The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds hikers, campers and anyone else enjoying outdoor recreation to learn how to prevent conflicts with bears.
Black bears are naturally cautious animals that typically avoid human contact for their own safety; however, it’s important to be proactive to prevent human-bear conflicts.
“Coexistence with bears is completely doable with a few easy actions anyone can take,” said Andrew Tri, DNR bear project leader. “The actions boil down to not surprising bears and making sure to secure things that bears will seek out as food.”
When recreating, people should follow these six outdoor BearWise Basics:
- Stay alert when hiking. Pay attention to your surroundings and keep kids within sight or close by.
- Leave no trash or food scraps. Double bag food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in a fire ring or grill.
- Keep dogs leashed and don’t let them chase or bark at bears.
- Camp safely. Do not store food, trash or toiletries in your tent. Store these items in a bear-resistant container, locked out of sight in a hard sided vehicle or suspended from a tree at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from any part of the tree (where allowed).
- If you encounter a black bear you should:
- Stay with your group.
- If you see a bear before it notices you, do not approach it. Instead, stand still, enjoy watching the animal, if it is at a safe distance, and quietly move away.
- Back away slowly if the bear sees you. Never run; running might trigger a bear’s chase response.
- If the bear approaches you, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell, “hey bear,” until the animal leaves.
- Use bear spray if the bear keeps approaching.
- Carry bear spray and know how to use it. It is not a bear repellent so don’t spray it on your belongings.
Learn more about how to safely recreate in Minnesota on the Minnesota DNR website (mndnr.gov/bearsafety) and at BearWise (bearwise.org).
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