BEAR SIGN
be aware of your surroundings and watch for bear sign
Although you could meet them at any time, bears are most active in the early morning, evening and during the night. Be extra mindful if you are out during these hours.
Bears are not always aware, be especially alert and make extra noise near running water, approaching blind corners and travelling into the wind.
Needless to say, salmon streams during spawning season are the pinnacle of attractants.
Watch, listen, make noise and travel carefully in thick brush, heavy tree stands and overgrown trails so as not to surprise a bear.
Areas with lots of flowering or fruiting plants are attractive to bears especially during late summer and fall.
Watch for tracks, scat, torn up logs, claw marks or bark stripped off trees, overturned rocks, day beds and areas that look like they have been dug up.
It is easy for bears to be hidden behind trees, in brush, gulleys, or boulder fields.
If you smell rotting meat or notice scavengers in the air, leave the area immediately!
Never use headphones in bear country and avoid the use of cellphones.
When cycling or jogging in bear country, you are travelling quickly and are less aware of your surroundings. You are consequently at risk of surprising a bear at close range, which statistically, is one of the most dangerous things you can do.
An off leash dog can harass, run off, irritate or dangerously surprise a bear hidden in the bush.
CARRY BEAR SPRAY
There is a variety of bear sign you can look for when you are enjoying recreational activities on the coast; paw prints (look for the five distinctive toe impressions with claw dots), scat, diggings, torn-up logs or bark stripped off trees, overturned rocks, day beds and scratched ‘rubbing’ trees.
