Subscribe to ListverseTop 5 Tips for Surviving a Bear Encounter
- Published October 1, 2007 - 58 Comments
Any of the following situations can occur when in bear country. This recommended behavior is generally advised, but is, of course, no guarantee that you will avoid a mishap. The most important thing to remember when encountering a bear calm, giving the bear the opportunity to know that you are not hostile.
1. Never Run
Do not run. Bears can run faster than 30 miles (50K) per hour – faster than Olympic sprinters. Running can elicit a chase response from the otherwise non-aggressive bear.
2. An Unaware Bear
If the bear is unaware of you, detour quickly and quietly away from it. Give the bear plenty of room, allowing it to continue to undisturbed.
3. An Aware Bear
If the bear is aware of you but has not acted aggressively, back away slowly, taking in a calm, firm voice while slowly waving your arms. Bears that stand up on their hind legs are usually just trying to identify you, and are not threatening.
4. An Approaching Bear
Do not run; do not drop your pack. A pack can help protect your body in case of an attack. To drop a pack may encourage the bear to approach people for food. Bears occasionally make ‘bluff charges’, sometimes coming to within ten feet of a person and before stopping or veering off. Stand still until the bear stops and has moved away, then slowly back off. Climbing trees will not protect you from black bears, and may not provide protection from grizzlies.
5. If a Bear Touches You
If a grizzly bear does actually make contact with you, curl up in a ball, protecting your stomach and neck, and play dead. If the attack is prolonged, however, change tactics and fight back vigorously. If it is a black bear, do not play dead; fight back immediately.
Source: Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
October 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
i’d like to see stephen colbert facing one of these “godless killing machines.”
October 1st, 2007 at 7:59 am
You forgot the most important thing! Try to avoid a bear by wearing bear bells on your pack. A jingling human allows a bear to move away quietly. They don’t eat humans (unless they have already snacked on one) and don’t want to get close to us.
If you’re in grizzly territory, that’s a different matter. Grizzlies will track you and eat you even if they’ve never munched on humans. I researched bears very carefully before backpacking in Canada, and not only wore bear bells but carried a bear flare. This is a common road flare that you strike by breaking off the end. It makes an enormous hissing sound and gives off a bright red light. I never had to use it so I can’t report on the result, but I’ve read that it will scare off any bear. The noise is so distressing and the light is so much like a fire that they take off.
The idea of curling up in a ball while a bear chews on your head is just not appealing to me. A gun won’t help because bears are so dense they can kill you even while they are dying from a perfect heart or brain shot. So the best thing to do is get them to avoid you, or scare them off.
I love bears and don’t want to hunt them to near extinction, like our ancestors did. But I don’t want to be eaten either, so: Bells and flares.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:03 am
#6 avoid bear country altogether. stay inside watch bear documentaries on TV. better yet…never go outdoors. stay inside online. be mesmerized by listverse. who needs nature when ya got this? *wink*
October 1st, 2007 at 8:11 am
When are you most likely to encounter a bear. I am sure it varies depending on the season. I have heard that bears are most dangerous when they come out of hibernation.
How about a list about what to do when you get bitten by a snake. Different sources always seem to give different advice.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:16 am
Bonnie: thanks for those additions – excellent comment
Gryphon: That is a good idea – I have heard that what you should do it bandage the area as tightly as you can and get to a hospital – no cutting and spitting.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:01 am
is it true if you punch a bear in the nose once it will leave you alone i heard it works because a bears noes is really sensitive i heard the same thing about a shark
October 1st, 2007 at 10:31 am
Mix: I have heard that in relation to sharks but not bears.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
It’s also very effective to humiliate the bear. Try pointing at his chest and telling him he has some berries on his fur; when he looks down, flick his nose and laugh. Or have a friend get down on all fours behind the bear so you can push him over. A humiliated bear will often leave the area, seeking solace in a nice stiff drink.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Kwame: that comment made my day – thanks
October 1st, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Stack the line of scrimmage taking away the run and let Grossman make mistakes on his own.
October 1st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Someone I know just came back from a vacation in Denali; he said that they were told in case of bear attack to play dead, protecting the stomach and neck, unless and until “the bear begins to feed on you” – in which case you were to get up and run. I guess that works best if you are not attacked by a leg
manbear.Seriously, if a bear attacks someone in an area with both grizzlies and black bears, are they really supposed to be able to determine which it is in those 2 1/2 seconds or so? I’d have to hold out hope for tip number six: curling up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and calling for my mommy.
October 1st, 2007 at 7:46 pm
You forgot the best and easiest tip. Always go hiking in bear country with a buddy. Make sure that he/she is someone who can’t run as fast as you can.
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:15 am
Mathilda: you would have to get in line behind me for space on the ground
jongleur: I love it – great advice
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:24 am
FOREST SERVICE ADVISORY
The Forest Service has issued a BEAR WARNING in the national forests for this summer. They’re urging everyone to protect themselves by wearing BELLS and carrying PEPPER SPRAY. Campers should be alert for signs of fresh bear activity, and they should be able to tell the difference between Black Bear dung and Grizzly Bear dung.
Black Bear dung is rather small and round. Sometimes you can see fruit seeds and/or squirrel fur in it. Grizzly Bear dung has BELLS in it, and smells like PEPPER SPRAY.
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:53 am
Late O’Day: haha – thanks
October 2nd, 2007 at 5:38 pm
wow! I’ve never seen them in the dollar store. Where does one get these bear protection products that you speak of Bonny? “bear bells” and “bear flares” ? I can see the truely scared walking at night with the bear flare on a constant hiss and redness. I’m just joking Bonny.
There was a guy recently on the morning “news” entertaiment show, that had survived a bear attack, and the interviewer questioned him about if he played dead, roll up in a ball, stay calmed–like one should. His reaction frommy memory condencing it’s form more or less was “Hell no! I fought for my life! and tried to escape!” So he must of been a lucky exception.
Here I found the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20870622/
well it was a black bear. I saw one walking around wild once off the side of the highway. It didn’t look that big…but hey, its wild with big teeth and claws.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:52 am
I’ve always heard crawl up and play dead, never have I heard to start fighting the bear lol, reminds of that one commercial where this guy is fishing and a “bear” comes up and they start fist fighting XD
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:12 pm
SaiCloud: I have seen that ad too – it is hilarious!
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:30 pm
My uncle made a group of 10 deadly bullets 3 years ago. Their one-hit killers, and he’s only used one, killing a faraway lion with one shot in under 10 seconds. The bullets contain cyanide, are made of nickel, have Black Mamba venom, and are protected by a jellyfish-feel of a sort of leather[he has yet to tell me] and their pretty cool. I usually go with him hunting and he puts it in a pouch on his belt. It’s quite interesting.
January 16th, 2008 at 6:37 am
i went to canada this summer and have to admit when we stumbled upon a black bear on a rather unused path i didn’t think and just ran away..
all the tips on how to react went right out of my head..
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I haaate being deathly afraid of bears and living in the middle of the woods of New England…
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
All I know about bears is that they shit in the woods, and everything else I want to know about them I learn by watching the History channel or Nova. (I don’t think Animal Planet is around anymore)
January 27th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
‘Bonnie’ should not give advice – your brief and lucky visitation to Canada does not qualify you to pass on your poor knowledge.
The joke ‘Late O’Day’ posted is a common one here (rocky mountains of Canada), as is that of making fun of tourists with ‘dinner bells’.
If you do your research, yes, you can tell a black bear from a grizzly bear, and learn the different ways to respond to each.
for those interested in the reasoning, a Black bear likes free dead meat. If you curl up and play dead, a black bear feels just as you might if a fresh steak suddenly appeared in front of you. FOOD! This is why you fight.
Grizzly bears, on the other hand like carrion, but aren’t interested if the meat is too fresh (ie. your still-living body), and will usually lose interest and wander off.
Grizzlies WILL NOT ‘track you and eat you even if they’ve never munched on humans’. the odd, rare, starving or crazed bear has been known to stalk a person, but almost all attacks result from a suprise encounter, or getting between a bear and her young.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:41 am
haha, another thing that you can do which is more evil is having a buddy thats slower than you. xD
May 25th, 2008 at 5:52 am
“Kwame:
It’s also very effective to humiliate the bear. Try pointing at his chest and telling him he has some berries on his fur; when he looks down, flick his nose and laugh. Or have a friend get down on all fours behind the bear so you can push him over. A humiliated bear will often leave the area, seeking solace in a nice stiff drink. ”
thank you
) 
)
May 27th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I went to Yellowstone two years ago and a grizzly bear walked right toward the road and around our car. If I had opened my window I could have touched it. I remember thinking, “This is it. I’m gonna die now, mauled by a bear in my own car.”
But it didn’t.
I don’t know why it came toward us; maybe something was wrong with it, because they usually avoid humans.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:20 am
I always thought the worst thing was to try running away from a bear in a downhill, zigzag pattern (which some people have told me is a good idea). I figure that, if you do this, the bear’s gonna be thinking “Well, I wasn’t GOING to maul you… but now you’re making me dizzy and it’s pissing me off!”
July 4th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
wow, i actually want to fight a bear =\
August 13th, 2008 at 5:44 am
I would be so excited if I saw a bear. I find that my love of animals makes me think they love me back.
My husband gets so mad because I try to touch animals I find, like random snakes. I just don’t think of them as dangerous because they’re so cool. But I know some animals could hurt or kill me, I just become a kid again when I encounter animals. I used to love catching lizards and frogs and various insects. I love petting the animals at the wildlife drive-thru park, even though you’re not supposed to. 
August 28th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Before anything else – make sure you had not been doing too much of BÄRENBEER…
September 13th, 2008 at 9:39 am
One I was minding my own buisness starting forest fires and this time a bear started chasing me yelling “only you! only you!” So I smacked him in the face and said “no bad bear” and he was like “but the forest…” I told him I was from PETA and I was liberating him; “you’re free now go into the city” I never saw him again.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
One more important tip to remember: If you see a bear cub, be sure to play with it. Mother bears like nothing more than to see their babies having fun with humans.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Tip 5, chances of survival have dropped drastically
November 6th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
they forgot that when you attack go for the eyes they are very sensetive
November 11th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Black bears are not the dangerous ones…. Grizzley Bears are dangerous. If you see one then back away slowly or if it is going to attack you…. then prey, cause your already dead.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
From what I’ve heard, if you’re faced with any kind of bear, firstly never turn your back on it, and secondly the best thing to do is SLOWLY step backwards continually while removing items of clothing and throwing them on the ground infront of you.
Apparently the bear will sniff your clothes then realise it has no interest in you and will leave. Better to be starkers and alive!
December 9th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
you have to punch them in the gills
February 12th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
hey bears don’t have gills. lol
February 13th, 2009 at 9:15 am
“If it is a black bear, do not play dead; fight back immediately.”
That’s racial profiling, you guys must have gotten this information from the LAPD
February 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
my mom was attacked by a grizzly bear a few years back. while she was hiking near banff, she accidently found herself between a couple cubs and their mom. the mother grizzly charged at my mom and she did the one thing that probably saved her life, she got a tree between her and the bear, breaking the charge. she then took refuge under a fallen pine tree. the bear was still able to get her, but she walked away (literally 1 km to a nearby campground). while she underwent major surgery to her head, she did not lose her eyes or receive any major damage elsewhere. she was very lucky. she still goes out to banff every summer.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
mix2323-
“is it true if you punch a bear in the nose once it will leave you alone i heard it works because a bears noes is really sensitive i heard the same thing about a shark”
It might take more than one time if you don’t strike it hard enough, but this is more or less true. Bears can smell things from miles away, their noses are very VERY sensitive. A punch in the nose for a bear is probably the equivalent of a kick in the balls for a human
March 29th, 2009 at 10:18 am
mix2323 & Jason -
I think it general, hitting anybody’s nose will freak them out anybody, maybe not stop them but still freak them out
April 1st, 2009 at 7:35 am
Camping in the Tetons last fall, a bear stopped by and sniffed my head through the tent. I was too tired to move. All the edibles (except for me) were in a tree, a hundred yards away. It moved along.
Don’t sleep were you cook/eat. Don’t sleep in the clothes you cooked in. Try to cook/eat before dark.
One note about punching an animal in the nose. Sounds easy, but don’t be surprised if you wind up with your fist in it’s mouth. Like force feeding it your arm. It’s all about timing and aim.
April 12th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Seems like another reminder is necessary for people to not enter the cage in a zoo of any wild animal. Seems simple enough but Polar Bear Lady in Germany obviously didn’t get the memo, or read this list. Stay out of bear territory!
April 21st, 2009 at 7:38 am
When being attacked by a bear, remember to maul them before they maul you. It also helps to wear as much bacon and maple syurp as possible, as bears hate Canadians. If this does not work, remember these three words; KICK TO GROIN.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
If a bear attacks you, the best thing to do is to fart and run. The fart will make it dizzy.
I think a good ideea would be to climb into a tree or brench that won’t support the bear’s weight.
Another good ideea would be to try to find some very bumper field (they can run, but they can’t jump so well as a human) or run into a river and dive (just go to surface to take air and dive back ’til you’r safe).
If nothing works, shot the son of bi*ch
May 19th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I used to work in Yellowstone at Fishing Bridge. A trick passed on to the campers was to pour a “circle” of household ammonia around your food stores or your tent. Can you imagine, after getting punched in the nose, to take a whiff of ammonia? Its enough to make you go home!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:40 am
this is rediculous i have taken out at least 1000 bears by myself, i dont have any of them i bate them to my house so i can shoot them in the dome with my AK-47 baby…. they kneel and scream for their lives and tremble in my pressence
June 21st, 2009 at 10:00 am
So, has anyone been attacked by a bear yet?
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
lol the last one’s kinda funny. and scary at the same time..
September 13th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Lol then black bears do like fresh meat that’s why they eat you immediatly when you curl up in a ball while Grizzly bears like cooked, hot barbequed humans..
September 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
@Duke of Omnium(32):
Well the mother bear too likes nothing more when she and her babies are having human steak for dinner.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Bears usually only attack a human if they feel threatened or when protecting their cubs. In most cases human doesn’t even know he’s been close to a bear because the bear has backed away itself before the person even realized it. Many times human survives the attack too which probably means the bear intention was not to eat the human, but only to scare. If a bear wants to kill a man, it will.
I know of case where a nature photographer, a friend of my ringing teach, was in a forest when he saw a bear not too far away from him. Behind the small hill was a group of old ladies picking berries, blisfully unaware of the teddy who was only a couple of dozen meters away peeking in the bushes. He wasn’t sure if he should have somehow told the ladies there was a bear close by but instead he just lied on his place observing. After about an hour or so the ladies went off their merry way with the bear still in the hiding. The grannies never knew how close they were of the animal !
There was a bear almost in our yard a couple pof years ago. We live in a forest and though it was the first time a bear had wondered so close all we did different was that the dog wasn’t allowed out unsupervised. MY dad even “encoutered” it – he didn’t see the bear but he heard it rudnning away frmo him and found a pile of fresh bear excrement. The city folk miles upon miles away were crapping their pants though the bear went noewhere near the town.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Sorry about the typos – bad position and didn’t check my writing. My bad.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:12 pm
if this is wrong, im gonna be vewwwy mad
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Usually bears will leave you alone, if you just give them your pic-a-nic basket…
November 8th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Being attacked by a bear is a scary thought :S Amazing page by the way! It has me really hooked up!
November 15th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Another method is to carry hand grenades. Or use napalm. Guns might not work, but blowing them up and setting them on fire sure will
Burning bears starting forest fires would just be too ironic 