One of the things that a hiker might enjoy spotting along the trail is different types of wildlife . While most are of the harmless variety, there are some that may not be as excited to see us. By following a couple of simple instructions, you can greatly reduce your chances of having an unpleasant encounter with large, potentially dangerous wild animals. For the most part, none of these animals see humans as a food source, unless they are starving or are sick. Nearly all the attacks from wild animals are when they feel threatened, especially if they are caring for young, guarding a food source, or if you startle them. Below is a list of some of the more common wild animals with which you may come in contact while on the trail, and what to do.
A mountain lion, also called a cougar.
The mountain lion, also known as a cougar, is found in the western United States, from as far north as Alaska down to southern California. The mountain lion’s normal range goes as far east as Colorado, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and also parts of west Texas, but have been spotted as far as Wisconsin and Illinois. A male mountain lion can weigh between 115-220 pounds, while a female weighs between 64-141 pounds. They are primarily ambush predators, which means that they prefer to sit and wait in a concealed spot and then attack. A mountain lion will typically avoid contact with adult humans unless it is starving, sick, or wounded.
I’ve had two encounters with mountain lions in all of my times hiking. Both got the adrenaline pumping. In one instance I was about 15 feet away from one, and managed to scare it off. (I was coming out of my tent at about 4am, and he was in our campsite.) I was panning my flashlight across the campsite, and boom, there it was. I scared it off with minimum effort, probably because I looked pretty scary myself after just waking up. On the second encounter, I never even saw the cougar, but I knew it was there. I made the mistake of hiking by myself, which I didn’t think was a big deal because I’d been on this trail several times before with others, and had never had any problems. However, this time, I could sense a creepy feeling of being watched. It made my hair stand on end. For the next 20 minutes while hiking, I had my knife drawn and in my hand, and I could feel myself still being watched, but I couldn’t see it. The feeling gradually went away, but when I made my way back down the same trail I had come up a couple of hours before, I found cougar tracks on top of my footprints going up the trail. Scary! That was the last time I went on even a short, popular hike by myself. Also, I would recommend not taking small children on hikes in remote cougar country. Small children are much more enticing to mountain lions due to their size.
If you see a mountain lion, don’t approach it. Don’t ever run from it. EVER. That will most likely trigger it’s chase reflex, and a mountain lion is faster than a human, so you won’t outrun one. Instead, this is one animal you want to make eye contact with, and retreat slowly while facing the mountain lion. Most often times, a sighting ends with the mountain lion bounding away into the woods. If that is the case, I would recommend not continuing the hike, especially if you have small children with you. Now if the mountain lion does approach, once again, don’t run. Face the cougar and slowly retreat. Don’t crouch down. Make yourself appear as large as possible by waving your arms, opening up your jacket, being noisy, etc. If it continues to approach and comes after you, don’t roll into a ball and play dead, it will only see you as small prey. The cougar also prefers to attack the back of the head and neck, so protect that area as much as you can. To avoid that, face the cougar, and beat the tar out of it. Punch it repeatedly in the head, go for the eyes, hit it with a walking stick, stab it with a knife, use rocks or whatever is around. Not only do I always have a knife, but I have it on my belt so I have easy access to it in a situation like this.
Remember that mountain lions usually avoid confrontation, and that sightings are rare, and attacks are even more uncommon. But if the situation arises, you are now prepared, and you know how to respond to an encounter with a mountain lion.
The black bear
The black bear is the smaller of the two bears discussed in this post. It has a range from Alaska down to California, in the Cascades, Rockies, Tetons, and Appalachians. They are also found in Florida and Arkansas, from north Georgia all the way up to Maine. The weight and size of the black bear can vary depending what part of the United States you’re in. Adult male black bears typically weigh between 150-500 pounds, although they have found some over 750 pounds. Female adult black bears weigh between 90-370 pounds. While they are omnivores, the majority of their diet is vegetation, berries, roots, etc.
Even though they are called black bears, they can actually be an assortment of different colors, from black to dark brown, cinnamon, grayish brown, blond, and even black with a blue tint. Many also have a white patch under the chin on the neck. They are also differentiated from a grizzly bear (brown bear) by the absence of a shoulder hump, which all grizzly bears have.
The American black bear will typically avoid humans, and when given the opportunity will retreat into the forest. When there have been confrontations, it has mainly been when the bear is hungry, and/or has been habituated on the diet of human food from handouts, which unfortunately is common in several national parks. Black bears are not as ferociously protective of their cubs like the grizzly bear, but if you encounter any bear with cubs, back away and get out of the area. Compared to grizzly bear (brown bear) they are much smaller and much less aggressive. If you see a bear stand on its hind legs it doesn’t mean it is irritated or is about to charge. The bear is just wanting a to get a better look and a better scent. Now if you do encounter a black bear, these are the steps you need to take:
First of all, if you’re in black bear country carry bear spray, and have it on a holster attached to you belt for easy access. Know how to use it. The last thing you want to do is spray yourself in the face with it, or spray too soon. Only spray if you’re being charged. If you spot a black bear, and they don’t see you, quietly and slowly retreat, and avoid sudden movements. Talk in low, calm tones. If you’re close enough to see the bear clearly, and it spots you, talk calmly from a distance, to help avoid startling the bear, and don’t run. Avoid eye contact with the bear. It see this as a challenge.
If it is a black bear and it charges, once again, don’t run! Bears can run 35 mph. Don’t climb a tree either. Bears are excellent climbers. Stand your ground. Many times, he is doing a bluff charge, where he’ll charge and then stop short, or will turn at the last second and run past you. There have been different studies on what to do if charged by a black bear, and the general consensus, is that you should fight back against a black bear, don’t play dead. Now with a grizzly bear, (which we’ll discuss next) it’s recommended that you play dead, but with a black bear, it’s suggested that you be aggressive and fight. As the black bear charges, use your bear spray when the bear is within 40 feet of you and make a bear spray cloud, yet aim for the face. If he is still charging, hit it with whatever you have.
Black bear sighting are uncommon and attacks are even more rare. If you have properly researched your hiking trip, you’ll know if black bears are something that you’ll need to be prepared to address if needs be. So if you see a black bear on the trip, it shouldn’t surprise you, because you already knew that it was a possibility, and you’re ready.
The Grizzly
The American brown bear, more commonly known as the grizzly bear, is the largest bear in North America. They are differentiated from the black bear by a pronounced shoulder hump found on all grizzlies, but not on black bears. They are also much larger than black bears. The range of the grizzly bear is throughout Alaska and western Canada, along with most of Montana, and portions of Washington, Idaho, and in and around Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, located primarily in Wyoming.
Female grizzly bears weigh between 275-440 pounds, while male grizzlies weigh from 400-800 pounds, however grizzlies weighing over 1400 pounds have been recorded.
Grizzly bears are noted for being more aggressive when protecting kills and especially with a female grizzly bear with young cubs than black bears. Do not get closer than one-quarter mile of any bear, especially a grizzly. I would turning back returning where you came from if you spot one. A quarter-mile is still too close for me. A man in Denali National Park in Alaska was killed by a 600 pound grizzly bear in August of 2012, when he was snapping photos of the grizzly while standing only 120 feet away from it. They do not see humans as prey. However, if startled, provoked, or disturbed in any way, they will attack.
When hiking in an area known to be inhabited by bears, look for signs of its presence, such as scratched up tree trunks, fresh bear scat (poo), etc. I would suggest leaving the area if you see fresh signs of bear. If you encounter a grizzly bear, hopefully you’re a long distance from one, but if you’re not, don’t make eye contact with it, don’t turn your back, and slowly retreat, talking in a low voice. Loud sounds or noises, may only provoke it to charge. Do not run or try to climb a tree, that can trigger the chase instinct. Hopefully you are prepared by carrying bear spray with you. Get it out, but only use it if he charges, and the closer he is to you when you discharge the spray, the better chance you have of effectively hitting the bear with it. Stand your ground, and when he is within 25 feet, fire away. There have been case studies regarding grizzly attacks, and whether a gun or bear spray is better to use. It is overwhelmingly bear spray. If he continues to charge and attack, your strategy with a grizzly bear is different from that of a black bear. While you are encouraged to fight back against a black bear, a grizzly bear can be twice as large as a black bear, so either roll into a ball or lie flat on the ground, covering the vital parts of your body (head and neck), and play dead. Don’t yell and scream. Most attacks are from bears being defensive, so lying motionless can help the bear think that the threat is gone. Once the bear has left, try to remain calm and go for help and report the attack to the park or proper authorities. However, some grizzlies may continue to attack, at this point, playing dead hasn’t worked in this situation, so try to fight back, using whatever you have to hit the bear in the face to hopefully cause it to break off the attack.
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf is found in the northwest United States, primarily in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Glacier National Parks, and throughout all of Alaska. Adult males can weigh up to 100 pounds and females around 80. They are about the size of a German Shepherd. You many never see a wolf, or a pack of wolves. Once again, with any wild animal you encounter, don’t run from it. Running triggers the chase instinct. Wolves rarely attack humans, they normally take off running when they spot humans. If one does attack, fight back. If it is a pack of wolves, lets hope you’re not alone, and that you have a weapon to use.
A bull moose
It might be unusual to see a picture of moose matched up with all the above animals that all have a fearsome reputation, but don’t be fooled, a moose is a force to be reckoned with.
The moose is notorious for being very temperamental and aggressive for no perceived reason. A bull moose can weigh between 840 to 1,500 pounds, and can be nearly 7 feet tall, while a cow (female moose) can weigh 440 to 800 pounds.
The are found in all of Canada, and in the northern states that border Canada, and into Utah and Wyoming.
More people are injured by moose than by bears and wolves combined! Moose are the most active around dusk and dawn, and are the most aggressive in the early summer when the cows are raising their calves. They are extremely protective of their offspring. If you see a moose with young calves, steer clear of her. Also, during the fall is the mating season for the moose. The bull moose may see you as a threat to steal his prospective mates.
If confronted by an aggressive moose and it begins to charge, try and be calm, back away, talk softly, do not yell. Their main objective is to scare you off. Hide behind a large tree if possible. If the moose does knock you to the ground protect your head and neck. They usually strike with their front or back legs. There have been some studies that recommend running away from a moose as a good option. The moose does not see you as lunch as some other wild animals might. He just wants you to get away from him.
