Being afraid of bears

Personally, I like to believe that there is nothing to worry about when it comes to bears, be it grizzlies or black bears. People have gone hiking in the Rocky Mountains for decades, and occasionally met bears, the only effect being that the hikers, as well as the bears, back off and have a great story to tell once they're home. So nothing to be afraid of, right?

At least this is what the Handbook of the Canadian Rockies suggests on page 637. However, this general statement on 'people vs. bears' does not keep the author from elaborating in quite some detail on the various options one has available to choose from in an encounter with a bear. They range from running, to curling up like a baby, to trying to impress and scare off the bear.

It is indeed very easy to discover traces of bear activity when you hike in the Canadian Rockies. A number of signs exist that will tip you off - more or less subtly - that bears live around where you are walking just now.

Some indicators that there is bear activity come from human attempts to keep bears from doing something.

For example, people don't like it if bears go through the trash and check out the delicacies that people throw away. Probably this is not just an asthetical issue but the idea is that bears get used to looking for garbage and then get in touch and consequently in trouble with people. So some ingenious person has created the bear-proof trash can that you will find everywhere in the national parks.

Another most visible and clear sign that there might be bears around - and again it is only black bears that are relevant here - are the bear poles just outside of camp-sites. Apparently people feel it is necessary to protect their goods and food by pulling the stuff up on a rope they string over one of those bear poles. I particularily like the detail of adding metal sheet covers on the vertical poles. Apparently this is the same strategy people use to protect bird nest boxes from raccoons.

Stefan has a very nice story about using this kind of poles and still losing all the food supplies to the Canadian wildlife!

bear proof trash can not gallow's poles - bear poles

When you walk in the mountains in the wintertime you see animal tracks all over the place. Unless you go in the very midst of winter while bears are hibernating, some of them will be bear tracks. The tracks will show you the difference between grizzlies and black bears. Grizzlies have huge paws (front: 15 - 20 cm, back: 25 - 30 cm) and their claws stick out farther than those of black bears. Black bears have smaller paws (front: 10 - 13 cm, back: 18 - 20 cm) and their claws don't stand out from their paws very much. Often, tracks are so old that you can only tell from the size what bear that might have been.

can you find the marks the bear left on this birch? Apparently it is not quite clear to biologists and naturalists why black bears leave their marks on trees, like birches. While climbing up on a tree, it might just be necessary to hold on to them in a way that leaves paw marks on the trunk. Some people suggest that black bears produce these marks deliberately to mark their territories. In any case, these are very unique and easy to identify signs that bears roam in the area.

not a huge pile I admit Bears seem to appreciate the fact that hiking trails are cleared from brushes and trees. Just like humans, bears like to use those trails. From my not so rich experience hiking in the Rockies in the winter and being able to see animal tracks in the snow I assume that bears do not use trails predominantely for walking them. Deer tracks along the paths are ubiquituos. Bears however seem to just cross occasionally. They seem to appreciate the cleared trails for allowing them to relieve themselves without bushes poking them in the butts. So what you stumble into right in the middle of the path may well be bear feces. Approximately 6 cm thick for the grizzly and 3,5 cm for the black bear.

So far I haven't seen a bear yet and I have to make do with marveling at tracks on trees and paths. BTW: All the information provided further up I took from Ben Gadd: Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, 1999. To learn more about bears you can also have a look at Parks Canada's neat and concise page on bears.

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