Your top priority if you wish to close the distance on a black bear on the ground is to keep careful tabs on the wind. Black bears have killed only 63 people in the United States and Canada over the last 109 years. The most important finding is that it is lone, hungry males—not mothers with young—who are most often the killers. Maybe this article is too old? Unless it was a clear accident. Will a bear attack because it senses you are afraid? This is the first sign a passing bear might think about paying you another visit. Many of these forests are very dense, so that it requires the eye of a practised shikari to detect the dark forms of the bears while searching for … Read on for expert tips on how to tell if you have a grizzly on your tail and what you can do about it. Smithsonian Institution, (photo courtesy of flickr user Arthur Chapman). Check any areas near your home where paw prints could be left. If you are stalking a bear and this happens, it is well worth your effort to watch the area from a good shooting position until you are pretty sure the bear has moved on. They are ready to attack their prey at a moment’s notice, and YOU are the prey. More Hunting. Watch those eyes. 8 ) Don’t assume that there’s less danger in Canada and Alaska simply because there are fewer encounters between black bears and humans. Here is a hysterical video of bears doing just that. Your email address will not be published. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. Only six deaths had previously been reportedly linked to black bears in Alaska in the past 130 years. Bear behavior in farm country came as a big surprise. Maybe your bear started out as a friend or has suddenly become buddies with your roommate. one of the black bears that come around are house got a little impatient waiting for me to bring her food to the bowl and came up to meet me, and hurry me along 4 ) Carry bear spray (which has capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers hot) if you’re going to be in bear territory. Trying to rip your car to pieces? #4. A stalking bear will pretend like they’re just being thoughtful, but in truth, you’re all they can think about. To leave scent they shimmy up and down the tree, rubbing their backs against the trunk. Anything over five and a half feet is reasonable, and any bear that squares over six feet is a dandy, wherever black bears are found. That two black bear attacks occurred in Alaska within two days of each other is rare. Terms of Use Places they never were before, now they are acting like they just happen to be stopping by. The phone rings, you say hello, and all you hear is heavy panting and breathing. Vote Now! Try to seek shelter in a car or building if possible. 7 ) Be extra careful in August, when hungry bears are filling up with high-energy foods in preparation for winter denning. September 18, 2007. Etter suspected bears would use corn and bean fields for …  The bear lowers its head with ears flattened, and sways back and forth. Should Inclusive Restrooms Really Include Bears? A greater proportion of fatal attacks occur in the northern parts of the black bear’s range, perhaps because these bears are less habituated to people or more food-stressed than southern bears. Honey on your car. This isn’t to say you can thereafter mosey right up to a feeding bear (though this does happen), but you’re not in for the stalking challenge presented by a cougar-wary deer or hunter-educated elk. 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Black bear, (Ursus americanus), also called American bear, the most common bear (family Ursidae), found in the forests of North America, including parts of Mexico.The American black bear consists of only one species, but its colour varies, even among members of the same litter. I first contacted Shelton in 1991, to ask him about what I considered the unusual behavior of a black bear in an attack I’d written about for the Maine Sportsman. You have a stalker bear. Think the bear didn’t follow? Required fields are marked *, Thanks to everybody who participated in my first Kickstarter campaign ever. Think again. Not eaten, just ripped apart in a fit of jealous rage. Avoid harassing bears that are just going about their business, though; females seldom attack humans except when provoked by people or dogs. If you want to hunt black bears over natural food, the formula may be easy. These bears silently stalk their prey, sometimes for hours, before quickly rushing to attack. Give a Gift. One study estimated that there were 750,000 to 900,000 black bears distributed across North America, and their numbers have been growing. Black bears, for instance, are usually less aggressive and more tolerant of people. In Alaska, their meat & potatoes are blue. Today, the grizzly bear remains in a few isolated locations in the lower 48 states, including Yellowstone. While many view Ursus americanus as a silly bumbler, the increase in its attacks on humans tells a different story. Black Bears do not stalk and attack humans. Floor it. That doesn’t mean that the spray is guaranteed to fight off an attacking bear, but it could help. The bears stand on their hind legs with their backs against the trunk of the tree. Being stalked by a bear is one of the most dreaded experiences anyone can experience. Black bears are not territorial toward people like some dogs are. You tried to douse this persistent bear with gasoline, set it fire! 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