I have been enthusiastically watching the fantastic new Yellowstone series on the tv. Last year I briefly hiked through some of the park giving me some memories that I will never forget. It is such a wild place filled with many interesting animals such as the Ursus arctos horribilis the Grizzly bear.

As part of my trip preparations I have been reading a book called Bear Attacks 'Their causes and avoidance' by Stephen Herrero which there is a book review of on this blog. Gripping reading and certainly a must for anyone who is going to hike through bear land such as little me.

I am fascinated by these creatures and realise the importance of strictly obeying bear safe techniques for hiking, camping and entering bear country. The bear demands respect and every effort should be made to protect it and the habitat it rules over. I am certainly no expert at this but I have a bit of experience from reading, talking to hikers, rangers and personal experience on the CDT last year.

Heres a quiz for you....my answers at the end

Write down your answers.......then check at the end

Just remember if you give the wrong answer you may very well become bear food!

Questions

1) You are hiking in a sparsely wooded area and see a mother 'grizz' with cubs a long way off say 500 yards away. The wind is in your face.......Do you.....

a) make noise, wave arms, and continue walking forwards hoping they see you and move on

b) remain still and wait for them to move off

c) continue walking forward silently to get a good photo

d) divert off the trail to increase the distance between you and them but continue on

2) You are in your tent in the middle of the night. A bear has entered the campsite and sniffs around...do you 

a) Put on your torch.....stick your head out the tent and holler to scare it off

b) Sit quietly holding your pepper spray and torch and wait to see what happens

c) Cover your head with your sleeping bag and try to go to sleep

d) Sing a song to entertain it

3) You come to a snaking part of trail and cross a stream....in front of you there is a bear...50 feet away...do you

a) make loud noise and clap your hands walking forward

b) remain still and see what it does?

c) slowly back away trying not to stare it in the eyes.....preparing your mace spray

4) Is it worth climbing a tree when a bear runs at you?

5) Should you fight back if attacked?

6) Can you get black grizzly bears?

7) Can you get brown black bears?

8) Do bears like honey?

9) Do bears eat grass?

10) Do bears do their thing in the woods?

How did you do? 1) d) or b)? 2) b) 3) c) 4) Not really 5) No play dead 6) Yes 7) Yes 8) Yes 9) Yes 10) Yes

Explanations

1) start with b) and then d). You should never approach a mother with cubs as this is potentially the most dangerous situation to be in. The wind in your face also means they will be unaware of you meaning the mother could suddenly charge on sight. The potential for attack is high..stay calm

2) start with b) and maybe add some prayers. You should have a clean tent, and campsite. Ideally the tent will not have been cooked in (ever!) and everything in the tent should be clean too..... anything with food smells or indeed any smells should be hung with the food....including clothes

3) c) This could be a bad situation but hopefully the bear will move off with your slow movements and non threatening posture. Avoid this occurence by making a lot of noise on the trail to warn bears you are there. Some experts advise Yodeling when hiking....seriously

4) If you can climb over 30 feet in about 3 seconds maybe? Remember they can run at around 30 miles an hour too if they want to ......and jump 10 to 15ft onto a tree from the ground.......if they want to. Some people have been pulled from trees

5) Play dead covering your head with your arms in this situation...hopefully it will not get to this...pepper spray may be a last resort. If the bear is in predatory mode....you should consider fighting back......as it is trying to eat you (very rare)

6) Yes...and you are best to assume it is a grizzly if you are unsure

7) Yes...they come in many shades....in fact there are many sub species of Black bear and black bears can be dangerous too

8) Yes they do....they forage for grubs and many other insect munchies are high on their wishlists

9) Plants make up a large percentage of a bears diet...including grass like plants

10) They do their stuff where ever they wish.....try and avoid stepping in it as it might attract another bear!

Whilst they are A list predator's, I should point out that bear attacks are still rare......always respect the animals and their environment.