I recently traveled to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons with my family a couple of months ago. It was still snowing and cold when we arrived, and brown bear activity was just beginning with the first sightings occurring the weekend we arrived. Having been a National Park Ranger for two seasons, I was aware of the dangers and preventive measures that must be taken when living with bears. I had my own face-to-face encounters with Black Bears on a couple of occasions as a ranger in the backcountry, and was lucky to get away unscathed.

I was instantly terrified of this incredible beast, and was suddenly inspired to learn everything I could about bears, including how to track them, their behaviors, and most of all, how to protect myself from attack. During my first season, I worked with a ranger who had previously been a ranger at Glacier National Park in Montana. He was a large man and had several deep scars on his face and arms. I’m embarrassed to say that my gaze was too long at his very noticeable scars, but he was kind enough to share with me about his encounter with the Grizzly Bear attack.

He was just walking down one of the inland trails in Glacier National Park when he turned a blind corner and was instantly attacked by a mother Grizzly with her pups at her side. This man was at least 6’3″ or taller, and very large in stature, so I couldn’t even imagine the scene. He was calm as he shared the details of his experience, so that I could get a little more insight from a true survivor of the Grizzly Bear attack to add to my ‘what to do if attacked by a bear’ arsenal of knowledge.

He described how the Grizzly struck him with its sharp claws repeatedly until he finally fell. When he was finally on the ground, she continually tried to roll him onto his back so that the soft, meaty front side of him was exposed. He wouldn’t comply and quickly rolled back into a fetal position to protect the side of her stomach. She played dead, making no sound and continually turning to protect her stomach as the Bear snarled and attacked, cutting into her skin with his claws. She eventually got tired of the game and left it for dead.

He was able to get help immediately and was extremely lucky to survive such a brutal attack by Grizzly Bear that it would have killed a lesser man. He shared with me in detail about hearing the deafening growls, feeling the stinging pain of the blows against his body, and following through on his instinctive response to protect the side of his stomach. He never thought about death, only about keeping his belly protected and surviving the lightning fast attack until the bear left. He succeeded. His survival attitude helped save his life.

Some bears attack when they start or when facing humans and are stressed. Other attacks are due to the fact that the camp is not clean and the smell of food or access to garbage is available. If you can avoid a bear’s attention, that is the best way to avoid a bear attack encounter.

After learning about bears and gaining more understanding, I continue to camp to this day. Traveling into the wild country with small children can give you the willies pretty quickly, especially if you know what lives in the woods and what it’s capable of. So I took the time to thoroughly educate my children on what they should and shouldn’t do when visiting bear country. Although this serious topic obviously scared them at first, at 8 and under, my children now have a very good understanding of how to behave and respond in the event of an encounter with a bear. Like me, they are not afraid of bears, but they have a deep respect for them.

Then I heard about the recent Grizzly Bear attack on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park this week, which left a female camper dead and 2 of her companions severely injured. I was stunned thinking about it. It is always a shock to hear of such a devastating experience. I was wondering about the details of my quest to try to understand Bears.

Understanding bears can be an adventure of a lifetime. You can learn a lot by picking up a book or two at the library and start educating yourself. Bears become desperately hungry in the fall to prepare for a long period of winter hibernation. Campers setting up camp in Bear Country should keep in mind that if they are camping near a popular fishing spot for humans, then this will also be a popular fishing spot for bears. Because of their size, strength, and general disposition, I’m always inclined to let the bears fish first and wait my turn, if they know what I mean.

If you catch a fish, or have a delicious dinner cooked over the campfire, it is vitally important that you remove all of the clothing you wore during the campfire cookout and change into fresh, clean clothing before retiring to the tent. for the night. Also, be sure to brush your teeth with unscented toothpaste. In fact, I use hunting products that don’t have any scent, like toothpaste, mouthwash, hair shampoo, deodorant, lotions, and other products that help keep it clean without smelling like delicious oven-roasted turkey to attract wildlife directly. to your store.

It is also vital that you maintain a clean campsite. No matter how tired you are, be sure to clean up your camp by washing all dishes away from your tent (at least 100 feet away), picking up any food, empty cans, boxes, and other trash, and storing it all up a tree along with storing your food. Don’t give the bears a reason to cross your path. Bears have an uncanny ability to smell and can pick up a scent from over 4 miles away. Never bring food into your store. Always clean your children’s hands and faces and change their clothes before retiring to the store. Make sure there are no food items, candy, toothpaste, or other items hidden in your pockets.

Be sure to notify the local information center or ranger station of your whereabouts and when you plan to leave. Notify other family members where you will be going, along with the expected camping time and when you plan to leave. If you have a GPS, it’s always good to visit the area where you intend to camp ahead of time if possible, and then provide your family with the GPS coordinates of your exact location if you’re camping in the backcountry and not at a campsite. Otherwise, if you are camping at a Forest or Park Service-designated campsite, give your friends and family your campground number.

Finally, set up your camp site, play with your family by remembering that you are not in town, look over your shoulder and enjoy the beauty of the wild countryside. If you have trouble sleeping at night, that’s good. I have found that it is always better to sleep with one eye open than to sleep like a rock when out in nature. Bears and many other forecasters are most active at dusk and at night. Just because they call it a Park doesn’t mean it’s a playground that meets all government safety requirements. The desert is wild, and we are merely guests when we visit and camp overnight. Follow some basic guidelines, make them your routine when camping in Bear Country, and you, your family, and the Bears will have a better time.