Backcountry.com Newsletter Articles

The prospect of encountering a bear or mountain lion is one of things that make backcountry travel so exhilarating. But that doesn’t mean you want to feel the heavy paw of doom on your head. We’ve compiled some tips (and some shockingly realistic videos) on how to handle animal encounters, but before we go into detail, we’d like to get a few key things out of the way. 1. No matter what, never wind up between a mother and her babies. Bear, moose, platypus, whatever. That mom will mow you down. 2. Never let a bear get your food. Once it does, people = food in the bear’s mind, which is extremely dangerous. 3. Avoiding an encounter altogether is the best way to wind up not dead. Learn how to spot scat (the poop, not the improvisational jazz singing), tracks, and other markings, and always leave the area if you come across a fresh kill.

Don’t let all this talk about black bears, grizzlies, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes make you paranoid.

In the past 100 years, black bears have only killed 56 people, brown bears: 50, mountain lions: 20, and rattlesnakes: 10. With the help of our ground-breaking article, we hope to decrease those numbers by 50% for the next 100 years.

Handling a Black Bear Encounter:

• Most black bears will high-tail it when they hear or smell a human. While being loud and ripe with B.O. is a social no-no in the human world, it’s a good idea in bear country.
• If you surprise a bear on the trail, back away while speaking calmly and choose a new route or wait for the bear to leave the area.
• Avoid eye contact. This is perceived as a challenge to bears and may change their attitudes from “What’s that weirdo doing?” to “What the hell are you staring at? I’ll rip you apart, smartass!”
• Don’t run. Don’t turn your back. You can’t outrun a bear, and if you try, perhaps you deserve to be eaten. If your flight reaction takes over, your best bet is to climb a tree to at least 30 feet high.
• If a black bear wanders into your camp, make yourself look as big as possible, and try to scare it off with noise and /or light. (Also, make sure your food is properly stored and hung. If you’re sleeping with a bag of Cheetos, you might as well be a giant Cheeto.)

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• If a black bear attacks you, fight back. Use pepper spray, throw rocks at it, or try to jab it in the eyes and nose with a rock, a knife, or a stick. Black bear attacks are often of a predatory nature (i.e. you’re a pot-pie and that bear wants to taste you). This makes playing dead rather dumb, especially if the bear has been stalking you.
• Play dead as a last resort. If you can’t scare the bear away, chances are it’s trying to remove you as a threat. This is most common in female bears with cubs.

Dealing with Grizzlies:

• Grizzly bears will also usually move along if they sense a human nearby. Try to make your presence known as often as possible when you travel through grizzly territory. Human noises work best, so try to keep a conversation going, or shout “Hey, bear! Coming through!” if you see signs of a bear in your vicinity.
• When surprised, grizzlies attack more often than black bears, but the same “threat” mentality applies. Back away, speaking in a strong but soothing voice, showing the bear that you mean it no harm.

• As with black bears, don’t make eye contact, don’t turn your back, and don’t run. Climb a nearby tree if possible—grizzlies are not as good at climbing as black bears, so your safety factor increases greatly once you’re out of reach.
• Grizzlies will often bluff attack, meaning they’ll charge, but stop before swiping at you. In this case, hold your ground.
• If a grizzly swats you or knocks you down, playing dead is your best option. It’s a grizzly after all, and fighting back would be pathetic and sad. Only do this as a last resort.
• When playing dead, try to shield your torso with a backpack, and cover your head and neck with your arms.
• Grizzlies rarely attack humans with predatory motives. But if it happens … just try to think happy thoughts.

Mountain Lion Tips:

• Make noise while you hike. Most mountain lions will leave if they hear people coming.
• If you see a mountain lion, do not run. Running will stimulate the “chase and attack” instinct, and four powerful legs outrun two human ones.
• Do not approach the lion. Give it a way to escape. Most mountain lions will avoid confrontation (unless they have cubs with them or are very hungry).
• Maintain eye contact and face the mountain lion. Make yourself appear larger by raising your arms, opening your jacket, or holding your backpack over your head.
• Speak in a firm voice.

• Back away slowly—do not crouch down or turn your back.
• If you have something in your hands to throw at the mountain lion, go for it, but don’t crouch down to pick up anything.
• If you are attacked, stay on your feet and fight back. Mountain lions usually go for the neck and head so try to remain standing and facing the lion. We know this is terrifying—imagine the mountain lion naked if that helps.
• If you see a mountain lion that is made out of cardboard and someone is crouching behind the lion, back away slowly. People who spend time struggling to cut through heavy cardboard to make a mountain lion are bound to be a bit strange.

When You Hear A Rattle:

• Keep your distance from the snake – most rattlers will leave you alone.
• Go around the snake at a safe distance if the terrain allows. At best, rattlesnakes can strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length (this means a three-foot-long snake can snarf a bit of your leg within two feet of where they lie). Play it safe and give them a wide berth.
• If you can’t go around, throw a few small pebbles around the snake from a safe distance (this is not a squash-the-snake game, you’re just trying to get the snake to move).

• Most of the time, someone won’t be crouching behind a rock and holding the rattler like a javelin to throw at you once you pass.
• March and April are the months when the rattlers often come out of hibernation and enjoy sunning themselves on rocks. In the summer, rattlers are most active when temps hit between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Late summer and early autumn are months when the rattlers gleefully slither around before hibernation.

Camping with Difficult Break-Up Bear

• If you make the mistake of inviting your newly single, emotionally frail bear friend to go camping with you, don’t argue about anything with him, especially if he’s had some campin’ brew. While humans might say things they regret in the morning or possibly throw a punch, a drunken bear will swat your head off.
• Don’t discuss anything that might trigger an emotional response. You’ll be swimming in hairy tears.
• Make sure your bear friend has his own tent.

Outtakes: