Be bear aware

Headed out to the woods? You should have it. Learn how to properly carry and deploy it here.

Bear spray basics

Research shows that deploying bear spray is by far the most effective method for changing a bear’s behavior during an encounter. It works 92% of the time. Other methods, including firearms, are much less effective.

What is bear spray?  

Bear spray contains a chemical compound that include capsaicin, the compound that make peppers spicy. It’s extremely painful when it comes into contact with the eyes, nose, throat, and skin.

How to carry bear spray 

Most situations that necessitate the use of bear spray are surprise encounters at close quarters. Because of this, you should always keep bear spray accessible. Think on your belt or the belly strap of a backpack.

Deploying bear spray 

When deployed, bear spray is expelled at 60-70 miles per hour. It expands and rises to create a cloud between you and a bear. It’s important to spray toward the ground in front of a charging bear (at its paws) to ensure the gas has a chance to rise and expand. The range of bear spray can vary. Refer to the manufacturer’s label for details. 

Recreating safely in bear country

Living and recreating in bear country are simple facts of life in Montana. Thankfully, bears generally want to avoid encounters with humans. By taking some simple steps, you can drastically reduce the chance of an unwanted encounter.  

Tips for avoiding a conflict 

Stay alert 

When your hearing or visibility are impaired, so are a bear’s.  

Travel in groups 

Stay close and in contact with the people you’re with. 

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Make noise 

Avoid surprises. Clapping, singing, and talking let a bear know you’re in the area.  

Carry bear spray 

Keep it accessible and know how to use it.  

Travel during the day 

Bears are most active at dusk, dawn, and night.  

Avoid carcasses 

Bears are attracted to them and will protect their resources.  

Camping 

Keep a clean camp 

Don’t leave food, garbage, or other attractants unattended, even for a short period of time. Store these items in accordance with the Food Storage Order if you are more than 100 feet away or do not have a clear line of sight to the items. 

Be mindful of scents 

Don’t burn food scraps, garbage, or other items with odors in your campfire. Never leave food, garbage, or other odorous items (toothpaste, perfume, pet food, etc.) in your tent or sleep with these items in your tent. 

Never feed bears  

Or any other wildlife—even if you think you’re helping. Habituating animals to human food sources poses a huge danger to their safety, and yours.  

Find the right campsite 

Select a campsite away from animal trails, thick brush, and food sources such as berry patches and streams where fish are actively spawning. 

Hunting 

Hunters account for a large number of bear conflicts each year. The very nature of the activity—moving quietly through the woods and the possibility of a carcasses—ensures this. But you can still take steps to stay safe while you’re using stealth to navigate the forest. 

Carry bear spray 

Like any other activity, carry bear spray and keep it handy. A quiet, off-trail walk at dawn is the perfect time way to surprise a bear. Bows and firearms are less effective at changing a bear’s behavior and there’s no reason to wound or kill an animal unnecessarily.  

Carcass management 

If you’re skilled or lucky enough (either will work) to harvest an animal in the forest, bear safety becomes an immediate concern. Both at the location of the kill and back at camp, adhering to the following guidelines will help you take your harvest home safely. 

In the field 

For both preservation and safety reasons, the goal is always to remove an entire carcass or all the edible meat from a downed animal as quickly as possible. While you’re busy dressing, it’s best to move the meat approximately 100–150 yards away form the carcass and gut pile.  

Hanging overnight  

Sometimes, we don’t have the luxury of getting everything out before night falls. If you think that’s going to be the case, take a moment to look around and scout for options. You’re going to need to hang your meat. 

Preferably, you want to do so in a fairly open area, where you’ll have site lines the next day when you return. Hang everything at least 10 feet off of the ground, as far away from the trunk of a tree as you can, and four feet away from adjacent trees. And make sure you do so well away from the carcass (you’re already 100–150 yards away, right?).   

Retrieving your game 

The scent of the carcass, gut pile, and meat will often attract unwanted visitors. Hopefully you were able to hang everything in an area where you have the ability to sit and observe from a distance.  

Scan the area, looking for animals, movement in shrubs or bushes, and any sign that the area has been disturbed overnight. Surprising a bear who has claimed a carcass will often have deadly consequences. Never try to scare off a bear in this situation. If you see an animal or observe any sign of disturbance, get out of the area and contact Montana FWP.  

Back at camp 

Before you start to celebrate, make sure that your camp is clean and meat is stored properly. Carcasses and meat are subject to the forest food storage order, meaning they need to be in bear-proof coolers or hard-sided vehicles or trailers. Then you can sit back and relax, at least until it’s time to process at home. 

What to do when you encounter a bear

From seeing one in the distance to an up-close engagement, this is your guide to safely navigating an ursine encounter.   

Understanding bear behavior 

Bears communicate differently than we do. Knowing what a bear is trying to tell you can make you safer in an encounter. When you encounter a bear, behavior is influenced by numerous factors, including distance, whether cubs are near, and the presence of a food source. Knowing a few bear behaviors will help you know how to react when the situation arises.  

Averted eyes & face 

Most bears won’t looking directly at you for a prolonged period, which is a signal that they are trying to avoid direct confrontation. 

Yawning 

Unlike humans, when a bear yawns, it’s one of the initial signs that they’re feeling stress.

Standing 

It may be intimidating, but standing isn’t a sign of aggression or indicative of a charge. Instead, the bear is attempting to get a better look at you or its surroundings or catch your scent.  

Swatting at the ground, head shaking, drooling, moaning, tooth clacking, jaw popping, and huffing 

This means the situation has escalated. These noises and actions indicate that a bear is stressed by your presence and is agitated. These behaviors are intended to intimidate what the bear perceives as a threat. 

Bluff charge 

A bear may run toward you, sometimes in a stiff-legged fashion, with ears erect (as opposed to an attack, when the ears are laid back), and then veer off before making contact. This behavior is also intended to intimidate what the bear perceives is a threat.

Reactions by species 

Regardless of species, the presence of food, cubs, or a surprise can trigger an aggressive response from a bear. In general, however, black bears may be more likely to flee an encounter or climb a tree. Grizzly bears are more likely to stand their ground and confront a perceived threat. 

What to do in an encounter 

Your behavior matters and can affect what happens during an encounter. Pay close attention to a bear’s behavior and don’t make assumptions based on species. Never walk towards or approach a bear. And if things escalate, never run. 

If you see a bear at a distance but they don’t see you 

Refrain from making noise or alerting the bear to your presence. Move away quietly when the bear isn’t looking in your direction. Choose another place to hike or find a route downwind and out of sight of the bear to get around it if you decide to continue.

If you see a bear at a distance and the bear sees you 

Stand your ground and present yourself calmly. Get your bear spray out and be prepared to use it, while watching the bear’s behavior to determine what to do next. If the bear disengages or goes back to doing what it was doing or runs off, then slowly move away while the bear is not looking your direction. 

If the bear is agitated  

This is typically due to the presence of cubs or food or because of an unwanted surprise. If it appears ready to charge or charges, stand your ground. Bears are faster than any human and running will trigger predator-prey instinct. Immediately prepare your bear spray for use: remove the safety and be ready. Don’t shout, wave your hands, or make sudden movements; the bear may see you as more of a threat if you do these.  

If the bear charges 

Use your bear spray, aiming in front of the paws of the bear as it approaches. If the bear contacts you, lay face down on the ground with your legs spread shoulder-width apart. Interlace your fingers and hands behind your head and neck and stay quiet. Don’t get up until you’re sure the bear has left the area. 

If the bear is calm and slowly, purposefully, or methodically approaches you 

Stand your ground. Prepare your bear spray for use: remove the safety and be ready. Be aggressive and intimidating with a bear that shows this behavior. Shout, wave your hands, throw things, and present yourself as large as you can, vocally and physically. If the bear gets within range of your bear spray or charges, use it on the bear. If a bear that shows this behavior contacts you, fight back! 

Identifying bear species 

Identifying a bear’s species in the field can be difficult for the untrained eye. They’re both large and can be intimidating. There are a combination of factors we use to know if the bear we see is a grizzly. Grizzlies will have a pronounced shoulder hump, dished shaped facial profile, and rounder ears.

Don’t rely on size & color 

Black bear in Montana may also be brown, blonde, or cinnamon colored. Grizzlies can have blonde highlights or be dark brown or nearly black. Likewise, size can be deceiving. Although large male grizzlies can tip the scales around 600 pounds, adult female grizzly bears may occasionally weigh 200 pounds. That means that there can be considerable overlap between the size of bears of differing species, age, and gender.  

Bears in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest  

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest lies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest, nearly intact temperate zone ecosystems in the world. Within this unique ecosystem, wildlife is abundant, including bears. 

While black bears have always been plentiful in most of Montana, the story from grizzlies isn’t the same. Once a threatened species due to human predation, the grizzly bear population has grown, and their range has expanded since the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act. 

While once only found in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and a few select mountain ranges that surrounded them, grizzly bears are now reclaiming their natural habitat throughout much of Montana. People are seeing grizzlies in places they haven’t been seen in many years. 

Bear sign 

Knowing what to look for and how to identify bear sign can help remind you that you’re in bear habitat, and to be alert for their presence. Be sure to use your eyes as well as your sense of smell when surveying your surroundings.  

Tracks 

Bear tracks have five toes and claw marks are usually evident in the track. Front tracks are shorter while rear tracks are longer with a prominent heel similar to humans. The identification card above shows you how to identify what species of bear left a track based on its shape. 

Scat 

Bear scat looks similar in shape to that of a dog, although a bear’s scat changes based what it has been eating at any given time. Bears often pass entire berries, plant parts, and other particulate undigested in their scat. Typically, the larger the scat, the larger the bear. There is no way to tell whether a scat was left by a grizzly bear or black bear other than DNA. 

Rub trees 

Both black and grizzly bears create rub trees, usually along well-traveled areas. Scent and hair are deposited on rub trees to serve as signposts to other bears to tell them who is in the area.  

Digging 

Bears dig for ground squirrels, fungus, roots, and tubers in meadows and forested areas. They’ll also dig up caches of cones made by squirrels and rip apart rotting stumps and logs in search of ants and other insect larvae to eat. 

Cache sites 

Bears will cache food, especially carcasses from winter or hunter-killed animals. They cover carcasses with grass, dirt, or other debris to protect them from other bears and scavengers like ravens and coyotes. You may be able to smell a cached carcass before you see an out-of-place pile of dirt or scavengers. 

Motivated by food  

Bears are intelligent, curious, and have excellent memories, especially when it comes to food sources. Bears have 5–7 months to gain enough weight to sustain them through hibernation in winter. This means they are highly focused on finding and consuming food. Once a bear has associated a place or item with food, they will return to that location year after year. They will also seek out or investigate similar situations in the hopes of finding new food resources. 

Bears will protect food sources  

Some bears may actively defend concentrated or high-value food sources, such as carcasses or localized berry patches. In some parts of Montana, bears have learned to seek out and feed on game carcasses and gut piles left by hunters. It’s important to remember that if a bear is near a potential food source, you should always avoid the animal and leave them to feed.  

Packing on the pounds in the fall 

In the fall, when food sources become scarce and time for hibernation nears, bears may feed for as much as 20 hours a day. At that time of year bears may be so focused on finding and consuming food that they are less aware of their surroundings, including to the presence of humans in an area. During this hyperphagia (“extreme eating”) period it is especially important to be aware of your surroundings.  

Bashful but bold  

Bears will generally avoid humans if they can. Humans present a threat and a bear will often leave an area without us ever knowing they were there to avoid potential encounters. There are some situations that can cause bears to react to humans in an aggressive manner. If a bear is surprised in close quarters, has cubs present, is defending a food source, or is habituated to humans or human foods, a bear is more likely to respond forcefully. 

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Food Storage Order  

Forest Food Storage Order 02-00-22-02 covers the entire Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, and Lee Metcalf Wilderness.  

Keep yourself and our furry friends safe 

The purpose of food storage is to keep bears from accessing easy, high-calorie human food and associating humans with food or human developments as a place to find food. We want to keep our bears wild and healthy by reducing their ability to access human food and attractants. When bears can access human food regularly, it poses a threat to the safety of humans and the life of the bear.

How to store food at campsites  

There are a number of ways to ensure that your food, beverages, and other attractants are stored in compliance with the Food Storage Order. The most convenient way to store these items is in a hard-sided vehicle or trailer with all the windows closed. Another way is to use food storage containers provided for users at developed recreation sites or other approved products that are certified bear resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Hanging your attractants at least 10 feet above the ground and at least four feet away from adjacent trees is also an option.  

When you leave camp 

Because the Food Storage Order is intended to protect bears as well as humans, ensuring your camp is clean before you leave is important. Please ensure that the fire ring and surrounding area are free of trash and food particulate. Walk your campsite and pick up and micro-trash or dropped food items before leaving.  

Have questions? Give us a call.  

If you have questions about any aspect of the Food Storage Order, including information on how to comply, contact your local Forest Service Office. We also invite you to view and print a copy of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Food Storage Requirements flyer to take with you as a handy reference while you are out enjoying your National Forest.