BEARS | Bear Defense

Safe Bear Practices when Hiking and Camping

Wear Bear Defense Personal Armor, apply it like Mosquito Repellent, except for Bears.
Avoid hiking at dawn or dusk. That’s when bears are most active.
Hike in a group of four or more and stay close together; groups of that size are less likely to be attacked.
Make noise as you hike in order not to surprise a bear. Try shouting “Hey, bear!” every so often, talking or singing loudly, clapping hands, and clacking trekking poles together. The National Park Service does not recommend that you whistle, use a whistle or scream. These noises can sound like an animal in pain, which may attract a bear. Most bells sold as “bear bells” are not loud enough to be useful. Also, be aware of your surroundings at all times. Noisy streams, wind in the trees, bends in the trail and dense vegetation can prevent a bear from being aware of you.
Carry bear spray. Bear spray contains red pepper derivatives that affect the eyes and respiratory system. It’s designed to rebuff an attacking bear (but can affect your own breathing and eyesight, too, if the wind blows it in your face), and empties in only 7-9 seconds. It’s effective at a distance of 12-30 feet.
Carry it directly on your person in a holster, not in your pack (not even in an outside mesh pocket—it could get knocked out). Bear spray makes an excellent deterrent about 90 percent of the time. Know how to use it, as you may only have seconds to do so. Usually you must flick off the safety clip before you can depress the nozzle. Practice pulling it out of the holster at home before your trip.
It’s an aerosol, so find out about airline regulations; also check for any international restrictions.
Use Bear Defense Campsite Armor on trash and coolers/food.
Never leave food out and unattended. Store food day and night; wildlife is always active.
Use proper food storage techniques: Always use a bear canister, bear bag, tree- or pole-hung bag or provided metal food locker to stow all the following: food, snacks, empty food containers and cookware (even if cleaned); personal hygiene products such as toothpaste, feminine products and sunscreen; every little bit of trash; and even the clothes you wear for cooking (clothing can absorb food odors). Some hikers even include their stove. See our article on food handling and storage for more details about how to use a bear canister or bear bag, and how to hang your food.
Keep odors at a distance: Cook food and wash dishes (and hands) well away from your tent so odors don’t attract bears near where you sleep. Use only a tiny bit of liquid unscented soap.
Strain dishwater: Bring a small piece of metal screen to strain food particles out of your dishwater. Put these particles in your trash bag to haul out.
Follow Leave No Trace principles (as well as any official regulations) for disposing of human waste.

Almost all recorded Bear attacks in the wild have resulted from a human surprising a Bear

Did you know that after a bear attacks a human, that most of them are killed by wildlife management officers?
Most bear attacks occur against single individuals or two person groups? Prevent encounters in the first place by wearing Bear Defense Personal Armor. Instead of smelling like easy prey, you will smell like an army to a bear and they will avoid you.
Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound's is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human.
Now... Compare that to their sense of hearing... Bears have acute hearing that is about twice as sensitive as humans and over a large frequency range as well. Bears often hear humans before we see them. Because of this, black bears will often move away before they are noticed. A bear's strongest sense is smell.
So, although bear bells, shouting, making noise are all good ideas, bears strongest sense is smell. Utilizing Bear Defense Personal Armor will put bears on notice that an army is approaching and they will avoid you.
Same thing with Bear Defense Campsite Armor. Have you ever smelled ammonia and pine? It's awful. Now imagine a bear with such a heightened sense of smell getting a whiff! They won't want anything to do with your campsite, so go ahead and rest easy.

Types of Bears in North America

There are three types of bears (or species) in North America.

Black Bear: The most common is the American black bear. The black bear can be various shades of black, white and brown. This species is found in all provinces and territories in Canada except Prince Edward Island, and in 40 of the 50 United States. There are approximately 900,000 black bears throughout North America.
Grizzly Bear: The grizzly or brown bear , is found in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest territories as well as in the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Coastal versions of this species are often called brown or Kodiak bears, while the smaller inland variety is often called the “grizzly” bear on account of its “grizzled” appearance. All are members of the same species, though some biologists suggest that the brown bears on Kodiak Island have been isolated long enough to be considered a separate subspecies). There are 55,000 wild grizzly bears in North America.
Polar Bear: Due to the lack of human development in its remote Arctic habitat, the polar bear retains more of its original habitat than any other remaining large carnivore. Approximately 25,000 polar bears live in the northern regions of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland.