2020 Bear Encounters: Lessons Learned
By Kim Johnston
Last year we saw an uptick in human-bear encounters, likely due to the rise in outdoor recreation. In 2020, 18 bear encounters resulted in human injury, none of which were fatal for people but some bears were killed. Nearly all of the encounters (17 of 18) involved surprise confrontations and were defensive in nature. The only case not considered a defensive conflict involved a food-conditioned black bear coming into a backcountry campsite.
In one of the incidents, the people involved knew there was possibly a bear in the area, and in five of the cases, carcasses and/or daybeds were found in the vicinity. Learn what you can about bear presence before going into the woods, then stay alert and proactively look for signs of bear activity.
Of the 18 incidents, 16 of those involved group sizes of two or less at the time of the attack. More than half of the incidents involved a lone person or a person separated from their group (11/18). Four cases involved groups of three or more; however, in two cases, the person injured was away from their group during the encounter. In one case, the person ran ahead and came around a blind corner making contact with the bear. Travel in groups and keep members together.
The 2020 reports made no specific mention of whether people were making noise prior to the encounters, but most cases involved surprise encounters (16/18). Making noise can help reduce the chances of surprising a bear.
Of the 18 incidents, only seven cases specifically reported people carrying bear spray. Of those seven cases, four were able to successfully use it to deter the bear, while in three of the cases people were unable to use the bear spray due to how fast the encounter happened. Several people injured in the 2020 encounters gave first-hand advice after their experiences on the importance of carrying bear spray close to hand. Have bear spray accessible and know how to use it.
At least five of the incidents involved surprise encounters with bears in areas of dense vegetation or reduced visibility; two of these involved people encountering a bear in a daybed off trail. At least three incidents involved bears defending carcasses that were found nearby. The majority of the incidents (13/18) occurred during the early morning or evening, times when bears are more active. Avoid high-risk areas and times of the day.
Lastly, having first aid and emergency resources, particularly when in remote areas of bear country, can also save lives. At least five of the 18 cases involved severe injuries, but no fatalities occurred. Having first aid resources and reliable means of communication in the backcountry can make a difference.
Despite the high number of incidents in 2020 across the region, compared to the number of people who visit bear country every year, the chances of negative human-bear encounters are extremely rare. If you follow basic precautions, you can greatly reduce your chances of negative encounters. For more information, visit peopleandcarnivores.org, https://fwp.mt.gov/, and http://igbconline.org/.