leave pet food outside and don't store food for pets or livestock outdoors. Don't add meats or sweets to compost.
The key to living peacefully with bears is simple: DON'T FEED THEM. Let them believe that humans are scary and dangerous because, really, we are. It is humans that cause bears to become habituated, and habituated bears must be destroyed. Black bears that aren't habituated can be enjoyed from a distance, and do take the time to enjoy them they are beautiful creatures.
Remember, this is the protocol for Black Bears. Grizzly encounters are different.
8/31/2015
In light of the video making its' way around the internet, the woman with the bear encounter in Sessions Woods, I just wanted to add a little to this entry.
First off, lets not be mean. I'm not in the business of being mean, it rarely helps, it doesn't educate and educating is what needs to happen. The video honestly broke my heart, and the next few paragraphs are my (Molasses) opinion based on what I saw in the video. The woman making the video clearly made mistakes, sure, she was certainly terrified, and from what I could tell in the video, the bears looked like they were young, curious and possibly not properly afraid of humans. Had this woman been properly educated about bears she would have known what to do and that would have helped the situation tremendously. I urge every person who spends time in the woods to take the time to educate themselves, and others, about proper bear protocol. This video is proof that bear education is a must!
Sidetrack and I have hiked Sessions Woods more than once. It's a very nice place with a number of trails and it's usually a pretty busy place. It's the kind of place a person can go to feel safe running/jogging/walking alone. Honestly, it's so well frequented by humans that you wouldn't really expect to have a bear encounter, but this just goes to show, it can happen anywhere, especially if the bears are becoming habituated.
What should she have done to improve the situation for both herself and the bears? This really wasn't the time to pull out the phone and start taking video's. Instead, she should have lifted her arms above her head, making herself as big and imposing as possible, and she should have yelled at them and backed away slowly. Who knows, by yelling, she may have even attracted other humans, which also would have improved the situation. The more big, imposing, yelling humans the better! Based on what I was seeing in the video, the bears kept running back to the base of a tree after approaching her, which means they were nervous and timid. If she had made herself look bigger and had started yelling, those bears would have most likely climbed the tree and not come down. It would have been the first step towards these curious bears learning that humans are scary.
I suspect those bears have received food from humans in the past, which makes it even more important for any more humans they come into contact with to be scary, to help undo the damage that had already been done. In order to save these beautiful creatures that are now making their way back into our lovely, green, state, we need to make a real effort to educate hikers, and anyone who spends time in the woods. Each and every person needs to learn to respect the bears, don't feed them, enjoy them from a distance, and along with that, how to deal with bears who were not respected by those who came before you.
Remember, you've a much better chance of getting murdered by another human being, or of getting killed in a car accident on the way to the trail, than you do of getting attacked by a black bear. The woods are a safe place to be, respect black bears and other wild animals and we keep the woods safe. As a human you have the responsibility to be a good Steward of Mother Nature.
And, of course, sometimes the encounters we have don't go by the book, but that goes for anything in life doesn't it?
For more information about Black Bears or to report a sighting visit the CT DEEP website.