Bears
We want your visit to the Mendocino National Forest to be a pleasant experience. You can help by understanding that you are visiting the home of many wildlife creatures. Some of these are bears. As in many areas where wildlife and humans come into contact with one another, there have been some problems with bears in a few campgrounds, especially in the Hammerhorn Lake area on the Covelo Ranger District and the Lake Pillsbury area on the Upper Lake Ranger District.
Forest visitors have generated most of the problems by not understanding that if you feed bears, it encourages them to venture into camping sites where they can be very destructive. Feeding bears also causes them to lose their fear of humans, which almost always causes the bear's death.
Encounters In The Field
If a bear is encountered, your actions can affect the outcome. You can provide options for both you and the bear by maintaining a safe distance and by acting in a manner that does not threaten the bear. A "cool" head is necessary to avert harm to yourself or the unnecessary killing of a bear. Shooting a bear often escalates the situation to a dangerous and unnecessary level.
If you encounter a bear, you should first try to back out of the situation. Keep calm, avoid direct eye contact, back up slowly and speak in a soft monotone. Never turn your back on the bear and never kneel. Most encounters end with the bear leaving at this point.
Never run, and do not climb a tree unless you have time to climb at least 10 feet before the bear reaches you. Remember, bears can run very fast. If you do have time to climb a tree, you may want to drop a non-food item, such as a camera, to distract the bear while you climb.
If a bear charges, stand your ground. Bears often "mock charge" or run past you. The bear may charge you several times before leaving the area. Shooting a bear when it is charging is not recommended. The bear almost always lives long enough to maul the shooter severely.
As a last resort, play dead. Curl into a ball, covering your neck and head with your hands and arms. If you have a backpack, leave it on as it will help protect your back. If the bear swats you, roll with it. Stay in a tucked position and do not try to look at the bear until you are sure it is gone. Many people have survived bear attacks using this tactic. Report all encounters, no matter how insignificant, and even if it is much later. Your report may prevent someone else from getting hurt.
Encounters in Camp
Bears that come into your camp are a completely different situation. They have chosen to approach you and have most likely become habituated to human food and garbage. These bears are dangerous because they are no longer avoiding confrontations with humans. It is important that you store your food properly. If the bear does not get a food reward, it will be more likely to leave quickly.
Stay calm, avoid direct eye contact and speak to the bear. Get to safety as quickly as possible by slowly backing out of the area while looking for suitable trees to climb. Climb a tree as high as you can since some bears can climb trees. Stay in the tree until you are sure the bear is gone.
If the bear attacks you in a campsite, fight back by punching, slapping or using any object available as a weapon. Try to evade the bear by climbing up a tree or onto a boulder. Playing dead will not work in this situation. The bear has made a conscious choice to attack you.
Before retiring for the night, note climbable trees in the area. Sleep in tents large enough to stack gear between you and the tent wall. If a bear attempts to enter your tent, there are spray repellents marketed for bear confrontations that may be useful.
Again, report the incident as soon as possible, even if the bear simply walks through the camp. We do not recommend that you remain in a campsite that has been visited by a bear.
Bear Behavior
Victims of bear attacks are often unaware of why they were attacked. Many attacks are caused by unexpected close encounters, where the bear has been surprised and feels threatened by human presence. A female with cubs will be especially aggressive and will defend her cubs from any perceived threat. Many attacks can be averted if the bear perceives a way out of the situation. Because bears do not have a spoken language, they rely heavily on body language and a variety of simple sounds to communicate their intent.
Understanding their "language" may help you to better understand a bear's intent and allow you to respond appropriately to an encounter.
Body Language
A bear that stands on its hind feet is investigating an unknown situation, this is not an aggressive posture and it simply means that the bear is unsure of what is in front of him. By standing on its hind feet it can get a better look and smell, and thus can better identify whatever is in front of it.
A bear that swings its head from side to side, or presents a side view of its body, is expressing a reluctance to charge. It is looking for a way out of the situation. If the bear looks at you directly and has its ears back, it is warning you that you are too close and it feels threatened. The bear may make a barking, woofing or moaning sound to further indicate its distress.
If the bear "pops" his jaws, the bear is very agitated and likely to charge. Charges are often a test of your resolve and are often "mock charges" where the bear stops short of you, veers off or runs right past you. A bear may mock charge many times before leaving.
A bear that does charge and knocks you down is attempting to remove a threat. The bear will use as much force as it believes is necessary to remove that threat. This is why lying down on the ground in a field encounter and playing dead is often the best thing to do in an attack situation.