Encountering a Bear in Nature 2022

 There are different opinions about bears. Some people think that bears are curious and harmless creatures, that they smell people or the food near them when they are looking for food. Some people, on the other hand, think that bears do not know what to do, that they are dangerous creatures, and that's why people in nature must carry weapons with them.


In fact, the reality is that bears are in the middle of these two extremes. Many bears are shy and prefer to avoid people, while others choose to socialize with people. They are also known to be more aggressive when they are mating and breeding or when humans are close to their young. These behaviors can also be seen in some other animals that are labeled as harmless.


How to Avoid Bears in the Camp?

As I said, bears approach humans because they are in search of food. For this reason;
  • Cooking fatty foods such as meat, sausage, chicken in areas where you think there are bears will make the place where you camp extremely attractive for bears. The oils dripping onto the fire while cooking these foods will continue to emit tempting odors for bears even after the fire is out. Therefore, my advice would be to cook your food further away from your accommodation and wash your utensils further away.
  • Another suggestion is to choose foods such as pasta and bulgur that you can prepare by boiling them in water.
  • Instead of hanging your food on the tree in a way that will emit odor and leaving it in your tent indiscriminately, it will be beneficial to put it in plastic capped containers and then store it in sealed bags. You can store these bags away from your camping area.
  • While you are shopping, you can vacuum your smelly foods such as meat.
  • Do not forget that bears are easy learners, the bags do not need to emit scents to attract their curiosity, in fact, they will want to examine everything that does not belong to their nature and satisfy their curiosity.
  • Despite all this, I can't help but say that you still run the risk of encountering bears. Because the smell of people is heavier than the smell of food, and people do not belong to the nature of bears. Bears may also come to visit your campsite simply because they are curious about you.

Don't be alone in nature

Although it is thought that animals do not know how to count, they have the innate ability to know the multiplicity without counting. Therefore, it has been observed that while they can easily attack one person, they hesitate when approaching more than one person.

Do not stay on footpaths or near water

Bears, like us, prefer to walk on paths. So if you don't want to be on the bears' path, pitch your tent away from the trail.

In addition, since they drink water every other day and enter the water to cool off, staying close to water sources will increase the likelihood of encountering bears.

The sound drives the bears away from you

If you like to be alone in nature, I suggest you buy a pair of batons to accompany you on your walk, unless you want to sing along the way. Thanks to the sound you make, the bears will realize that you are approaching and will move away from you. Otherwise, if a bear wakes up when he hears your footsteps close to his ear, he may attack you to protect himself if he does not run away.

stay calm, don't run away

We can say that bears have similar motives just as we humans chase the escaped one. Seeing a human running away will increase the bear's interest. So it's wise to go back in the direction you came from, with a calm but confident stride, throwing food around if possible to distract the bear.

We Were Not Protected From The Bears And We Met!


Unfortunately, the items are not written in any book, saying that these should be done when faced with a bear, they should never be done. At the beginning of our article, I said that some people label bears as "unknown animals". As someone who has experienced with bears before, I will convey possible reactions and information to be done when a bear is encountered.

What to Do When Encountering a Bear

When confronted with the bear, you will most likely both start running in opposite directions.

If you are in the bear's habitat, the chances of escaping are slightly weakened, the bear gets on its feet and reacts to you. Remember that bears run faster than humans, swim faster and climb higher. For this reason, there is no chance of escaping, unfortunately! In this case, raise your hands in the air and shout loudly, "Get out of here". The bear will start to run away, afraid of you.


If you encounter a bear in a period when it is a habitat and cub, the possibility of the bear running away becomes very weak, and it will react to you by standing up in the same way. If he starts to sweep the floor to the right and left with his forearms; This is a sign that you are about to attack. I mentioned that you have a very low chance of escaping, so lie face down where you need to do it and protect your neck and head area with your hands, stay as still as possible. Once the bear has stopped attacking you, it may spy on you for a while, so don't stay on your feet until you're sure it's gone, or it will attack again.

After the attack, if possible, call the Gendarmerie on 156 or AFAD on 122 and seek help. Make sure you report your injury so that they can contact 112. Do not leave your place until the rescue teams arrive
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