As we pursue the sport we love, we often place ourselves in hazardous situations. The Santa Cruz Fly Fishermen Board supports an informative corner to sharpen our be smart and safe behaviors.
A Little About Black Bears
By Alayne Meeks
A Little About Black Bears
By Alayne Meeks
As we fish the varied waters of the Sierra Nevada, sooner or later we will encounter a black bear (Ursus americanus) or hear bear stories around the campfire. Lynn L. Rogers of the North Central Research Station in St. Paul, MN writes this about black bears:
Black bears can injure or kill people, but they rarely do. When pressed, they usually retreat, even with cubs. Attacking to defend cubs is more a grizzly bear trait. Black bear mothers often leave their cubs and flee from people, and those that remain are more likely to bluff-charge than attack. During a 19-year study of bear/camper encounters in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, only two injuries were reported in 19 million visitor-days. The study included the year 1985 when bear nuisance activity was at a record high. The two injuries were by one bear on September 14 and 15, 1987. The bear was killed the next day.
Unprovoked, predatory attacks by black bears are rare but highly publicized. Such attacks have accounted for all 23 deaths by noncaptive black bears across North America in the 20th Century. Most occurred in remote areas of northern Canada and Alaska, where the bears had little or no previous contact with people. Predatory attacks by black bears are usually done without bluster or warning. People involved in such attacks can improve their chances by fighting rather than playing dead. Predatory black bears have not been reported in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but their frequency increases northward of the Canadian border.
Black bears that want our food sometimes use threats or bluffs to get it. The most common behavior of this sort is blowing, which may be accompanied by clacking teeth, lunging, laid back ears, slapping the ground or trees, and/or a short rush. The same behavior is used to scare other bears from feeding areas. The sounds and actions are all done explosively, with effective results. However, it is rare for a black bear to attack a person during or after such a demonstration. All blowing bears observed by the author (Ms. Rogers), retreated when pursued. Grunts are used in nonthreatening communication to cubs, familiar bears, and sometimes people.
There are no definite rules about what to do if you meet a bear. In almost all cases, the bear will detect you first and will leave the area. Bear attacks are rare compared to the number of close encounters. If you meet a black bear, Colorado's Division of Wildlife Education recommends:
* Stay calm. If you see a bear and it hasn't seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, talk aloud to let the bear discover your presence.
* Stop. Back away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact, as bears may perceive this as a threat. Give the bear plenty of room to escape.
* If on a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly leave the area. Don't run or make any sudden movements. Running is likely to prompt the bear to give chase and you can't outrun a bear. Do not attempt climbing trees to escape black bears. This may stimulate the bear to follow and pull you out by the foot. Stand your ground.
* Speak softly. This may reassure the bear that no harm is meant to it. Try not to show fear.
* In contrast to grizzly bears, female black bears do not normally defend their cubs aggressively; but send them up trees. However, use extra caution if you encounter a female black bear with cubs. Move away from the cub; be on the lookout for other cubs.
* Bears use all their senses to try to identify what you are. Their eyesight is good and their sense of smell is acute. If a bear stands upright or moves closer, it may be trying to detect smells in the air. This isn't a sign of aggression.
* Fight back if a black bear attacks you. Black bears have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands.
And Bill Sunderland says of black bears:
"When was the last time somebody in California was killed by a bear? I don't even remember. Have I run into bears? Regularly. Have I ever been threatened? Never. Have I been scared? Hell yes."