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Bears don’t really hibernate, although they lower their activity during winter. Here’s one sample study of Black Bear winter behaviour in Sierra Nevada, California: Thirty-nine (62 %) bears were winter-dormant for at least 2 weeks; the remaining 24 (38 %) remained active all winter. Here in Czech Republic we don’t have many bears, most of them cross ...

Bear canister rules are often relaxed in the winter. However, this will depend on where you are camping. On the east coast, in the Adirondacks, the rule is: NYSDEC Regulation Requires The Use of Bear Resistant Canisters by Overnight Users in The Eastern High Peaks Wilderness Between April 1 And November 30. NYSDEC encourages campers to use bear ...

You can. Bear spray is a more humane option; however, you do ask about legal repercussions. You can shoot pretty much any animal in self defense in the USA. After you shoot the animal it is important what you do if you want to avoid fines. Once the fight is over and you know you are safe you need to call the forest service. If you don't know their number ...

A fuller history: They are were approved for a few years (2004-2007) for use in Yosemite, which is a proving ground for bear-resistant containers. In 2007 I believe there were a couple incidents where bears were able to puncture an Ursack and "suck" food out of it. This led Yosemite to ban them from the park (and ultimately some other national parks ...

Hanging a bear bag isn't just for bears. It's also to protect your food from other wildlife. Shorter and colder days are all the more reason to plan accordingly to protect your food from hungry animals that are just looking for an easy meal. From Princeton's Outdoor Action Site: “Bear bagging” is something of a general term used for hanging your food. ...

From About.com's US Parks safety info: If a Grizzly Bear Attacks… Play dead! Lie face down on the ground with your hands around the back of your neck. Stay silent and try not to move. Keep your legs spread apart and if you can, leave your pack on to protect your back. Once the bear backs off, stay quiet and still for as long as you ...

According to Yosemite Park's website, bears have lost fear towards humans and will try to get food from whatever is the easiest way. This usually means that it's easier to break a car's window of wreck a campsite than going hunting. They have a keen sense of smell and will follow not just food, but products with various scents that we wouldn't think of as ...

I think the regulations are so strict because the park service wants to keep a level of discipline about how hikers manage their food, so that none is accidentally left in a pack, and the oils and crumbs from food don't contaminate a pack. This avoids scenarios where food was left in a pack unintentionally. Bears don't hunt humans except in rare cases ...

In the test report of 2004 according to Ursack: Bears carried inadequately-secured Ursacks short distances suggesting that users should be able to locate most bags that might get carried off by bears. Distances carried during the four tests were 0.3m, 1.6 m, 5.8 m, and somewhere between 41 and 67 m. In those cases, the sack did prevent the bear from ...

Bear populations, bear problems, and aggressive bears are distributed extremely unevenly in California wilderness areas. There are dense populations of problem animals in a few small areas such as Yosemite Valley and Little Yosemite. These are areas with a lot of humans packed into a small space. You're going to the White Mountains, which gets very few human ...

US Fisheries and Wildlife (with black and grizzly bears) suggests that bear spray is statistically more effective. A 2008 study by Smith et al included two polar bear encounters where the bears were successfully deterred with bear spray. However, in polar bear country you have other considerations, as the Nunavut visitor information says Pepper spray ...

I would suggest following the bear rules year round. In the Canadian Rockies, we still have areas closed due to bear activity in the middle of January. Plus ravens will make short work of anything left accessible, not to mention worrying about attracting cougars and wolves. Here's a couple links outlining safety for camping in the backcountry, and in case ...