They may seem soft and cuddly, but would you want to encounter a black bear on your next hike? The black bear is a well-known predator throughout North America. This omnivorous bear snuffles through the woods, swamps, and mountains and captures the hearts of wildlife-lovers everywhere.
It may be entertaining to learn about black bears’ lives, but is your safety threatened by black bears? Keep reading to learn more about the real dangers of these creatures.
Key Points
- Black bears are large and can be dangerous, but they are usually afraid of humans and reluctant to interact with people.
- You are most likely to see black bears in rural parts of the United States and Canada.
- Effective ways to protect yourself against aggressive black bears include bear spray, proper food storage, and fighting back.
Are Black Bears Dangerous?
Yes, black bears can be dangerous, but it’s easy to stay away from and learn the proper techniques to manage black bear encounters. Black bears are omnivores that average a little over five feet tall and 400 pounds. They are especially curious when looking for food and can be aggressive when threatened or while they are hunting.
Where do Black Bears Live?
Black bears are native to North America. Today, they live in the rural parts of the United States and Canada. Before most of the United States was settled in the nineteenth century, bears roamed throughout the entire country, except for the Southwest.
Current metrics state that there are about 900,000 black bears in North America. Most go unseen by humans since they live in remote areas and are mostly nocturnal.
Black bears thrive in forested, mountainous, and coastal habitats. They adapt to many food sources and prey types. The best way to tell apart black bears from different regions is to look at their size and diet. They remain small or grow bigger depending on the quality and quantity of nutrients they get.
Bears in western North America obtain more protein in their diet, mostly from salmon, and grow bigger than bears in eastern North America. The eastern bears’ diet consists of about 85% plant matter.
Like most bears, black bears live their lives on their own. Males live alone except for during mating season. Females lead similar lifestyles, but they do spend time raising their cubs, which stay with them for up to 18 months.
How Strong are Black Bears?
Black bears have general adaptations to the forests, mountains, and coasts of North America. This helps them take advantage of multiple types of habitat and food sources. Strength is one such adaptation: they can lift rocks weighing up to 325 pounds with just one leg.
Their paws average about 7 in wide, with large, blunt claws that help them climb trees. They can also run around 25 mph, and they have thick skin that withstands insect stings and scratches.
What Should You Do if You See a Black Bear?
The best course of action depends on where the bear is. If you’re in a safe environment, such as in a cabin or watching from a distance of over 50 feet, do not disturb the bear. Humans have better eyesight than bears, so it probably hasn’t even smelled a human’s presence yet.
If you are outdoors, consider the direction you are walking in. If the path or trail leads closer to the bear, do not proceed.
It’s important to maintain a clear sense of judgment when you’re interacting with a bear. These wild animals rarely intend to hurt humans, but they are capable of injuring and killing a person.
When a bear returns to a place of lodging, it may be time to alert it of your presence. Bears might smell trash outside or the smoke from cooking fires. When the bear returns or gets closer to your home, make loud noises: yell, bang pans, or play loud music.
How Do You Defend Yourself Against A Black Bear?
It’s always a good idea to have bear spray when hiking in a location with black bears. Keep it in a location where you can grab it easily and don’t need to turn around and take your eyes off the animal.
Here is a list of behaviors that indicate a bear wants you to leave:
- Swatting the ground
- Snorting through its nose
- Bluffing an attempt to charge
If you are hiking on a trail and run into a black bear, stay calm. Communicate to the bear calmly; keep your voice steady and alert the bear to your presence. Do whatever you can to maintain eye contact as you back away slowly.
Rangers recommend returning via your initial route to where you began hiking. However, if the bear walks down the trail you came from, do not follow. Attempt to leave the trail via other means or call emergency services.
When a bear becomes aggressive and approaches you, it’s time to turn up the defense a notch. Have your bear spray at the ready and keep talking at it while backing away. If it follows behind you, yell, throw your supplies at it, and wave your arms. Now is the time to use bear spray.
How Do You Reduce Black Bear Encounters?
Black bears are beautiful animals that are best appreciated from a distance. Most bears that interact with humans do so because they have learned that human developments and infrastructure have food. One of the best ways to reduce your risk of black bear encounters is to secure food sources at your home or campsite.
In areas where black bears live, many trash cans have special locking mechanisms to keep bears out. You can build a bear-proof trash can or hang your camp food in a way that makes it inaccessible to bears.
Keep your dogs on leash when hiking. Some bear encounters occur when bears see dogs as a threat and chase them back to their owners.
Do not get between a mother black bear and her cubs. If you are unfortunate enough to have stumbled into a situation where you are in the middle of the group, follow the defensive procedures listed above.
Anna is a wildlife biologist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2020. She enjoys studying and learning about wild birds and wildlife of all types.