You might think that people often joke about ending up in a possible bear attack. Multiple statistics show that the bear attacks are among the top threats to Americans today. It is always crucial that you end up being prepared to handle any bear attack that might arise. The bears, which often look cute might just end up being killing machines if you end up standing in their way. It is not as if the bear attacks would happen each day, but there is no shame in being prepared to handle them as they happen.
It is not just about surviving the attack from a bear; you have to know also the type of bear that is attacking you. It is only after knowing the bear type that you can know how to survive a bear attack easily.
When it comes to types, we have the grizzly bear and the black bear. By now, you should already be knowing that the grizzly bear is the worst you can encounter.
What to do if you see a Grizzly Bear
You would find it mostly looking brown in color. It also has a shoulder hump that distinguishes it from the other type of bears. It normally has enough muscle to dig up the roots and still slash its prey with the massive paws it has got.
What you will need
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Bear pepper spray
Procedure
1. Get yourself a bear pepper spray
You might think it is a joke, but such pepper spray actually exists. The work of such a pepper spray is to help with making sure you can end up surviving the grizzly bear attack. It is common to find that the experts would recommend that the hikers end up carrying the pepper spray with them if they have to hike in a country with bears.
The bear pepper spray would mostly contain the capsaicin component. This component will easily stop the bear from approaching further to your location. This should give you enough time to decide the next move.
2. Do not run as the first defense
Sometimes adrenaline might kick in and your first instinct would be running away from the bear. The bear might think you are its prey if you start running. As much as it might be scary not to run, you have to stay put always. Do not for a moment think that you can easily outrun the bear. The bears can reach high speeds of about 30 mph.
3. Lay on the ground, assuming a fetal position
Still, you might think that running is great, but laying on the ground is another way of playing psychology with the bear. Sometimes you might lack the pepper spray, so the best option would be assuming the fetal position on the ground. The worst can be when you have sprayed the bear with the pepper, but it is still charging towards you. The best option in such a case would be hitting the ground and curl yourself into to assume a fetal position. In such a position, you should be covering the back of the neck with hands.
4. Time to play dead
The bear would stop attacking you so long as you get to prove that you are not a problem. This means that you get to play dead for a while just to fool the bear from attacking you any further. Even when the bear tries to toss you around, make sure that you remain still at all times. Keep on playing dead as the grizzly bear would wait and watch if you might get up. The mistake would be for you to get up as it will come charging again.
Below is an additional video that should help with surviving an attack from a bear.
What to do if you see a Black Bear
The black bears can have a color between black and sometimes light blond. The easiest way to identify them rather than the color is that they lack humps. They are also usually smaller in size than the Grizzlies.
What you will need
- Bear pepper spray
- Long stick
Procedure
1. Use the pepper spray
Whenever you end up in a situation with a bear attacking, it does not matter the type as the pepper spray would still do the job. Do not let the bear get closer before you can start spraying. The pepper spray will help stop the bear from approaching your location even further. It will also confuse it giving you a chance for you to escape. It is important that you use the one mostly recommended by many experts. You do not want to leave the bear blind or with additional complications. The work of the pepper spray is just to incapacitate it for a while and nothing more.
2. Notice the bluff charge
The black bears are not as charging as the grizzly bears. They sometimes make a bluff charge just to see what is your reaction before they can fully charge. The trick is to show it that you can also stay put. When you decide to stay put, make sure to make a lot of noise too. It would see that you are also fierce. If you are lucky, then you would end up having the bear lose interest in charging towards you. Well, you would not do the same thing when it comes to the grizzly bears as you might end up charging it further.
3. No climbing of trees
The worst you can do is to climb the trees. The black bears are known to be quite good at climbing trees too. You might end up in a situation where the tree might not be of much help. The worst can be when you are not used to climbing the trees in the first place. You should instead opt for other defenses as mentioned in this guide to help you with overcoming the black bear attack.
4. Time to fight back the bear
If the bear insists on attacking you, it is time that you fought back too. The idea is to make sure that you use a long stick to fight it. Give it your all making sure that the bear knows that you can take the fight to it too. With your stick, aim for the face most of the time. This should incapacitate it, as it will also try to protect its face. The black bears often give up easily whenever they see that the person is willing to keep on fighting for longer.
Conclusion
Now that you have learned about how to survive an attack from a bear, it does mean that you go out there and look for trouble. The aim of the guide is to prepare you just in case you intend to hike in places with bears. As you can see, the mentioned tools can easily be found in a store close to the hiking park. You should be ready to deal with any unforeseen bear attacks while outdoors enjoying yourself.
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