Bear Experts About Bears
Fear is a click inducer. This comes from survival. The web is full of anecdotal evidence and tales regurgitation. Let's bring the experts to the table with some of their ideas from research and personal experience.
The first defense against wild bears - from Chuck Bartlebaugh, 30+ years taking photos and monitoring bears.
Being well armed with knowledge is the greatest asset for safe travel in grizzly country. Being ignorant is dangerous.
He advises carrying bear spray.
Dr. Lynn Rogers - studied black, grizzlies, and polar bears for 48+ years -, bets on protecting food and controlling odors in the camp. He also favors bear spray for deterrence, quietness and stillness to observe bears and noise to avoid them.
Dr. Lynn questions ideas he sees repeated without evidence - Source: Gear Junkie, "Bears: Tips from a controversial expert".
The thing I’ve always heard is "don’t run from a bear, it could trigger a predatory response." But I took to asking the people who say and write that, can you give me a "for instance". I have yet to get one.
On this, I'm not a fan of the idea of outrunning a bear.
The following thought comes from another guy that has spent some time with bears - Source: Backpacker, "9 Bear Safety Tips From a Bear Biologist".
I started hearing things, like "Don’t stare a bear in the eye." They used to say you’re supposed to wave your arms overhead. Ten years later, I was like, "Why am I doing that? This is stupid. Am I a deer with antlers? Do you think a bear can tell if you’re staring at it in the eye?" This is not only baseless but dangerous—since really what you should be doing is paying attention to your surroundings.
Tom Smith also thinks that conventional wisdom and science tend to be apart. He believes that bears not familiar with people can be a problem.
His advice is to be vigilant, make noise, carry a deterrent, and keep distance from the bears. Hiking in groups is wise because bears are risk adverse. Bright colors attract their attention and the same goes for body smells - no perfumes in the wild. Protecting food is a must.
Smith suggests the following for a bad encounter with a bear:
...if you’re being mauled by a griz? Stay face down, legs spread, and cover your neck with clasped hands. Let the bear unleash its fury on your backpack. Stay still, and don’t move until it’s done. Black bears only attack to kill, so playing dead with one of those will be facilitated by the fact that you will, in fact, be dead soon enough.
Web tales or research?
You have the right to choose because it's about your life.