So a black bear walks into a Subway restaurant and orders a cold cut combo… True story from Kitamat, B.C., where Rebecca Branton locked herself in the staff bathroom (great strategy) and the bear left the store without a bite to eat.
If you’re camping and a black bear gets too close for comfort, follow these steps:
- 1) Back away slowly, avoiding eye contact.
- 2) If it advances, look big, wave your arms and make noise. Stand your ground and group together.
- 3) Grab your bear spray. Canadian bear expert, Steve Herrero, found that it deterred aggressive bears in 92 per cent of cases.
- 4) If it attacks, fight back. Kick, punch, swing sticks and frying pans aiming for the bear’s eyes and snout—nobody, not even a black bear, likes a poke in the nose.
Discover 21 more survival tips in Canoeroots and Family Camping’s Late Summer 2010 issue. To read it, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
This photo was taken by Flickr user granada_turnier and licensed through Creative Commons.
