Bear Precautions

How long it’ll take:

25 minutes

What the goal is:

Camper will have an understanding of how to avoid and handle coming across bear in the wilderness.

What the objectives are:

Campers will learn how to store food to avoid coming in contact with a bear. They will also learn about what to do if you do come into contact with a bear and how to use bear spray.

What you’ll need:

• Bear Mask

• Silly String/Water Sprayer

What you’ll do:

Intro to Activity (5 minutes)

1. Ask campers to share any experiences they've had with bears. Have they ever seen one? What do they know about bears?

2. Ask the campers when they think we are most likely to attract a bear. Try to guide the conversation towards food, cooking, and eating areas. What are some things we can do to help keep ourselves and bears safe?

   1. Store food away from the campsite

   2. Cook food away from the tents

   3. Avoid keeping any smellables in tents or the campsite when not in use (e.g., deodorant, gum, pots/pans/utensils, etc.)

Bear Spray Activity (10 minutes)

Coming into contact with bears in wilderness areas is not uncommon. When we go on expeditions and hikes, we're visiting their home and it's important to respect their spaces. There are some precautions we can take to minimize our interactions with bears, and protect the safety of both ourselves and the bears. If we do run into a bear that is being protective of their space, there are also some things we can do to scare off the bear.

1. Teach the campers the “hey, bear” call. Tell the campers that when they’re hiking in an area with bear activity, they should use the “hey, bear” call frequently as they hike. This call helps warn a bear of your presence and will ideally prevent a bear from being startled and acting aggressively.

2. Practice the “hey, bear” call as you walk around an area for 5 minutes. Place the bear face somewhere in your area. When you come to the bear face, point out the bear to the campers. Ask the campers, “what should we do if we do see a bear, even though we tried to pre-scare it away using our bear calls?” Make sure they know:

3. 1. If the bear hasn’t seen us: slowly back up and try to reroute around the bear’s location.

   2. If the bear sees us and starts approaching us slowly (put on the bear mask): group together, raise arms, talk to the bear in a low firm voice, avoid eye contact, and DO NOT RUN.

   3. If they charge: use bear spray.

What are some safety considerations for bear spray?

• How far away from a charging bear should you be when you use bear spray? (15 feet)

• Why should you attempt to spray the bear spray in the same direction the wind is blowing? (because it could blow back and get you more than the bear)

Test the Campers Knowledge with a True/False Bear Quiz (10 minutes)

Come up with a fun and interactive way that campers can share their true/false guesses based on the statements below. Maybe campers stand in one space if they believe the statement is true and another if it's false, or stand up or sit down, you can be creative but try to get campers moving physically. Next you will read the below statements one at a time and campers will need to guess if the statement is true or false.

• When you see a black bear, you should go try to hug it. (false)

• When you see a brown bear, you should climb a tree. (false)

• If a bear charges you, you should drop your pack and run as fast as you can in the other direction. (false)

• If you see a bear but it doesn’t see you, you should stay quiet, back away, and detour quickly. (true)

• If a bear is roaming around your car-camping site, you should call the park service or person in charge of the camping area. (true)

• If a bear approaches you, you should stay calm. (true)

• If a bear approaches you, you should group together with others and put your arms above your head to look larger. (true)

• When you’re done eating, don’t bother cleaning up your food scraps because bears need help finding food in the wild. (false)

• You should put most food in a bear bag but it’s okay to keep trail mix with you in the tent in case you get hungry. (false)

• If a bear approaches you, you should speak to it in a low, calm voice, clap your hands and make noise, and avoid eye contact. (true)

• If a bear continues to approach you and you’ve tried everything else, it’s okay to throw things like rocks and sticks in the general direction of the bear to try to deter it. (true)

• Never run from a bear. (true)

• Bear spray has no effect on humans. (false)

• A bear’s sense of smell is much better than a human’s. (true)