Wildlife Encounters: What to Do and How to Prevent Them
As much as we like to think of the mountains as “our backyard”, they are first and foremost a wilderness, as well as the home of few species that can pose a risk to humans. As a former wilderness guide as well as someone who spends a lot of solo time in the wilderness, I’ve had to become well-versed in dealing with potential animal encounters. While any animal can pose a risk when threatened, we’ll be focusing on the four most common predators folks may encounter on an average hike in the United States mountain west. Although having an aggressive wildlife encounter is unlikely, it’s good to know what to do just in case.
Grizzly Bears
The granddaddy of hiker horror stories. While this bear often plays a starring role in outdoorsmen’s nightmares, actual attacks by these formidable beasts are far less common. An average of around 30-40 attacks happen per year in North America, with only 2-3 fatal attacks reported. Statistics show the vast majority of encounters end without incident. However it is still smart to be bear aware when headed out into their territory, which includes the states of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, and a small portion of Washington.
Preventing an Encounter:
Try to hike in groups: Groups are generally louder and decrease your likelihood of startling a bear. Additionally, increased numbers decrease the likelihood of most animals risking an attack.
Keep your food securely stored according to area guidelines: This applies especially for camping, which usually means storing all food and other “smelly” objects, such as lotion and toothpaste, in bear lockers or bear canisters. Bears can also open car doors, so if you leave any food in your car be sure to store it out of sight and securely lock the doors.
Make noise to alert bears of your presence: A startled bear is more likely to attack, therefore stay aware of your surroundings and make noise to announce your presence to any bears that might be in the area. Some hikers carry bear bells, but singing, whistling and/or speaking loudly also work.
Bear spray: If the area you are recreating in is part of bear country, it might be a good idea to bring bear spray with you as a last line of defense. Make sure to keep it easily accessible and within close reach, attacks happen fast and you likely won’t have enough time to dig it out of your bag. A hip holster is a common way of carrying it. Additionally, make sure to familiarize yourself with how to use it before hitting the trail. Here’s a great video from Banff National Park explaining how to properly use bear spray.
When an Encounter Occurs:
If the bear hasn’t noticed you, walk away slowly and quietly while keeping an eye on the animal at all times
If the bear has taken notice of you, keep calm and identify yourself by talking to the bear in a normal, calm voice.
Do not run, this can trigger a bear’s instinct to chase you, and bears are much faster than humans. Climbing trees is also ill advised for dealing with bears, as most species can climb trees faster than humans can.
Pick up small children immediately.
Make yourself look as large as possible, wave your arms above your head slowly or use your pack or gear to make yourself appear larger. If with a group, stand closely together to appear as a larger mass. Ready your deterrent just in case the encounter takes a turn.
If the bear isn’t moving, try to calmly and slowly exit the area by walking sideways, keeping your eye on the bear. Don’t turn your back or run.
If the bear begins to follow you and isn’t deterred at this point, calmly and firmly stand your ground. Increase your noise level; talk louder, bang on pots and pans, and/or use noisemakers.
Be sure to always give the bear an escape route, a cornered animal will feel threatened and may attack.
If the bear is with cubs, do not try to approach them and never put yourself in between the cubs and the mother.
Use spray if an aggressive bear begins charging and is within 60 feet of you.
In case of an attack:
With grizzlies, there are two methods of dealing with an attack: play dead or fight back. The required course of action is best determined by the nature of the attack. Most brown bear s attack because they are responding defensively. Therefore if they no longer perceive you as a threat, they are more likely to leave you alone. Play dead by laying flat on your stomach with your legs spread out to make it more difficult for the bear to flip you over and access your vitals. Use your hands to protect your neck. Keep your backpack on if possible, it can act as a shield against your back.
If playing dead does not work and the attack is prolonged, fight back. The other scenarios where you should fight back rather than play dead are if the bear has attacked you in your tent or stalked you prior to attacking. Focus your assault on the bear’s face and use whatever you have at hand.
Black Bears
Luckily for nervous hikers nationwide, there are only a few states with relatively small populations of Grizzlies left in the US. We do however have quite a large population of black bears. I’ve encountered black bears many times while hiking and even a few times when walking around downtown Boulder. Remember that viral photo of the black bear falling out of a tree? That happened during my first year at CU just a few feet from my dorm hall. My already nervous parents were not stoked about that. While black bears are generally skittish and will usually run from people, they can still pose a threat so it’s good to know what to do if one takes interest in you.
Preventing an Encounter:
The ways of preventing an encounter with a black bear are the same as with grizzlies, hike in groups, make noise, secure scented items and food properly, and carry bear spray.
When an Encounter Occurs:
Keep calm and identify yourself by talking to the bear in a low, calm voice.
Do not run, this can trigger a bear’s instinct to chase you, and bears are much faster than humans
Pick up small children immediately
Make yourself look as large as possible, get to higher ground or use your pack or gear to make yourself appear larger.
If the bear isn’t moving, try to calmly and slowly exit the area by walking sideways, keeping your eye on the bear. Don’t turn your back or run. If the bear begins to follow you, calmly and firmly stand your ground.
Be sure to always give the bear an escape route, a cornered animal will feel threatened and may attack.
If the bear is with cubs, do not try to approach them and never put yourself in between the cubs and the mother.
In case of an attack:
While playing dead is the most commonly known advice for dealing with an attacking bear, this is only true for brown bear attacks. In the rare case of a black bear attack, you want to try to escape to a car or building if at all possible. If escape isn’t a possibility, fight back vigorously. Use whatever object you can find while kicking or hitting the bear’s face and muzzle.
Mountain Lions
While you may not have personally seen a mountain lion while hiking, they have probably seen you. Mountain lions are generally elusive, quiet, and wary of humans. Attacks and encounters are very rare, but can happen. Here’s what to do should an encounter occur.
Preventing an Encounter
Hike in groups: Hiking in groups is always much safer than hiking alone. Just like with bears, a mountain lion is more likely to attack a solitary person rather than take on a whole group.
Keep small children and animals close to you: This is once again a case of avoiding presenting a mountain lion with easy prey.
Stay alert to your surroundings: Make periodic checks behind you. Mountain lions have been known to stalk from behind. Do you best to prevent them from getting the jump on you as well as avoid startling one.
When an Encounter Occurs
Stay calm
Do not run, mountain lions have a strong chase instinct. Make eye contact and stand your ground.
Do not approach the lion, make sure the animal has an open escape route. Most mountain lions want to avoid humans, make it easy for them to do so.
Avoid bending over, squatting or crouching, this can cause humans to appear as four legged prey animals.
If the Mountain Lion Approaches You and Shows Signs of Aggression:
Make yourself appear larger, spread arms and wave them slowly, speaking to the lion in a low, calm voice. If you’re wearing a jacket, spread it open to appear larger.
If the lion is not deterred, throw rocks, sticks or any nearby objects you can grab without bending over or turning around. Throw towards it’s direction, the goal of this is not to hit the lion yet, but to show it that you can fight back.
If the lion is still approaching, begin throwing objects at it with the intention of hitting it.
In the case of an attack
Fight back! Try to remain standing to prevent the cat from getting a hold of your head and neck. Use any objects available; people have successfully fought off lions using rocks, sticks, and their bare hands. Your backpack can also be used as a shield.
Moose
Some may be surprised to see moose on this list. However, moose are one of the most dangerous animals in North America. In Alaska alone, there is an average of 3-4 bear attacks per year compared to 5-10 injuries caused by moose each year. While moose aren’t typically outwardly aggressive, they can become aggressive quickly when startled or harassed by humans and dogs. So here’s what to do in a moose encounter.
Preventing an Encounter
Be Aware: Males are generally more aggressive in the Fall during the rut, and females are more aggressive in the Spring during calving.
Keep your dogs close and on leash: Moose have a strong aversion to dogs, and dogs will sometimes try to chase moose which can provoke an attack. Keep you and your pup safe by keeping them leashed.
Make noise while hiking: Similar to bears, the key to avoiding an unpleasant moose encounter is to avoid startling them.
Never try to feed or approach a moose: Each year I see tourists venturing uncomfortably close to moose for a picture or because they don’t know any better. Do not do this, they are extremely large animals and can cause a lot of damage.
When an Encounter Occurs
Give the moose plenty of space, allow it a clear escape route.
Talk calmly and back away slowly.
Do not approach, yell, or throw things. This can agitate the moose and is unlikely to prevent an attack.
Know moose behavior so you can understand when an attack might occur. Signs of aggression in a moose include lowering their heads, licking their snout, pinning their ears back, and raised hair on their hackles.
This video is an excellent example of a moose displaying aggression behaviors. It’s also a good example of what not to do when confronted with an aggressive moose. While the man does succeed in speaking calmly to the moose, he stands his ground instead of backing away slowly. He’s also way too close in the first place, but I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt here and hope he didn’t intentionally put himself in this position.
In the Case of an Attack
If you are charged or chased by a moose, try to put something solid, such as a tree, between you and the animal. I’ve been unlucky enough to be charged by three moose at the same time, but managed to avoid an attack by hiding behind a large rock.
Play dead, just like in a grizzly attack. However unlike a grizzly attack, you want to curl yourself into a ball and protect your head, rather than lay flat.
Check out this video from Colorado Parks and Wildlife for more info:
While the main focus of this list is dangerous wildlife, many of these tips are best practices for wildlife encounters in general. Do not approach wild animals of any kind. Even species that are perceived to be mostly docile, such as elk or deer, can become aggressive or agitated if approached. Besides the risk the animal poses to you, your behavior can have a negative impact on them as well. Every year, wild animals are killed due to interactions with humans. Remember the instance where a Yellowstone visitor tried to “rescue” a bison calf resulting in it’s euthanization? Even good intentions can cause undue stress, behavioral changes or death to wild animals. Additionally, feeding any wildlife, even the cutest little chipmunk, is bad for the animal. This causes them to associate humans with food, making them less wild and more susceptible to disease and potentially deadly interactions with humans. You are not Snow White, you are just a dick. So when recreating, please keep in mind that Leave No Trace also applies to wildlife. Treat animals with the respect and reverence they deserve while visiting their home, and you likely won’t have any issues!
