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Coexistence
Tips
 
The
Bear Necessities
Introduction
At
your home or ranch
At your campsite
Hiking and horsepacking
Hunting and fishing
In your community
If you need to report an incident
Get
Bear Smart certified!
Bears
and humans in the North Cascades -
tips for living, working and recreating
safely in bear country.
If
you spend time in the North Cascades and other rural areas of Washington, the
chances of seeing a black bear are quite high. You are much less likely to see a grizzly bear. Watching bears in their natural environment from a safe,
respectable distance can be thrilling – they are far more likely to enhance
your wilderness experience than spoil it.
Knowing how to interpret their behavior and act responsibly is part of the
thrill of sharing forests and mountains with wildlife.
Encounters
with aggressive bears are very rare - the vast majority of bears want to
avoid humans. Many thousands of people live, work, and recreate in
the bear country of Washington and many experience the excitement of seeing
bears, yet only one human fatality by a black bear and none by a grizzly bear have been recorded in Washington.
By
being responsible in bear country, you can help to ensure the safety of people and
bears. Sanitation and common sense are the keys to preventing problems.
Remember, food and odors attract bears. Carelessly stored human food, livestock
feed, garbage, and even barbeque grease and bird seed can attract bears and keep
them coming back. Do not allow a bear to get a food reward and associate that
reward with humans - you may endanger yourself and other people, and the outcome
is often a dead bear.
This
page describes simple ways to avoid conflicts with both grizzly bears and
black bears at your home, at your ranch, in your campground, or on a backcountry
trail.
At
your home or ranch
-
Do
not leave human food outside where bears can find it.
-
Avoid
the use of outdoor refrigerators. They
may attract bears.
-
Store
garbage indoors or in bear-resistant garbage cans.
-
Store
odorous food scraps such as fish and meat bones in the freezer until garbage
day.
-
Haul
garbage to a sanitary disposal site as frequently as possible to avoid
odors.
-
If
you have a pick-up service, put garbage out shortly before the truck
arrives, not the night before.
-
Keep
barbecue grills clean and free from grease. Store them inside, if possible.
-
Surround
beehives with electric fencing (at least 6000 volts) or elevate them on
platforms 15-20 feet off the ground.
-
Pick
fruit from trees on your property regularly. Clean up rotting fruit on the
ground around trees.
-
Enclose
compost bins with chain link or electric fencing (at least 6000 volts).
-
Don’t
put fish, meat, or fruit into your compost.
-
Use
lime in your compost to reduce odors.
-
Make
sure that bird feeders, birdseed, suet, and hummingbird mixes are not
accessible to a bear.
-
Consider
feeding birds only in winter months, when they need it most and when bears
are denned.
-
Keep
pets inside at night, if possible.
-
Make
livestock feed and pet food inaccessible to bears, especially at night.
-
Reduce
oat and pellet spillage by feeding livestock from buckets.
-
If
possible, haul dead livestock to a rendering plant or county landfill
immediately.
-
When
used, “boneyards” should be located well away from areas of human use.
Change the carcass disposal location frequently so that bears will not
habitually return to the same spot.
-
Use
electric fencing (at least 6000 volts) around livestock bedding grounds to
keep bears and other carnivores away.
-
Remember:
if bears have gotten into your garbage or livestock feed, remove the
attractant immediately. Repeated use of a site by bears is much harder to
stop than a single instance.
-
For
additional tips for your home, ranch and community, please see our Bear
Smart page.
-
Manufacturers
of bear resistant garbage cans:
Bear
Proof Containers
Bear
Proof Inc
Bear Saver
UnBearAble
Bins
A
Whatcom
County black bear checks out a bird feeder.
Photo courtesy of Jim Frick.
At
your campsite
Camp
setup
-
 First:
be aware of your surroundings – look at them from a bear’s
perspective. Investigate your site before setting up camp and then
establish a clean camp that is free from odors.
-
Avoid
camping next to trails or streams as bears and other wildlife use these as
travel routes.
-
Avoid
camping near natural bear food sources such as berries.
-
Never
camp near an animal carcass, garbage, or bear sign such as tracks, scat, or
tree scratchings.
-
Remember
the 100 yard rule: locate your cook area and food cache at least 100 yards
downwind from your tent.
-
Pitch
tents facing your cook area in case a bear enters camp from that direction.
Arrange tents so that a bear has a clear escape route out of camp.
-
Click
here for campground graphic.
Food
storage
-
Never
leave food unattended in your campsite, unless it is properly stored.
-
Do
not bring food or odorous non-food items into your tent. This includes
chocolate, candy, wrappers, toothpaste, perfume, deodorant, feminine
hygiene products, insect repellent, and lip balm.
-
Avoid
canned foods with strong odors such as tuna.
-
Place
food in bear-resistant storage containers (available at some campgrounds) or
store it in your vehicle.
-
Where
this is not possible, cache your food by placing it inside several layers of sealed plastic bags (to reduce
odor) and a stuff-sac (waterproof ‘dry-bags’ work well). Then hang it as
described below.
-
Find
two trees that are 20 feet apart and hang the bags between them using nylon cord and a carabiner.
Bags must be at least 15 feet from the ground. Some campgrounds
provide communal bear wires for this purpose.
-
If
two trees are not available, sling your bags over the branch of one tree.
Bags must be at least fifteen feet from the ground, five feet out
from the tree trunk, and five feet below any branch that can support a
bear's weight.
-
Don’t
forget! When caching your food and garbage you’ll need: 100 feet of strong
nylon accessory cord (1/8 inch minimum) and a carabiner to attach bags to
cord.
-
Remember
to hang pots, utensils, cosmetics, used feminine hygiene products,
toiletries, and any other odorous items with your food and garbage.
-
Another
option is a portable bear resistant food container (BRFC).
These can be borrowed from some National Park and Forest Service
offices, or purchased at outdoor recreation stores.
-
Livestock
feed should be stored in the same way as human food.
Cooking
-
Locate
your cooking area at least 100 yards downwind from your tent.
-
Never
cook or eat in your tent. Food
smells may attract bears and other wildlife.
-
Avoid
cooking greasy or odorous foods.
-
Wash
all dishes and cans immediately after eating. Wash the dishes and dump the
dishwater at least 100 yards from your campsite.
-
If
possible, remove the clothing you wore while cooking before going to sleep.
Store these clothes in your vehicle or with your food and garbage (see
above).
Garbage
disposal/storage
-
Never
leave garbage unattended, unless it is properly stored.
-
Do
not bury your garbage. Animals
will easily dig it up.
-
Garbage
should be deposited in bear-resistant garbage cans or stored in your vehicle
until it can be dumped.
-
Where
this is not possible, hang garbage in the same way as food (see above).
-
Remember:
“pack it in, pack it out”. This includes ALL garbage (including
biodegradable items such as fruit peel)
Hiking
and horse packing
-
Think
ahead and be prepared. It is possible to avoid a bear confrontation by being
knowledgeable and alert.
-
Travel
in a group and during daylight hours.
-
Talk
or sing songs as you walk, especially in dense brush where visibility is
limited, near running water, or when the wind is in your face. Bears may
feel threatened if surprised. Your voice will help a bear to identify you as
human. If a bear hears you coming, it will usually avoid you.
-
Learn
about and watch for bear sign. Overturned rocks or broken-up, rotten logs
can be a sign that a bear has been foraging for grubs or insects. Claw marks
on trees, scats, tracks in the dirt or snow, berries on the ground, plant
root diggings, or fur on the bark of trees are all signs that a bear has
been in the area.
-
Stay
away from abundant food sources and dead animals. Bears may be foraging in
the area or protecting a carcass.
-
Avoid
wearing scented cosmetics and hair products.
-
Keep
dogs on a leash and under control. Dogs may fight with bears and lead them
back to you.
-
Never
approach or feed a bear, or any other wildlife.
-
Consider
carrying a bear pepper spray as a bear deterrent. It may help in an
encounter with a potentially aggressive bear.
Hunting
and fishing
-
Follow
the guidelines for campers, hikers, and horse packers. Be alert at all
times.
-
If
you kill a game animal, immediately field dress the animal and move the
carcass at least 100 yards from the gut pile.
-
If
you must leave the carcass, hang it, in pieces if necessary, at least 15
feet from the ground. Leave the carcass where you can see it from a
distance. When you return to the carcass, observe it with binoculars from a
distance and make noise as you approach.
-
If
a bear has claimed the carcass, leave the area immediately and report the
incident to the proper authorities.
-
Don’t
leave fish entrails on shorelines of lakes and streams. Sink entrails deep
in water.
-
To
take a bear ID test, visit this site (not associated with GBOP) www.fwp.state.mt.us/bearid/default.htm
In
your community
-
Promote
the use of community bear resistant dumpsters.
-
Support
local businesses and families that take “bear smart” sanitation steps.
-
Encourage
the use of bear alert programs to share information on bear activity among
community members.
-
Strongly
discourage the feeding of bears by tourists or other residents.
-
Reduce
the availability of natural bear food sources in and around parks, schools,
and green spaces.
-
Encourage
bear safe design and management of trails, campgrounds, and parks.
-
For
additional tips for your home, ranch and community, please see our Bear
Smart page.
If
you need to report an incident
Please
report all grizzly bear observations and field sign to:
1-888-WOLF-BEAR
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