Black Bear Hunting Guide >> Black Bear Hunting Tips

Although black bears rarely attack, you never know what might happen so it is advisable to known what to do if, God forbids, you are being attacked by a black bear. First of all, when confronted with a bear the first thing you should do is find out if it is a black bear or a grizzly because there are different plans of defense you must follow.

If it is possible, you should stop and quietly & quickly try to back off and get away from the animal; talking in a low tone during that period is highly recommended. Another thing you should know, if a female black/grizzly bear is in the nearby vicinity is to try not to move towards that area because you will upset the female thus increasing your chances of being attacked.

Because this is an article about black bear attacks, we will only talk about what to do if a black bear attacks. As many of you know, black bears are very good tree climbers so if cornered by a black bear, whatever you do, don’t climb trees because the black bear will easily climb the tree. Although this might seem hazardous, you must fight back thinking that your life depends on how you react. The black bears only attack when they are very hungry or injured and they won’t give up without a fight. Don’t make the mistake of playing dead or climbing a tree because the black bear won’t fall for it.

Another thing you could do is to use bear spray or if you have by any chance, a pepper spray, but keep in mind that this should be used only as the last option because pepper spray isn’t very efficient. Whatever you do, you must always avoid direct eye contact because if you don’t, the bear will see this as a challenge and will become even more angry; you mustn’t turn your back. If you find yourself in the position when the bear is not leaving the area you should try to scare him by clapping your hands, also yelling and throwing some objects might help.

A few black bear attacks might convince you that this is a serious matter which should be treated properly. The most recent one is from 20 July, 2007 : in British Columbia a 31 year old woman named Robin Kochorek was killed by a black bear; when they have found her body, the black bear was still there. From what we know so far, the black bear preyed upon the woman or most likely the bear was trying to claim ownership. Another terrible incident happened in Tennessee on 13 April, 2006 where a 6 year old girl named Elora Petrasek was killed; her mother and 2 year old brother were seriously injured in that incident. On April 17, 2003 a forestry worker was stalked and killed then later on consumed by a black bear near Waswanipi, north of Quebec .

As you can see, although incidents like these aren’t often, it is highly advisable to know what to do when you find yourself in such a situation. Try to avoid these situations because you never know what might happen; take this word of advice: precautions will save your life.

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