Questions tagged [black-bears]

Questions about black bears

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4 votes
2 answers
340 views

Are black bears attracted to trace amounts of food?

For the purpose of this question I am interested in black bears in an area with relatively low human pressure, plenty of natural habitat and presumably natural food sources. The scenario I'm ...
Cameron Roberts's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
186 views

Is there any evidence that bears use (or used) cub labor to get food from backpackers?

Bears are back in the Question Queue, which reminds me of the claim going around Lawrence Berkeley Lab several decades ago. The claim was that some mother bears in the Sierra would send their cubs up ...
ab2's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
167 views

Black Bear Deterrents

Does anyone know of passive, enduring ways to deter Black Bears from entering an area? Hopefully an ecologically friendly way. The area is a homestead in forest with livestock and an extensive garden ...
JKHolmes's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
248 views

Did a bear knock all my bird feeders down?

We live in a suburban town in Massachusetts, Northeast United States. We keep a lot of bird feeders stocked all year with things birds and animals like, excluding meat and fruit. Yesterday, ...
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Is it feasible that a black bear could kill a man with a single swat?

A recent post said: a black bear can kill a man (or a dog) with a single swat of its paw. I suppose anything is possible. But is it realistic? Has it ever happened? Googling 'man killed by ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
38 votes
6 answers
14k views

Do I still need to hang my food if I have two large dogs?

I have two large dogs - a German Shepherd and a Presa Canario. I hike alone with my dogs in black (not grizzly) bear country. Do I still need to hang my food? Or will the three of us be able to ...
Censored to protect the guilty's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Do black, brown/grizzly or polar bears ever prey on humans?

Do bears, as opposed to defending cubs, being startled by humans, or trying to get into food, ever decide to prey on humans? As in stalk, kill and then eat them?
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Should I be scared if a black bear is outside of my tent at night? [duplicate]

I know that they say to make as much noise as possible to try and show your dominance, but what happens if I am sleeping? If I wake up with a bear right outside my tent while i'm sleeping, and I have ...
Sophia Jackle's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

At what age do black bear cubs have a good chance of surviving on their own?

A woman in a semi-rural Maryland neighborhood was injured by a black bear sow a day or two ago. See The Washington Post. She heard a dog barking, went out with her dog on a leash to investigate and ...
ab2's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
521 views

How can the attitude that one is a guest in black bear country prevent hassles with bears?

A traveller to a country with different customs is well advised to read up on the customs of the people of that country, and to learn how the residents expect polite people to behave. Everywhere, ...
ab2's user avatar
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26 votes
5 answers
8k views

Will Black Bears actually follow you up a tree

I always see it pointed out, when discussing how to handle/avoid bear encounters, that black bears can climb trees. Granted, but does that matter? Has there ever been a case of a black bear pursuing ...
Russell Steen's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
960 views

Proper food storage against black bears on a LONG (e.g., 14 days) trip, partly in black bear country? (enough bear canisters not practical)

This question is prompted by the replies to Questions about specifics of black bear encounter with mother and yearling cub. That question was about an encounter over 30 years ago, before the era of ...
ab2's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
486 views

Questions about specifics of black bear encounter with mother and yearling cub

I hope the bear experts on the site can shed light on several aspects of a black bear encounter my husband and I had some years ago in the Sierra. It was mid-May, about 9500 feet, well above timber ...
ab2's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
332 views

Is any subspecies of black bear more -- or less -- aggressive than another?

There are 16 subspecies of Ursus americanus, the black bear. The Wikipedia article describes their different physical characteristics and geographical distributions, but not differences in ...
ab2's user avatar
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23 votes
5 answers
95k views

What do I do if a black bear is right outside my tent?

Even if I was to follow the advice of letting bears know I am in the area, keeping my cooking and anything that smells at least 100m from my camp & downwind, etc, suppose a bear finds my tent and ...
user5873's user avatar
  • 249
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can bears smell food inside dry sacks?

I like to do long hikes in black bear country. I don't really go on multiday trekking trips, just day trips but often need to bring food along. I know that backpackers often keep their food in bear ...
amphibient's user avatar
  • 4,053
18 votes
3 answers
12k views

Black bears and torch lights

I am hiking in black bear country (no other kinds of bears there). It's dark, I have a whistle hanging around my neck to scare away such a potential bear and I'm using my torch light to be able to see ...
helm's user avatar
  • 1,712
9 votes
2 answers
548 views

What to do when a black bear got a hold of an open bear can?

When an adult black bear without cubs in sight got a hold of an open bear-can, is it advisable to try to scare him/her away (with noise, or by approaching him/her as a group?) I am asking both for ...
SierraCalifornicus's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can bears smell empty beer bottles?

Sometimes I camp with people who pass out drinking beer and don't bother to clean up their trash before they go to bed. Since we are in black bear country, I was wondering if empty beer bottles can ...
amphibient's user avatar
  • 4,053
10 votes
1 answer
282 views

Are there significant behaviour differences among bear species to adopt different safety rules?

Living in the north-east part of America, my chances of encountering a grizzly bear are very low. I have greater chances of meeting a black bear. If I got the chance of meeting a grizzly, should I ...
Amine's user avatar
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35 votes
3 answers
5k views

If I cross paths with a bear, what should I do?

If I'm out hiking, and I come around a corner and stumble upon a bear, what's the best course of action to take to minimize the chance the bear will act aggressively? Do different types of bear (...
wyocalboy's user avatar
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