It was a windy day and hidden down along the banks of the river, two boys enjoyed some fishing...for awhile. The sow could not smell them and the boys could not see her as she made a quiet journey with her young down the trail. The sow stops at the top of the river bank, stands on her hind legs, and exerts this unearthly sound. She retreats forward only to display a fake charge. The two boys scramble up the bank of loose dirt and rocks, their faces white and full of terror. Swiftly, the sow and three cubs swim across the river, turning to us as if to say, heed my warning. I watch as she paces back and forth, giving us spectators a grizzly evil eye. She slaps the ground with her paws and you can hear every deep grunt. She then gathers her cubs and disappears into the thick brush. The two boys were lucky and weren't hurt.
Some experts have said that bears do not growl. Well, maybe not growl like a dog but I heard this eerie roar first hand, sending chills down my spine. In most instances, bears will retreat when they sense humans but because the boys were downwind from her, she could not smell them. Startling a bear can be dangerous. When out enjoying the trails of the forest, always make plenty of noise and never hike alone. Bears usually will leave if they hear you coming. Sometimes, however, you may find yourself face to face with a bear. Here are some suggestions for encountering a bear. I carry pepper spray. Test the spray can at home first. A new study out finds that the aroma from the spray can actually attract a bear.
What about climbing a tree? Well, if you're athletic, it just may work but I wouldn't recommend it. Remember, black bears can climb trees and smaller grizzlies have also been known to climb. A husband and wife were camping in Yellowstone and the husband began screaming for his wife. She came out of the camper only to find her husband up a tree and a black bear below him. She ran inside, grabbed two pans, came back out and began to bang the pans together, hoping this would scare the bear away. It worked! The bear became so frightened that it climbed up the very tree her husband was in! When she finally quit making so much racket, the bear climbed down and left. Her husband finally came down too, unharmed.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Connie Troutman's Wildlife topic, please visit the Discussions page.