What to do in a Bear Encounter (And How to Avoid One) || REI

Bears are magnificent creatures and it can be exciting to see one—from an appropriate distance. In this video, we’ll show you how to take the appropriate precautions to avoid bears while hiking and at camp, and even what to do if you do encounter a bear in the wild.


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[mebeasensei]

You just convinced me. I will never hike in North America. Thank you.

[chsmothie]

bear: *minding its own business*
me on trail: BEAR IM COMING GO AWAY

[ginghiskhan]

Advice
If it's Black: Fight back
If it's brown: lay down
If it's white: pray to christ

[jeffmurnahan]

*me taking the time to see if the bears ears are back or pointed up while it’s charging at me

[wuffos]

Also, black bear scat contains twigs & berries - while grizzly scat contains whistles & pepper spray.

[whiskyk]

Some stats from a study on decades of bear attacks in Alaska (which has all 3 bears - black, brown and polar):
- The average brown bear encounter is 3.5x more likely to result in injury compared to the average polar bear encounter
- The average brown bear encounter is 21x more likely to result in injury compared to the average black bear encounter
- Guns were effective in halting aggressive bear behavior in 84% of encounters, and it took an average of 4 hits to stop a bear
- Pepper sprays were effective in halting aggressive bear behavior in 92% of encounters
- On average, bear spray was used when the bear was about 12 feet away
- But bear spray residue sprayed on equipment as a deterrent actually ended up attracting some bears (take your practice sprays before entering bear country)
- 60 percent of the incidents occurred between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Nearly 70 percent of the incidents studied involved brown (grizzly) bears and 28 percent involved black bears, including the first two documented uses of bear spray on polar bears in Alaska


Look up Tom Smith, BYU.

[gooseguy]

Just recently had an encounter with a black bear on trail, we both scared the bejeezus out of eachother. One "Hey bear!" was enough to send it, and my heart running.

[yellowjacket]

In Alaska we know exactly what to do with different types of bears.
If its black, fight back..
If its brown, lay down..
If its white, say goodnight..

[mattpardy]

You left out polar bears. As a native of polar bear country, you learn that if a polar bear sees you, it will hunt you. The only thing to do is accept your fate

[worldcitizeng]

When encountering a blue 🐻 bear, ask nicely for a roll of toilet paper 🧻

[jamesmartin]

It's worth mentioning that bear spray should only be sprayed directly in the bear's face. Do not spray on tents, clothing and gear as a repellent because this is like putting hot sauce on FOOD!

[rds]

Somewhere in Glacier right now, a bunch of bears are watching a video on how to avoid a dangerous encounter with ME !

[lard_lad_AU]

3 minutes after watching this...
Me trying to remember which bear I fight or play dead with

[TheMerryPup]

Bill Burr: "Slowly back away as you push your friend forward."

[billm]

Remain calm while being eaten. My donut has this technique mastered

[nathanrubinger]

One thing I have not seen addressed by most is what to do in a bear encounter in which you are still in your tent. Let's say you wake up in the morning or in the middle of the night and suspect there is a bear in camp. Should you make noise from inside the tent in order to deter the bear away from your camp? Or pop your head out to inspect if anything is there first? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Gandiiv]

Perhaps a demonstration would be helpful.

[Stellarobinson]

Always carry a red beach ball and a bicycle, bears love those...

[whitemountainshikes]

In the White Mountains, we don't have a huge black bear population, but they are around. One thing I've noticed is a continuous, heated debate about firearms vs. spray. One thing to consider is local laws. But the other thing you must remember is that even with a large caliber weapon, you are probably not going to stop the bear with a single round. If a bear charges you, the only "kill shot" you have will be to the brain. Now imagine a target the size of a soft ball coming at you at 30-35mph, swaying from side to side. You may get lucky, and hit it, but probably not. Statistically, firearms will stop or lessen the severity of an attack only about half the time, while spray works about 95% of the time. I'll play the odds!

[sigmalife]

tysm. got all my gears( i think😁), tips, advice from videos like this is what ive been watching for the past 2 yrs.everytime i think im ready, there's always newer one comes up, then i have to research again😪.there's so much to learn before i even start actually doing, my dream, to hike, learn survival skills