How to avoid confrontations with a Black Bear
If you were to come across the path of a bear in Ontario it would most likely be a Black Bear.
Black bears are attracted, by sense of smell to food and garbage.
When hungry they will follow their keen sense of smell right onto a cottage property to rummage through the garbage for a meal.
Here are some things the ministry of natural resources recommends doing around the cottage so that you aren’t surprised next time you open the cottage door.
- Put garbage out the morning of the day garbage is collected if you have garbage collection at your cottage
- Do not leave pet food outdoors
- Clean the barbeque after using
- Fill bird feeders only through the winter months
- Do not put meat, fish, or fruit in your composter
- Keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage day
- Pick all ripe fruit off trees and remove vegetables and fallen fruit from the ground
- Use electric fencing to protect valuable trees, orchards, vegetable and berry patches
I have come across two black bears in my cottaging time once, at Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon. It wasn’t a full adult bear, but must have been hungry given it showed up middle of the day with 5 men on the lot making lots of noise. Together we threw are arms about and yelled. It turned around and ran back into the woods. The other time I was leaving Lake Salerno by Irondale. This guy was huge and standing in the middle of a dirt road. As we got closer in our car he sauntered off the road and slowly made his way into the woods.
I’m sure there are many people that have bear stories to tell. If you don’t want to be one of them heed the tips above.
Encountering a bear has got to be quite an experience. There is a new show I just saw on TLC or Discovery called Rogue Nature that had an episdoe on bears.
My parents have a lakehouse out in the northern woods of Wisconsin and they had a sheppard hook out near the woods that was bent in half by a bear. It’s good to know what to do but I hope I never encounter a bear face to face.
I always wonder if bears would be nice to us if we didn’t show any fear towards them or try to scare them away. Because whenever people show fear it just keeps on coming towards you, but if you start trying to intimidate it your self, they get frightened and run away. Why cant we just all get a long and be friends ?
I think you will get your answer if you watch the movie Grizzley Man. It follows a guy who lives with Grizzley’s in Alaska during the summer until one day they eat him and his girlfriend.
Hey, Thanks for the tips. I’m sure they’ll be useful when the camping season starts. Never had any threatening experience with a bear myself, not sure if i’ll remember how to react if see one :p
Great picture. They are a fabulous sight, but I wouldn’t want to meet up with one in a dark alley that’s for sure. Or, even in a lit alley for that matter!
I always wanted to go bow hunting for a bear or lion. Maybe one of these days if I can find a guide someone willing to use him as a food source. I certainly wouldn’t want to come face to face with these guys along the hiking trail though
My way of avoiding bears is to stay in England. Through this strategy I have had an almost 100% succes rate.
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you know, it really dissappoints me that bears are feirce creatures mostly becuase of the whole idea of teddies and yogis that makes them look sweet. although if you look at them from afar, not knowing their visciousnes, you’d really think about hugging one. I told my sis that I should put “hugging a bear” as one of my main goals in life. She just laughed cause she thought it was rediculous. She was right!
Show Black Bear some love…:)
hmmmm I don’t like black bear
I’ve definitely have had my fair share of encounters with bears. They are pretty easily scared most of the time, females and their cubs are a different story though.
In Australia we have the same problem with dingoes. Now dingoes are a dog but they are as ferocious as a lion. Two ate a twelve year old our way and it was very sad but made you realize that the animal kingdom is still a major part of our lives.
I just finished reading “A walk in the woods” by bill bryson. Great read. I highly recommend it. Very funy. He talks about black bears in his book and advises, unlike with a grizzly bear, not to play dead when you come into contact with one. Also, dont climb up a tree to get away from one. Unlike grizzy bears, black bears are excellent tree climbers.
He tells of a story of a grandma who put honey on her 4 yr. old graddaughters hand to offer it to the black bear when it came to visit their picnic table. The bear ate her hand. I know what your thinking, “I thought this book was supposed to be funny” it is funny but some parts are very serious.
LOL I never thought i will read a post about this, specially because in my country bears don’t exists