Bear Safety Tips
Duane Radford
Black bears and grizzlies are present in the greatest numbers in Alberta’s
boreal forest, foothills, and Rocky Mountains. Grizzlies, however, have recently
expanded their range eastward into the short grass prairies in southern Alberta.
Here are my tips on how to avoid having problem encounters with bears.
Be On Guard
A person could run into a bear
just about any time, except
when the bears are hibernating
with autumn a bit riskier than
the other seasons. Bears are
fattening up, actively feeding
in preparation to hibernate.
They’re moving around in
search of food, especially ripe
berries such as blueberries,
chokecherries, huckleberries,
and saskatoon berries loaded
with sugar. These fruit-bearing
shrubs and bushes are often
abundant near creeks and
streams where the sound of
running water can mask any
noises that might alert a bear
that humans are nearby — never
a good thing.
There’s no excuse, however, to
let your guard down when you’re
in the outdoors during other
times of the year. A couple of
years ago, I was fi shing Michel
Creek in British Columbia in
August. When I rounded a bend
in the stream, I spotted a dead
mule deer doe hung up in a log
jam on an inside bend of the
stream. It must have slipped
while crossing this notoriously
slippery creek, got swept into
the log jam, and drowned. This
situation was hazardous because
bears tend to gravitate to valley
bottoms in the late summer and
would eventually catch wind of
the carrion. Grizzlies can smell
dead animals from miles away. I
made tracks, quickly!
Another danger is
inadvertently stumbling across a
carcass that a grizzly has found,
partially eaten, covered up, and
is watching from nearby. The
bear will probably attack you to
Above: Do not get between a black bear sow and her cub. Photo: Adam Skrutkowski
Right: Bear banger inserted in a pull-type launcher. Photo: Duane Radford
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