A bear on the trail

Seeing a bear on a hiking trail can be scary. Seeing a bear rushing toward you at full speed is downright scary. That’s what Sandra Hampton and Martin Lafrenière experienced a few weeks ago in New Hampshire.

The story ended well for the hikers, as well as for the bear, but their misadventure provides an opportunity to reread the code of good understanding between the outdoor enthusiast and the bear.

“It’s fantastic to write an article about this to raise awareness because there’s a lot of bullshit being said on social media,” says Sandra Hampton. “And there are people who might trust that.”

It was towards the end of July that Sandra, Martin and their friend Mike were preparing to climb Owl’s Head Mountain in New Hampshire. They saw a bear on the side of the trail, but it was not aggressive, limiting itself to foraging in the underbrush.

Coming down from the mountain, Sandra, Martin and Mike see the animal again and find it more threatening. They make noise, without succeeding in scaring it. Then, Cooper, the couple’s dog, starts barking. The bear does not appreciate this and charges towards the hikers. Martin Lafrenière leans on a small birch tree to make it bend and direct its branches at the bear’s face. The bear finally runs away.

“Over a period of a couple of weeks, we received multiple reports of what were likely the same young bears in the same area,” said Andrew Timmins, wildlife division supervisor for the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game. “Most of the encounters were benign.”

He believes the bear wasn’t really aggressive, but was exhibiting begging behavior. Normally, bears avoid humans and quickly run away if they hear or see them. Not this one.

Cooper’s barking might have angered the bear.

“When a bear feels discomfort, a mock charge is a normal response,” Timmins said.

Fortunately, Cooper was on a leash and did not lunge toward the bear.

“I applaud the decision to keep the dog on a leash, Sandra’s group acted responsibly,” said Andrew Timmins. “A lot of people hike these trails without complete control over their dog. That’s when a simple bear encounter can turn into something much more serious.”

So what do you do if you see a bear on the trail?

“You can just sit back and let the bear wander around,” Timmins says. “Or you can make some noise to alert it to your presence. It doesn’t have to be loud or aggressive.”

Banging the walking poles together works great.

“Bears don’t like the sound of metal on metal.”

If the bear does not leave, or heads toward the hikers, it is time to increase the decibel level a little, but not too much.

“We recommend backing away while maintaining eye contact with the bear and addressing it in a moderate voice.”

If the bear persists, you can start throwing sticks and stones in its direction.

Andrew Timmins has no problem carrying pepper spray, but he has a caveat.

“If you’re not paying attention to the wind direction or the presence of other people around you, you can spray yourself or others in the eyes.”

And of course, you should never throw food at the bear in the hope of distracting it. You should also be careful not to create a connection between humans and food in the animal’s mind by being careless during camping trips.

“We recommend putting food in bear barrels or hanging it up.”

Sandra and Martin’s bear seems to have disappeared from the radar screens in recent weeks, much to Andrew Timmins’ delight. If he had continued to cause trouble, authorities would have tried to scare him off seriously, before turning to more drastic solutions.

Mr. Timmins also points out that the bear hunting season has just begun. And a bear that is used to humans and not very fearful is probably the first to appear on the hunting list.