While hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana this August, we saw these signs posted on most trails. Do you see the small print? "There is no guarantee of your safety while hiking or camping in bear country." YIKES!
Did we see bears? YES! But thankfully not on trails near us. Bears are very busy in the Summer eating and eating and eating in preparation for Winter. Can you imagine how much vegetation a 300 pound bear must eat a day?
The closest we came to a bear was a juvenile black bear on the side of the road. Of course cars were stopped and cameras were clicking. A park ranger, with help from bystanders, clapped hands and threw rocks to scare it away.
mother black bear with 2 cubs
INFORMATION:◄ Being opportunistic eaters, their diet consists mostly of grasses, roots, berries, nuts,and insects. They will also eat fish and small mammals.
◄ Black bears historically ranged over most of the forested regions of North America, including all Canadian provinces, Alaska, all states in the contiguous United States, and significant portions of northern Mexico. They are found only in heavily forested areas in the US now. In Canada, black bears still inhabit most of their historic range except for the intensively farmed areas of the central plains. In Mexico, there are only a few remnants. It is estimated that there are about 600,000 black bears in North America.
mother black bear
You will want to know if we saw grizzlies, and we did! We saw 13 bears in all--most were very far away. We saw a mother black bear and her 3 cubs about 70-100 yards away. (photos above) They were happily munching away on plants. Black bears are easily scared away. But don't be aggressive towards a grizzly! When we were hiking in bear country we had to make nose almost continuously even when other people were not that far away. No bears want to attack humans; you must let them know of your presence so they can move away. And always carry bear (pepper) spray when in bear country!*
eating
LINKS:
black bear facts
North American Bear Center Den Cam (Thanks,Sarah!) cub pausing while eating
I'm participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. Come and join in the fun! You will be charmed and even enlightened in a delightful way! See more entries HERE. This week our letter is "Y." Y is for yellow--as in yellow sign! and YIKES!
There are better photos of bears on the internet, but these are mine!
photos by me © 2011
* I'm adding more information, because I can see from the comments that some people might actually be out in bear country. First of all, I'd say educate yourself thoroughly. Black bears and grizzlies behave differently when encountering humans. There are lists (which I am not recounting here) of what one should do if one encounters a bear. Keep the bears away in the first place! Carry bear spray and know how to use it! MAKE NOISE!!! not those little bells that people attach to themselves. Clap hands. Call out "Hey Ho!" or "Hear Bear!" LOUDLY! Know that if you are going around a corner, or up hill, the bears may not have heard or smelled you. They don't want to encounter you either! Don't assume that because there are others not far away even on a well-traveled path, that the bears are staying away. There are reports to the contrary. Stay safe! Educate yourself!
