Thanks for sharing those words of wisdom, Pat. Stay safe.

Good question, Paul, and I won’t pretend to be an expert on grizzly or black bear behaviors, but I think some history of bear behaviors in places with high densities of bears and humans (the latter primarily along trail corridors and around infrastructure like roads), like Glacier National Park, illustrates this observation: Bears, like people, appear to react in individual ways to various noises, scents (that’s their main sense), or other animals, including people. I gave the example in this article (above) about a griz in Glacier that made no reaction to numerous times we blew our air horns. I’ve also seen many grizzlies flee at the mere sight/sound/scent)of us at a considerable distance. Some bears will become accustomed to the presence of people and neither flee nor react with alarm or violently.

My interpretation of all the evidence I’ve seen is that the answer is to create noise in any way possible: air horn, voice, whatever. Hopefully, the bear you encounter, or perhaps never even see, will head away from you quickly.

Thanks for the comment.

By the way, has anyone here hiked in the beautiful Porcupine Mountains of northern Michigan? A stunning landscape and the wildest region west of the Adirondacks and east of the Rockies.

Hi Rob,

I think all the same questions and suggestions for hiking solo in bear country would apply when camping there, except to add standard protocols for camping in bear country—such as no food inside your tent, ever, as well as using whatever food-storage method(s) the public lands agency dictates or sugggests. .

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your tip and you are right, people should practice deploying pepper spray before encountering a bear and practice with it before each trip. Some pepper spray products are sold with a practice canister filled with harmless water vapor to give you a sense of firing the spray and its range.

Enjoy your wilderness adventures.

Hi Victoria,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on solo hiking. Erring toward safety is never an error. I’ve done a lot of solo dayhiking and backpacking and have had enough “almost” moments to appreciate the enhanced risk involved. Glad you are staying safe. Have fun.

I thank you for, and appreciate very much, your article on hiking alone. As a female hiker that does hike alone, your points are well taken and I’ll definitely be getting an air horn and pepper spray. There are hikes where I will go it alone because I know what kind of traffic to expect, so I’m not really hiking “alone”. But, then there are those days when you’re in a remote area and no other hikers are around at all , and it’s bear country – like today , which is what lead me to your article. So, today this hike through falls country will have to be another day for me sadly, also because of the chance I could fall and be stranded, not knowing when someone else might come by.

Luckily, there are other trails nearby that I know will be heavily visited today and so, I will head that way and just know for future reference that in this area, I must plan to come with someone. I love solo hiking because it is so beautiful and I feel so close to God. Sometimes God just means for us not to be alone. 🙂

Thank you for what you’re doing. You’re awesome!

Peace to you.

Victoria

Hi Brenda, thanks for sharing your story. I really couldn’t say with any certainty what you heard. I honestly don’t carry pepper spray in areas with only black bears (not grizzlies), because they are generally not aggressive, but that’s a choice for you to make. But bear bells are not considered an effective way to haze bears out of an area; they’re just not very loud. The horn may have been helpful, although, it’s hard to know what that animal was.

Good luck with your future explorations.

Exploring Atoka County at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, I drove onto Public Hunting Areas and Wildlife Management Areas and desiring to photograph the wagon tracks made by the Butterfield Stage Coach, grabbed my vest and camera to walk a 1/4 mile to the old road. Passing a beautiful pond the road became rougher. It was freshly tilled. There were animal tracks in abundance, but I only took a picture of the cat tracks and slowly picked my way along until I heard a loud brush popping; a beautiful white-tailed deer in her summer red coat.

Then I heard a GRRR-himm. I looked around. No movement. I was completely surrounded by bushes and vines and deeply shaded forest. The deer took a few leaps and stopped so I whistled to turn her head toward me; again the GRRR-himm. I swapped my camera for the bear horn and bear spray. I looked down for my push dagger. I had left It in the car with my bear bell, which would have prevented me walking up on my newfound friend.

Still no movement. I looked longingly at the stage coach road just ahead and decided my jeep was the prudent choice. The question is “Should I have blown my horn? What animal had I encountered?”

Your previous post addressed walking in this type of terrain, but I was oblivious. Because it was a short walk I had dropped my guard. On the way out I had my head on a swivel and missed my opportunity to photograph the other tracks. My research suggested that this could have been the sound of an anxious bear. What do you think?

You’re welcome, Amy, and thanks for sharing your comment. As for solo dayhiking in Glacier, there are certainly trails where you would encounter lots of other hikers during daylight hours; hike those trails and you’re relatively safer. Have a good trip.

Hi Barry,

Good to hear from you again and thanks for the great question.

I’ve used all the methods for protecting food from bears and other critters numerous times: bear canisters, hanging from a tree branch, and the ultra-convenient and effective fixed cables for hanging food (as found in some national parks, like Glacier).

I’ve also lost food to bears, including on my first backpacking trip in Yosemite, many years ago, when two friends and I were absolute novices and hung our food poorly (from a high branch, but too close to the tree trunk, where a black bear climbing the tree could easily reach the bags and tear them open with a swipe of a claw). That was in the days before bear canisters were required in Yosemite and throughout the High Sierra.

I’ve also used the Ursack and reviewed it for Backpacker magazine in the past. It is effective when hung properly in a tree, because it’s tough fabric makes it harder for a bear to rip it open while it’s hanging and swinging with each swipe at it. But if a bear gets it on the ground, while it can pin the sack down, it’s likely to tear it open easily.

But to your specific question: In truth, we can’t really know what smells a bear will detect, and they reputedly have the most powerful sense of smell of all animals. According to the Yosemite National Park website, a black bear’s sense of smell is seven times more powerful than a bloodhound’s, and based on the park’s size and bear population, any backpacker anywhere in Yosemite is always within range of at least one bear’s nose.

Your assumption seems intuitively correct, and I’ve made that assumption, too. But I’ve always assumed that a bear can detect any food, so all food should be stored properly. That said, if I cannot fit all of my backpacking food in my canister on the first night or two of a trip, I will definitely place the smelliest, freshest food in the canister, and any food I consider the least odorous in the bag that I hang (properly). And I would include in the canister any packaging that contains traces of freeze-dried food that’s already been cooked and largely consumed.

As for choosing between a canister or hanging, I follow the land management agency’s recommendation or requirement. If there is no recommendation or requirement, I’ll try to find out whether there’s any recent history or reports of bears attempting to get food from backpackers. I’ll use a canister anywhere there are grizzlies or brown bears, but I often just hang food in mountains where there are only black bears, which are less dangerous, and where there’s a very low incidence rate of those bears taking human food. Frankly, in areas that receive high human use, especially if those people aren’t hanging food properly, black bears tend to start recognizing that people bring food with them; while areas with lower human use and/or where good food-storage practices are commonly followed, bears seem to be rarely a problem.

I hope that’s helpful. Thanks again for the good question. Safe travels.

Was checking on your site to see if you had any recommendations or stories about food storage protection. I found your notes about the Bear Vault BV500 in your gear to pack article and tips on how to pack it. Rocky Mountain NP requires bear canisters or bear bags with aluminum inserts. Did some research and found information on Ursack.

We have never had trouble with bears in our food, with or without a bear canister. Of course, some sites have bear chains, we have used bear canisters when required, but other times just filled a sack and secured it over a tree limb. We never carry fresh food, only the freeze dried stuff. I have always been more concerned about the smell of the pouches after meals, not the smell of the pouch before its opened.

So was wondering…is all food, freeze dried or otherwise, and attraction for bears? Bear canister vs. bear bag? Should we worry more about the used food pouches and not the un-opened freeze dried and plastic packaged stuff?

Hey David, not being an idiot is probably the best strategy. Good luck.

Thanks for checking. I’ve been backpacking in the Sierras and southern Rockies
probably close to 100 times. But the last time I was in Grizzly country was decades
ago, in Kluane Park.

I guess I’ll just have to rely on not being an idiot to keep me safe. 🙂

David

David, @AskTSA tweeted a responee to my question confirming that air horns are not allowed in carry-on or checked luggage.

Good points about watching the landscape and looking closely at scat, John. I’ve come across steaming scat piles on trails. Bears love a good berry patch but can be found at a large elevation range. Moose like wet, marshy areas and shallow lakes. Elk are in the high country in summer and early fall.

And, yes, using bear spray successfully can prevent the destruction of a bear that has attacked people.

Thanks, as always, John. Be careful or I may hire you to write for my blog.

Good to see this article again. Since my last response I have chosen to carry bear spray consistently. After re-reading Stephen Herraro’s book this summer (it has been re-released in 2018). A factor that has not been mentioned is that by carrying bear spray we may very well be saving a bear’s life as well as our own.

Another thing I do is constantly watch the landscape to determine where bears may be more likely to occur (another point raised by SH). And look for evidence of bear activity on the trail such as tracks, scats (poop) which I check to determine the age (again see SH book for information), torn up ground or logs (only grizzly), the presence of berries, etc. Probably being a biologist makes this more natural for me but Stephen’s book gives a lot of practical advice. He is also insistent in reminding the reader how infrequent serious bear encounters really are.

You mentioned bull moose in the rut. Similarly bull elk can be very aggrandize unpredictable in the rut. Probably more of a risk are cow elk and moose with young calves. A fellow co-worker of mine was once treed for 8-9 hours by a cow moose!

Most of my hiking is still solo which makes me more alert and cautious. But I believe the experience is magnified several fold if I am fortunate enough to see a bear, moose, wolf, cougar, etc.

Hi David,

Great question, thanks for asking. I just Googled “Can you carry a pressurized air horn in checked luggage on a plane?” and the featured snippet at the top of the page results reads: “From the TSA blog: Items you may WANT to bring on the plane; but CAN’T: Air horns: Air horns are prohibited in both carry-on and checked baggage.”

That was advice directed primarily at travelers heading to the Super Bowl. But I expect it would apply to the Falcon air horns, too.

The TSA website lists specific prohibited items at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all-list. There’s a search box, but “air horn” produces to results. That site also invites people to send questions on Twitter to @AskTSA. I did that earlier this morning, but haven’t received a response yet. I would assume that Twitter account gets overwhelmed with questions, so I’m not sure all questions receive an answer.

The answer seems to be no, you cannot bring an air horn in checked or carry-on luggage because it’s compressed air. But you can always try asking your airline, where you may have more luck getting a response.

As with pepper spray, the only options may be purchasing locally (although air horns are probably not commonly available in stores) or shipping an air horn ground to a place near your destination.

Good luck.

Great blog post, as always.

Do you happen to know if it’s allowed to take a Falcon horn on a plane, in checked baggage?

Hi Masaru,

Your question is a dilemma for many people. I have a friend flying out from the East to meet me to backpack in Glacier later this summer, and I’m driving there, so he’s lucky I can bring a second canister for him. You can generally purchase a pepper spray canister locally near parks where there are grizzly bears, and mail it home after that trip. Next trip, I suggest arranging to ship it UPS ground to a lodge where you’re planning to stay either before or after your backpacking trip; or ship it to yourself for pickup at a local UPS store.

Yes, I’ve used the Counter Assault inert bear spray training canister: https://www.counterassault.com/product/inert-bear-spray-training-canister/. It’s instructive to see how far it deploys. Based entirely on a visual assessment, it appears to be about 15 feet, without wind, but the range for bears to detect the odor may be greater, of course.

I also like to carry an air horn, because they are a loud, unnatural sound that can startle an animal into flight (including bears), they weigh just a few ounces, and they’re effective when the bear is still at a great distance, whereas with pepper spray you have to wait until that charging bear is at close range. The brand Falcon makes the air horn I use. https://falconsafety.com/horns/

Good luck.

As for practicing, I forget if it was REI or the place in Anchorage that had a practice can. I believe it was Counter Assault brand. It’s possible it was just an empty one, but it may be good to know that REI might have a practice can on hand.

All good points, John. As I suggested in this story, hikers should practice at least removing the plastic safety clip and positioning themselves to deploy the spray. Anyone with an old, expired canister of pepper spray can deploy it to see how it works and its range, and be sure to do so in a very open area (and not aim it upwind). I’ve also used Frontiersman bear spray products, which you can purchase with a practice canister that releases water vapor (https://www.sabrered.com/bear-spray).

Thanks, WC. You make interesting observations about hiking in the Northeast, especially the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. The concentration of backpackers and bears can inevitably lead to conflicts. Good point about carrying two canisters of pepper spray when hiking solo in grizzly country. Thanks for sharing those thoughts.

Great article and information that is very relevant as more and more grizzlies move into areas.

I often hike solo in the Northeast where the black bear population has exploded. Due to more encounters with black bears and their craving of human food due to inexperienced hikers and backpackers, I have started carrying bear spray on overnight trips. This is to chase them away as they have developed little to no fear of humans in certain areas.

Cooking and eating a meal in the High Peaks can be a problem. We have found packaged meals to work best as their smell is contained and no cooking is involved other than boiling water. We had a friend lose three meals over the course of a week last summer because of the time involved to prep, cook and eat the meals.

When hiking in the west where grizzlies are present, we always carry bear spray like most sane people. However I have several friends that hike solo in those areas and they have taken to carrying two bear sprays. One for the first encounter and the other so they do not have to travel the remainder of their trip without spray.

We also do the typical shouting if the trail is in a closed area but I like your idea of a horn or loud whistle. I also like John’s idea of buying an extra bear spray for practice. I like most people have never used one to know how it is going to work.

HT,
WC

Good advice. I would add ensuring no food , snacks or other odouriferous items like toothpaste, feminine napkins, etc in your tent. It is amazing how large even a porcupine sounds when they waddle past your tent in the dark.

I do solo hike a lot and some do solo backpacking. I rarely carry bear spray but do have a very loud whistle. It is not as loud as a horn but I use it when I am entering areas that I feel are higher risk to let the animals know I am in the area.

For many hikers I have met carrying bear spray it gives them a false sense of security. Few of them know how to use it properly, and virtually none have ever fired one to learn how the contents discharge, the range and of course trying to be sure the wind is not blowing toward you so it does not blow into your face. My advice to anyone buying bear spray is to buy two and use one to practice.

Pre-trip planning and trying to be constantly aware of your surroundings is the best defence. Being constantly aware can be a challenge when you are slogging up a nasty hill, bushwalking, hiking in a downpour, beside a creek or river, tired at the end of the day, etc.

Cow moose with calves may be the most dangerous of all. They are incredibly protective and unbelievably fast. A work colleague of mine was once treed for 7-8 hours.

In addition to Stephen Herraro’s book which is still the best source of information reading the advice for the Canadian and US National Parks where bears, especially grizzly, are insightful.