How to Protect Yourself from Bears

[Music Playing] Laura: Dick this was a gorgeous walk you just took us on, thanks very much, hey listen I am wondering are there bears in the woods here? Dick: There can be bears in the woods anywhere in North America. Laura: Really? Dick: Yes, wilderness and think lots of areas that are not called wilderness as well. Laura: Listen I have a personal fear of running into a bear when I am in back packing and I am sure there are many viewers who are else have been uncomfortable about that idea. Could you explain to us a bit about the mood or what are going through a bears mind when they see us? Dick: Right, well I can get in a little bit but I do not know exactly what is in his mind but one of the first kinds that bears that you are probably going to encounter will be a bear, which I call an inspection bear. Standing up on his high in legs in order to get a better view because he wants to know about you. Trying to get your scent, if he cannot get your scent he is going to be moving around and trying to say what the heck is that going on out there? Laura: Right, so the inspection bear is trying to find out more about me, what do I do when that there is checking out? Dick: Let me show you. The single most important thing to remember is do not run and do not stare at the bear it is intimidating. What you want to do is back out slowly, soft voice talking to him just telling him you got some place else to go. You know that it is his territory not yours and you got a date with a nice lady at home. You just want to leave, cause no trouble to anybody. Laura: So that is inspection there. What is the second kind of bear to understand? Dick: Well I think one of the most commonly encountered ones is what is called the defensive aggressive bear. Let us just imagine you have encountered a sow with cubs. She is going to be very defensive about those cubs, she may send them up a tree and then she is going to turn to you and she does not like what she sees. She wants you out of there so she is going to start getting aggressive. Now one of the first things that happens with that is that she will turn her body and profile here self to show you how big she is. Then she will probably look at you and you do not want to make eye contact with her and she will start champing her teeth together, often the saliva will start to flow until give a huffing kind of a chuffing sound is what it is. And then, you will never know what is going to follow that if she puts her head down and stares at you, she maybe getting ready to charge. Laura: So what would we do in a situation like that? Dick: Let me show you. When I see that bear turn to make himself to look larger I am going to start looking larger, I want to look larger than he is. I am going to start him right in the eye and I am going to tell him in no uncertain terms do not monkey with me buddy. I am mean hombre. But, if he puts his head down and gets ready to charge then I am going to ready my defense system. Laura: So that was a defensive aggressive bear, what is the third kind Dick? Dick: Well it is called the predatory bear and you have to realize that any one of this can face right into the other. Now, a predatory bear that is very simple, he wants you for food. He is stalking you, some cases they may circle, starting to make large circles around you and keep closing in and other cases they may just get a beat on you and just start coming for you not many cases even charging but just walking in very rapidly. Laura: Wow, I did not know. Dick: Yes, good munches here is what they have got for you. Laura: So how would I deal with a situation that I am about to be eaten? What do I do? Dick: Let me show you. The bear is charging, now defense systems, first thing, if I got bear spray when he is about 25 feet I am going to put a cloudier on him hope it goes in his eyes and stops him. If that goes through I do not have bear spray I am going to get a good size rock, if I can get my hands on one to bash him on the head with. A club is one of those things when you are in the woods that is commonly available and you can really do a job on a bear snout with that. A good knife, you are packing on your belt. An axe is probably in your pack and should have come out when you were seeing a bears predatory actions. And then if you have a rifle with you at about 25 yards when he is charging that is the time to take him. Now you are going to need a lot of energy to deal with that bear, you have adrenaline going with that you want to have anger as much as you could bring up. You want to come out handling he is a dirty son of a gun that you got no use for and you are going to wipe him, you are going to turn in the hammer, wham. Laura: Dick well done, geese you really scared that bear off. Dick: Yes, right he is gone. Laura: Well now, we understand a little bit about bears and their moods. But to recap let us go over the three bears that you described. The first one is the inspection bear, they basically just checking us out. The second one is the defensive aggressive and they are wanting us out of here. And last one, the third one is the predatory bear that wants to eat us. Dick: It is all that simple and remember one can face right into the other. Laura: Right, and that is very important to remember. Dick: You got it down. Laura: Great. Dick: Let us keep walking. Laura: All right.