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The Good, the Bad, and the Grizzly
What to Do if You Encounter a Bear

Before visiting Yellowstone National Park or “bear country” familiarize yourself with safety precautions in order to avoid bear encounters. “Run for your life” may seem like common sense if a grizzly approaches you, but such action is highly unlikely to foil an attack. The recommended steps are not easy to follow, but they offer the best chance for survival. Here’s what the experts say:

If you encounter a grizzly, do not run.

Avoid direct eye contact.

Walk away slowly, if the bear is not approaching.

If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it).

Don’t scream or yell. Speak in a soft monotone voice and wave your arms to let the animal know you are human. If you have pepper spray, prepare to use it.

If the grizzly charges to within 25 feet of where you’re standing, use the spray.

If the animal makes contact, curl up into a ball on your side, or lie flat on your stomach.

Try not to panic; remain as quiet as possible until the attack ends.

While in bear country, be aware that you may encounter a bear at any time.

Be sure the bear has left the area before getting up to seek help.


While in bear country, be aware that you may encounter a bear at any time.

Some other interesting things about grizzlies:

  • Most human injuries from grizzly bears are caused by females acting aggressively to protect their young.
  • Grizzlies are omnivores; they will eat almost anything. Although a large part of their diet is vegetation, grizzlies will also kill and eat large and small animals.
  • Fewer than 1,100 grizzlies exist in the lower 48 states, in 5 populations in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. An estimated 500 to 600 grizzlies populate the Greater Yellowstone area.
  • Grizzlies are North America’s slowest reproducing land mammal. A female may not have her first litter until she is 5 or 6 years old, after which she will then typically produce two cubs every 2.5 years. Cubs from the same litter can be from different fathers. Grizzlies have a natural life span of 30 years or more.
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53 comments

#1

06/18/2008 :: 02:41:04 PM
daniel Says:

“If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it).”

I can’t imagine the act of will required to do this.

#2

07/18/2008 :: 05:54:38 AM
David Whittingham Says:

Fewer than 1,100 grizzlies exist in the lower 48 states.
How does this compare to the number of humans?

#3

07/19/2008 :: 02:00:44 AM
Rick Says:

grizzlies are not like black bears, in the fact, they won’t actively hunt you. They are protective and territorial.

#4

07/21/2008 :: 08:53:27 PM
sonia pace Says:

where are they to go humens seem to keep takening the land

#5

07/28/2008 :: 07:08:00 PM
HA Says:

those damn humens and their takening of things!

kill the humens!

#6

07/29/2008 :: 10:13:42 AM
Brent Says:

He-llo Hu-men! Do you want to play hu-men tetherball?

#7

07/29/2008 :: 10:14:05 AM
Lance Says:

Can bears climb trees? I would climb a tree and then if it tried to pursue me up the tree I’d kick it in the face from above, how’s that for survival tactics.

#8

07/29/2008 :: 10:15:26 AM
TommyMac Says:

And don’t forget, they’ll steal your pic-a-nic baskett

#9

07/29/2008 :: 10:21:28 AM
Matt Says:

Just get one of these… http://www.waspknife.com/

#10

07/29/2008 :: 10:26:53 AM
bpg131313 Says:

I’ve actually had a black bear charge me in Washington State. I already knew about standing still and was sure to avert my eyes. The bear actually stopped the charge a few feet away from me and sniffed me. I didn’t wave my arms as the article suggested, nor did I speak in a monotone. I remained motionless and quiet. The bear grunted a few times, bounced it’s front legs up and down a few times, but eventually left without ever touching me.

That said, I’d rather encounter a Grizzly before encountering another black bear or worse still, a Cougar.

#11

07/29/2008 :: 10:28:06 AM
Darren Steele Says:

Alternatively you could just move to England [ or Ireland, Scotland or Wales if you really had to ] and about the scariest thing you’ll run into is a drunken teenager with a knife….has anybody wrote a piece on surviving a drunken british teenage knife attack?

http://www.steeley.co.uk

#12

07/29/2008 :: 10:33:42 AM
G.Adams Says:

With brown bears, 6 hollowpoint shots from a 44 Ruger Magnum takes care of the problem. Never ran into a grizzly, so I have no knowledge of what to use.

#13

07/29/2008 :: 10:37:38 AM
BRad Coughlin Says:

If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it). — Its not the bear that i have to outrun, but rather the other guys i am camping with.

#14

07/29/2008 :: 10:43:32 AM
Mikeroe Says:

Oh man…Lance, that is about the best comment ever!!

“Can bears climb trees? I would climb a tree and then if it tried to pursue me up the tree I’d kick it in the face from above, how’s that for survival tactics.”

Dude, that’s awesome! Why didn’t anyone ever think of that!

Seriously…climbing a tree and kicking a grizzly in the face?? You nuts? The bear would either climb the tree and rip your foot off with it’s 200lb arm and 4 inch claws. Or, if the tree was too small to climb, it would simply knock it down.

Climb a tree and kick a grizzly in the face…unreal…

#15

07/29/2008 :: 10:44:40 AM
Ron Says:

To #7 “Can bears climb trees?” Yes the can climb trees very well, and they are excellent swimmers as well. The speed of a male grizzly is 30 MPH.

#16

07/29/2008 :: 10:56:44 AM
Pon Zew Says:

“With brown bears, 6 hollowpoint shots from a 44 Ruger Magnum takes care of the problem. Never ran into a grizzly, so I have no knowledge of what to use.”

Brown bears are Grizzlies. Black bears are the other kind in North America.

#17

07/29/2008 :: 10:58:29 AM
Caitlin Says:

“If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it).”

I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children.

#18

07/29/2008 :: 11:18:11 AM
Bryan Says:

What about kiss your sorry ass goodbye?

#19

07/29/2008 :: 11:31:56 AM
max Says:

“Grizzlies are North America’s slowest reproducing land mammal. A female may not have her first litter until she is 5 or 6 years old…”

Aren’t we forgetting humans?

#20

07/29/2008 :: 11:32:49 AM
Jonathan Says:

If you have to run, run downhill. Bears are so fast that they’ll actually trip and fall past you.

#21

07/29/2008 :: 11:35:10 AM
maggie Says:

I love how the first thing some people think about is how to “kill” the bear; how many bullets it takes to kill a brown bear. I think people need to start realizing that when they enter any wilderness inhabited by wild animals such as bears, cougars, etc. they are at the mercy of these great animals. If people think they need a gun, because they are so afraid of a bear attack, then stay out of the forest and go back to the city.

#22

07/29/2008 :: 11:39:35 AM
Fhin Says:

Bears eat beats!!!

Bears, Beats, Battlestar Galactica.

#23

07/29/2008 :: 11:40:58 AM
Hobbes Says:

I’ve been close to bears in the woods, and I’ve been in some bad parts of Baltimore. I was less worried when I was with the bears.

#24

07/29/2008 :: 11:41:25 AM
Fhin Says:

*beets

#25

07/29/2008 :: 11:41:53 AM
maggie Says:

To #16

Actually brown bears and grizzlies are not the same. Brown bears are actually bigger than grizzlies, and have a more pronounced hump on their upper shoulders. Alaska is home to both grizzlies and browns. As far as I know, there are no browns in the other states.

#26

07/29/2008 :: 11:45:02 AM
WhoopWham Says:

“Can bears climb trees? I would climb a tree and then if it tried to pursue me up the tree I’d kick it in the face from above, how’s that for survival tactics.”

As stupid as it sounds, it actually makes sense. If you’re choice is to climb a tree and kick the bear in the face as defense, aim for the nose. A hit to the nose for a bear is said to be 10,000X more painful than a man getting hit in the nuts.

I couldn’t begin to imagine that kind of pain…

#27

07/29/2008 :: 11:46:07 AM
tanakvagu Says:

hi bryan..i think its funny

#28

07/29/2008 :: 11:47:16 AM
antimaggie Says:

to maggie:

High talk, wait until your kid is being charged by a grizzly and let’s see where your “Tread Lightly” rhetoric is located. I Bet you’d want to have some way to protect them. I’m sure you’d consider that pepper spray woefully inadequate then.

#29

07/29/2008 :: 11:49:15 AM
David Says:

“If the bear charges, stand your ground (you cannot outrun it).”
You need to be mentally veeeery strong to do this. Nice advices!

http://www.nanomedicinecenter.com

#30

07/29/2008 :: 11:57:34 AM
Eric Says:

If the bear charges, stand your ground and shoot. Believe or not you are more important than the bear. If you feel guilty after killing the bear and you think that you should have gotten mauled or killed. You can donate money or time to protect and preserve animals.

#31

07/29/2008 :: 12:07:38 PM
Hey boo-boo, wanna grab me that pic-a-nic basket? « O, teh interwebz! Says:

[...] in the wild will be much more… moody… than good ol’ Yogi.  So, here are some tips! No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI [...]

#32

07/29/2008 :: 12:08:52 PM
Not Worried Says:

I’m not worried. The bear would just eat Maggie first.

#33

07/29/2008 :: 12:21:27 PM
Eric Says:

I think Maggie would love to be “at the mercy of these great animals”. It would be a honor for her to be eaten. The concern she has about the amount to bullets it takes to kill a bear is laughable. Just go into the woods with a large caliber firearm and 1 well placed shot and a bear will drop like a rock. If your a poor shot empty the firearm and kick the bear several times. Start a fire and eat some well deserved bear meat. Also drop a chunk of at Maggie’s house.

#34

07/29/2008 :: 12:32:33 PM
Rowan Says:

Lance(#7) and Jonathan (#20) are the “real deal” when it comes to outdoor surivival. Perhaps they saw these evasive manuevers in the movies.
Like previously posted, you would only have to outrun the idiot playing Kick The Bear In The Face or the other fool playing Trip The Grizzly Bear.
Oh, and grizzlys ARE brown bears, as are kodiaks.

#35

07/29/2008 :: 12:53:03 PM
Deliggit.com | The social sites' most interesting urls Says:

What to Do if You Encounter a Bear | Deliggit.com…

\r\nRun for your life? may seem like common sense if a grizzly approaches you, but such actio…

#36

07/29/2008 :: 12:58:04 PM
Mobius Says:

I grew up in the Smoky Mountains, right at the edge of the park, and there are loads of black bears. Never once did I hear of one “hunting” anyone, as suggested above. Plenty of people hunted them, and in the summer boneheaded tourists fed them, and even under that circumstance hardly ever was anyone injured …

#37

07/29/2008 :: 01:08:01 PM
sweetmoses Says:

Begs the question…what CAN beat up a bear?

#38

07/29/2008 :: 01:23:49 PM
Charlie Says:

Wait a minute .. do I have to know what KIND of bear is about to kill me?

#39

07/29/2008 :: 01:55:10 PM
GARYB Says:

What should a bear do when it encounters a human?

#40

07/29/2008 :: 02:01:48 PM
chicagorado Says:

@ #20, The reason a bear tumbles downhill is their front legs are smaller and weaker than their back legs and cannot support their body weight at a steep downward angle. I don’t think it has much to do with how fast they are.

#41

07/29/2008 :: 02:33:48 PM
Jay Gaulard Blog » Blog Archive » Wind Power, Bad Science, Bears, Cars and Cheap Energy Says:

[...] What to Do if You Encounter a Bear [...]

#42

07/29/2008 :: 02:44:42 PM
The Good, the Bad, and the Grizzly Says:

[...] here for the full article. Uncategorized Subscribe to RSS feed Leave a [...]

#43

07/29/2008 :: 02:57:31 PM
Doug McFall Says:

I once woke up on the river bar with a black bear between us and our boat. My brother stood up and yelled at it and it stood up and yelled back. Finally it seemed to get bored and dropped back down on its feet, waded into the Klamath and pulled out a steelhead with one foot, waded back out, and ate. If I had known urban-speak at the time I would have told my brother “He’s clowning us”.

#44

07/29/2008 :: 03:41:34 PM
bobthebuilder Says:

“Grizzlies are North America’s slowest reproducing land mammal. A female may not have her first litter until she is 5 or 6 years old”

I guess humans are not land mammals???

#45

07/29/2008 :: 03:49:27 PM
Dunston Says:

If a bear charges you, get behind a tree. If the bear goees around the tree, you go around the tree. IF the Bear rears up - this is your opportunity to turn the tables in your favor - before the bear can swipe, rush in and kick the bear in teh nutz.

#46

07/29/2008 :: 08:01:55 PM
Joe Says:

This one time at the band camp I was attacked by a black bear while picking up berries. He slapped me a couple of times after I got really mad and decided to break his arm. I learned how to do an arm bar from the UFC fights that ended up saving my life. Right after that every single bear was scared of me. I don’t fear bears anymore.

#47

07/29/2008 :: 10:37:47 PM
jackson Says:

great information. I’m going camping in Denali this week. I love how its the complete opposite for black bears though!

#48

07/30/2008 :: 07:46:37 AM
Jack Says:

If you are going to woods.BRING shotgun!!! =)

#49

07/30/2008 :: 11:58:23 AM
Brill Says:

a lot of comments on Brown, Grizzly and Black Bears.

In Ontario we have a smaller bear that we call a “brown bear”. They may not actually *be* brown bears… but that’s what we call them.

They are not as aggressive and you don’t hear much in the way of attacks on humans (although they are still large enough for it). You can typically seem them in towns with forest around them or at garbage dumps.

#50

07/30/2008 :: 09:09:45 PM
Mobius Says:

Something clarifying the difference between grizzlies and black bears. Be sure and read to the end (you may have to cut and paste the link)…

http://www.outdooroddities.com/2008/07/23/grizzly-bear-warning-sign/

#51

07/31/2008 :: 03:51:32 AM
Dan Says:

A read a true story about two women who accidentally startled a mother grizzly. The bear began charging the women from across a field. The first woman climbed up into a tree. (Whether or not that would have deterred the grizzly is unknown.) The second woman ran to the base of the tree in time to climb the tree, but she was so scared that she could not lift her arms to climb even though the first woman was reaching down to help her and screaming for her to climb. The grizzly bear caught the second woman as she stood paralyzed under the tree… and ate her. Terribly sad, but true. Poor woman.

#52

08/01/2008 :: 11:26:34 AM
mggie Says:

There is a difference between grizzlies and Brown bears. Look it up.

Oh and since I’m already so loved on here, I thought I’d respond to the comment about my kids. If I had any I wouldn’t be taking them into bear country. To clear up any mis-understanding I just think people shouldn’t shoot first and think later - nine times out of ten the bear won’t attack and is just threatening, as in a mother bear.

#53

08/26/2008 :: 12:02:51 PM
Jeremy Says:

Brown bears, grizzly bears, and kodiak bears are all brown bears. All three are Ursus arctos. However grizzlies and kodiak are both sub-species, so grizzlies and kodiak are brown bears but brown bears aren’t grizzly or kodiak… So everyone is right. Hopefully that clears things up. Oh and I have been charged by a black bear, and to stand still is one of the hardest things to do in the world… it takes all the courage in you. Your first instinct is to run like hell. But I did stand still and raised my hands. Luckily it worked.

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