1) Know Before You Go
Check current regs, closures, and recent activity with the local ranger station or land manager. Some areas mandate approved bear-resistant containers; others strongly recommend carrying bear spray. Treat this as essential pre-trip work—just like route and water planning.
2) Trail & Camp Planning
- Hike during full daylight. Bears are most active near dawn and dusk.
- Travel in groups when possible and make your presence known with normal conversation on blind corners and in brushy draws.
- Keep a clean camp. Cook and store food away from your sleeping area and wash up thoroughly.
Diagram: The Camp Triangle (100–200 ft spacing)
Keep sleeping, cooking, and food storage separated to reduce attractants near your tent.
3) Bear Spray: Carry & Use
Bear spray is a proven, non-lethal deterrent. Keep it accessible (hip belt or chest strap), practice with an inert can, and know your specific canister’s range and safety.
Diagram: Spray Arc & Distance
Deploy when a bear is close and closing. Create a cloud barrier the bear must move through.
4) Encounters: Decision Flow
Stay calm. Don’t run. Talk firmly. Identify species and behavior. Use spray only if avoidance fails.
Diagram: Encounter Flow
5) Field Story: The Push-Away
Mid-afternoon on a remote singletrack, a solo hiker rounds a bend and meets a grizzly sow with two cubs at ~30 yards. She speaks calmly, draws her chest-mounted spray, and as the sow closes, she sweeps a cloud low-to-high. The sow recoils, paws at her face, and turns. The hiker stands down, breathes, and exits slowly—alert, intact, grateful.
Quick Checklist
- Call the ranger station; check activity and storage rules
- Daylight hiking; make normal trail noise
- Separate sleeping / cooking / storage by 100–200 ft
- Keep spray accessible; practice with inert can
- Stay calm; don’t run; deploy only if necessary
- Report close encounters to land managers
This guide is provided for educational purposes to help reduce negative human–bear interactions. Always follow local regulations and ranger guidance.
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