zlies
I didn’t have any encounters that dramatic over my five-day stay camping on McNeill River, but I was woofed at by a large sow sauntering along the river’s edge, her two tiny cubs trying to keep pace as she ran down salmon swimming upriver. At one point she was just three metres away, that borderland between man and beast separated only by a stretch of cobble. The Bear Essentials Bears aren’t the most social creatures. Except for a female with cubs, they are only found in groups where food is highly abundant (such as salmon streams, berry patches and unfortunately places like garbage dumps), or during the breeding season. Male grizzlies roam the most, with territories ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 square kilometres, while females use areas of about 250 square kilometres. Grizzlies once inhabited open plains and valleys, in addition to mountain ranges, but as humans have occupied these lower areas grizzlies are now found primarily in the more remote and mountainous portions of their former range. All bears have good vision and will sometimes stand on their hind legs to obtain a better view of something that interests or concerns them. They also have an excellent sense of smell. They can run considerably faster than a human (up to 50 kmh) and are very good swimmers. After a long winter hibernating, grizzlies awake from their long slumber extremely hungry in early spring. Given a choice, bears will eat the richest food available, usually salmon but not always if people are nearby. Most encounters with bears that cause problems result from bears being attracted to unnatural foods. Safety: Whether on a kayaking or backpacking trip, in areas where you may encounter grizzlies, make lots of noise. Hike in groups if you can. Let bears know you are in the area and are a human. “Hey bear” usually does the job. Be especially cautious in grizzly bear feeding areas, like berry patches or where you see signs of bear activity such as tracks, scat or digging. Try to stay in open areas with good visibility. An animal carcass covered with vegetation and with magpies or ravens nearby may indicate a food cache – stay far away! All kayakers and hikers in grizzly country should carry a can of approved bear spray and know how to use it. If you encounter a grizzly, clap your hands and shout to alert the bear and move away. For grizzlies, don’t make threatening gestures or actions like throwing things at it and don’t try to stare the bear down. Never run away from any large predator as this may trigger a chase response. Camp away from areas where you see signs of bear activity. Keep a clean camp. Hang all food, trash and other smelly items 100 metres from camp and at least three metres above the ground and 1.5 metres from any vertical support, or store them in a bear-resistant container (commercial coolers are not bearresistant). Don’t burn food scraps in your fire. Keep tents and sleeping bags free of odors and don’t keep any food in your tent. Don’t sleep in the same clothes you wore while cooking, eating or cleaning fish. Don’t leave fish entrails on shorelines of lakes or streams – sink them in deep water. Chuck Graham is also a freelance writer and photographer in Carpinteria, CA SPRING 2013
COAST&KAYAK Magazine
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