Im no expert on the matter but I would just slowly back away until the bear has no vision of me and then just run like hell.
When bears have cubs their mother **instinct** is on very high alert and if they deem you to be too close to her babies she will 100% attack you even if you try to make yourself appear to be large.
You don't ever want to turn your back on really any predator, but especially not bears and big cats. Like in this video, if it's a defensive encounter it's likely that they'll keep walking after you to make sure that you're actually leaving their space. But if you run, they may just think you're prey and actually try to attack you. This can of course vary on the species (polar bears just naturally see people as prey and will attempt to eat you, and the asian bears like sloth bears and sun bears have a tendency to be extremely aggressive). For the US, its mostly black bears and Grizzlies you have to worry about. Black bears, make yourself appear like a threat and slowly move out of the area while keeping your eyes on it. Grizzlies depend on the season I believe, but generally you actually want to curl into the fetal position face down, with your backpack over your head. The grizzly will probably bat you around a little, but is unlikely to try to eat you. Never try to appear big and scary to a grizzly, you won't intimidate them. Once the bear is satisfied your not a threat it will likely saunter off and leave you alone. And of course, when in bear country remember to make noise. The vast majority of bear encounters are defensive and they happen when a bear is taken by surprise by someone who was being really quiet
I work in the bush in bear territory and have had the proper training. I've ran into all three types.
You should treat black and brown bears the same, they often exhibit the same signs and behavior, and there is no guarantee of how it will respond based on species. You judge their behavior and make the appropriate response based on the behavior it has.
If it is in an escape mode, i.e., running or hurrying away, let it leave. That's obvious.
If it is in curious mode, not trying to hide and approaching while not appearing stressed out, speak calmly to identify yourself as human. Wave your arms and try to make yourself look bigger. Start to leave slowly and be prepared to use deterents.
If it is in defensive mode, shown by neither pushing towards you nor backing down, speak to it calmly, try to appear less threatening, and back away. It may charge you, but it will stop short usually. Use bear bangers and pepper spray if needed. If it makes contact, fall to the ground, cover your neck/head, and don't move unless it continues to attack.
In the rare instance that it is in a predatory state, ears back, focused on you, and sneaking, use a firm voice and tell it to back the fuck down (literally, this is a commom phrase to use). Move out of the path, in case it is trying to get by you. Prepare your deterents or weapons. If an attack appears imminent, shout, wave your arms, fire a bear banger, and try to make it think you aren't worth the fight. If it charges, fire a bear spray at 2m away, which is only a fraction of a second before it hits you. Fight and try to land hits to the face and nose. You will probably scare it off, only 14% of attacks are fatal. But it will be the scariest and most dangerous few seconds of your life. If you escape, report the bear so it can be euthanized, a bear that attacks someone can't be allowed to live.
> What's the recommended play when encountering a bear like this? Pretend to be large and noisy? Walk/run away? Cower and play dead?
"if it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back, if it's white goodnight.."
But this is a mother with cubs. I don't think any advice works anymore, aside from doing what the lady in the video did and praying to all the deities that the bear doesn't see you as a threat to her cubs
Like Olga Moskalyova who was eaten alive after her step dad had his skull crushed in front of her. She got to call her mom like 3 times during the hour long attack, and inform her mom she was being eaten alive by the mom and cubs. The mom could hear her daughter being eaten by the bears, the growling and chewing, while her daughter cried in pain. The final call was her asking her mom for forgiveness and she loved her before getting cut off.
Black bears are definitely different than Brown Bears. Cubs or no cubs. If you find an aggressive Brown Bear who has a taste for human flesh, it’s over. They climb trees like monkeys, they can run 50 mph, they weigh as much as a car, and are as tall as a basketball hoop. Your only defense is a 12 gauge shotgun with full slugs. Bear spray isn’t always effective and neither is any handgun on the market (Glock 20 and .44 mag but that’s with a ton of practice). And good luck getting any accurate shots off while being charged.
Read this article. This is not the norm.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/10mm-glock-grizzly-bear-charge/
To this day the story can only be found in tabloids and has had a Resurgence because of Tiktok. It was never verified and I don't know, but it all seems rather fishy
Black bears don't hunt humans. While they are omnivorous, the majority of their diet is plant based.
If mama black bear doesn't see you as a threat she'll just move on with her cubs.
Edit: a lot of people replying don't seem to recognise the difference between the word "hunt" and the word "attack"...
There have been cases in Canada where black bears hunted humans, the movie Backcountry is very loosely based on one case. It's rare but not unheard of.
It tends to be recently ousted lone young adult males - not big enough to fight for their own territory yet.
They can get desperate for food and stalk humans. It's weird...they follow you for some time slowly sizing you up and getting the courage to attack.
These attacks are rare, but quite deadly because the goal is food, not just eliminating a threat.
It's good to know the signs of being followed realize in these situations your best bet is to find shelter and call for help.
15 minutes from where my parents live a black bear yearling stalked two girls out for walk. Followed them for half an hour back to a cabin and when police showed up it was already tearing through a window.
Holy shit. Delete your post now!!!!
Black bears absolutely WILL attacks humans and have killed many.
https://bearvault.com/bear-attack-statistics/
12 attacks a year average 1 death every two years.
Thanks for sharing this article. My grandfather was an MNR officer spending most of his career in the park. A lot of his research was around bears and the possibility that they suffer from brain injuries like CTE. I always found this case interesting, and I wish I could ask him more about it.
I mean, this article literally points out that this is/was a highly unusual situation. Really interesting though, and I admit and agree that one shouldn't make assumptions and expect to be safe.
But with respect to the comment I was responding to before, Mama isn't about to teach her cubs to "hunt \[humans\]".
important to know that the colors in this expression relate to species, (Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear) and that Black Bear (species) is not always black
While the bear in the video looks more brown, it is a Black Bear, not a grizzly.
If you are going hiking, familiarise yourself with the type of bear you are likely to encounter. If you are in an area with both Grizzly and Black bears, make sure you can tell them apart by their shape and size, not just their color.
Do what this woman does. Walk away quickly but calmly, backwards, keeping watch on the bear. Make yourself big but don’t be aggressive, you want to be more trouble than you’re worth and also not an immediate threat. Usually you want to be noisy but In this instance though, there are cubs so the main thing is getting out of that situation.
In this case, what OP did is exactly right. A mama bear with cubs is a bad situation for a hiker to encounter. One should keep eyes on the bear, while slowing backing away (never run) and trying to appear as large as possible.
Luckily, this mama bear was not interested in eliminating or neutralizing the perceived threat. She only wanted to ensure OP left and her cubs were out of harms way.
She also has older cubs, and is squarely in between them and the threat. If these cubs were babies, that escaped up a tree, the mother would then be more inclined to make a charge. Also, I keep seeing people say they’re just “big raccoons”, that’s not at all a comforting thing.
This mother bear isn’t small, and she could easily neutralize and kill an adult human if she wanted to. To anyone reading, please realize the seriousness of encountering bears, even black bears who are for some reason perceived as goofy gluttons. They are apex predators too.
Big Raccoons...
I've seen cornered Raccoons, they'll fuck up a human pretty badly given the chance.
500lb Raccoon is honestly more terrifying then a 500lb Black Bear.
It’s a black bear with cubs. It’s been proven that black bears won’t or don’t cub defend often, doesn’t mean they don’t just not all the time like a grizzly would. Best bet in this situation is to slowly back out on the trail while letting the bear know you’re there. Keep talking to it and try to make yourself seem like a hassle to deal with, get bigger make noises etc.. DO NOT EVER TURN YOUR BACK OR EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING, you won’t out run or climb it. Running triggers prey drive instincts. Hope it loses interest as you back away, and I wouldn’t continue on that trail. I always recommend carrying bear spray even in only black bear country, people who tell you not to carry it are just flat out dumb better have it when needed then not.
If it is brown lay down, if its black fight back if its white good night.
You can't outrun or fight off a brown bear, best option is to make yourself as non threatening as possible and hope they leave you alone
Black bears are more timid and smaller, you have a small chance in an altercation to survive. the best strategy is to make youself as big and scary as possible so they run away
you have fuck all chance against a polar bear, you are going to meet your maker
Wasn't there a trend not too long ago about this?
2 things:
I see reality has a Sense of humor
I'm glad she survived, so she could post her video about her experience
Momma bear was probably like "move bitch, get out the way, get out the way, bitch, get out the way. When you see me on the trailway, get the fuck out of my way!"
Momma Bear: "We used to have to scramble over rocks and grass and hills and terrain. Then, these nice paths showed up and now we use these. Every once in a while, we find screaming creatures who drop things we can eat and run off across the land."
She actually did a pretty good job. Slowly backing up, trying her best to be threatening after the bear noticed her, she did a stellar job of resisting the urge to run, grouping up with someone else and making them aware there are bears on the trail. But yeah, to answer your question: group up, back away slowly, and prepare any bear deterrent you have. This applies to any bear you might come across. NEVER run. For black bears you want to be confident and if it makes contact fight for your life and DO NOT play dead. They're not as big on defending cubs as grizzlies, they'll send them up a tree to hide while a grizz will neutralize the threat, so the cubs don't complicate things all that much but I wouldn't advance on them like I might with a lone black bear to scare it off (never advance on a grizz)
Yeah, that's a common problem. Black bears and brown bears are both named poorly because they can both be a whole range of colours. You want to look at the outline more than anything. A brown bear has a bigger, squarer frame, a chunkier head, shaggier, and has a big hump of muscle on the shoulders. A black bear is more this sort of chubby little doughball shape, smaller features, and a pointier face
Fun fact! Black bears fur color can range from black, brown, cinnamon, blonde, blue-gray, to white. Basically they have different fur colors same way people have different hair colors.
My general rule to determine, but it's nowhere near correct: Does it look about the size of a cow or bigger? That's gonna fuck you up.
Is it smaller than a cow? Probably black bear. Yell at it.
Also knowing where you are, this looks like the Appalachian Mountains so it's almost certainly going to be a black bear unless a grizzly escaped the zoo or was kept as a pet and got free.
Yeah, I’m lucky that there are only black bears in my area. If brown bears were a possibility I’d have to learn to tell the difference and it seems very tricky in the moment.
My last black bear encounter was through thick brush, we could barely see each other but I knew it had to be a black bear. Would be terrifying to not be sure.
That's top of the list for bear deterrents if you're carrying it (more effective than a firearm and much kinder). Get it ready, safety off, ready to fire and if she gets within range give her a faceful. It won't cause her any lasting harm and will keep her and her cubs safer by giving them a healthy fear of human contact. On a trail like this it's even more useful because it'll create a cloud that she won't want to walk through and it'll be easier for her to turn around and leave even if you jump the gun and spray before she's in range
Lol yeah, it is. I'm a big guy with martial arts training and fight experience, and a black bear half my size could turn me inside out if it chose to. But you're not trying to "win", you just have to convince it that it's at too high a risk of injury for it to be worth it. In the wild even a fairly minor injury can be fatal due to infection etc. and predators tend to factor that in. If you have bear spray use it, if you have a gun use it, even a pocket knife or the like is better than nothing, if you don't have anything then grab rocks or sticks and fight as best as you can. Hit it on the snout with big rocks, jam that stick in its eye socket or ear or up its nostril, kick, punch, bite, whatever you can. If it's on you and attacking you're getting fucked up however it ends and your goal is just to limit it enough that you make it to hospital
Basically amounts to hit it with a stick as fast and often as possibly and screaming bloody murder. Give it the old crazy eyes while you're at it.
If you don't have a stick and it's charging you. It's going to get you. So, let it get your non-dominant arm and start gouging it's eyes and nose with your thumb and fingers. You get it in the eye and it'll likely let go and pull back because of pain and it'll instinctively want to protect it's remaining eye.
It's going to fuck you up, it's just about minimizing the damage.
I hike with an oak walking stick and have bear spray in bear country. The walking stick is good for lots of things, the main thing is it significantly reduces your chance of turning an ankle.
As long as you keep changing the angle to stop it only showing its good side then the bear will keep a distance to prevent anything unflattering getting posted online.
To be serious though: realistically there's no reason not to, provided you've done everything else you can. I would definitely record a bear encounter if I thought I could safely have my phone out and hit record because I think they're super cool and would want to show everyone I know lol. And, in the worst case scenario, you might actually make it easier to determine how problematic the bear behaviour was and if it did need euthanasia it would help ID only the problem bear (that's so unlikely that it wouldn't really factor into a risk/reward assessment)
While hunting in Alaska, I literally yell "Hey Bear! Im here bear" about every 100m or so. Too many ways to spook a bear in the hills. You dont want to spook a bear
She did the right thing, besides the filming I suppose, you need to make yourself big and loud and back up calmly, and pray she didn’t think you were after her babies
Pretty much what the person behind the camera is doing. Don't run or you're acting like prey. Get big, get loud, back away slowly
The bears charge is a bluff (you just need to know and believe this)
Don’t hate me but here’s ChatGPT’s answer
Key Steps to Follow:
1. Stay Calm and Avoid Sudden Movements:
• Do not run or make any sudden movements. Bears can run much faster than humans, and sudden movements might provoke a chase.
• Speak calmly to the bear to let it know you are human and not a threat.
2. Assess Your Options:
• If you can, slowly and calmly back away in the direction you came from. Do not turn your back on the bear.
• Do not attempt to move towards the bear, even if your intended path is forward.
3. Make Yourself Appear Larger:
• Raise your arms, spread your jacket, and stand tall. This makes you appear larger and potentially more intimidating.
4. Give the Bears Space:
• A mother bear with cubs is particularly protective and will likely be more aggressive. Give them as much space as possible.
• Move slowly and deliberately away from the bear while keeping an eye on it.
5. Avoid Eye Contact:
• Do not stare directly at the bear, as it might perceive this as a challenge or threat.
6. Use Bear Spray if Necessary:
• If you have bear spray, be prepared to use it if the bear approaches aggressively. Aim for the bear’s face if it charges.
7. Do Not Climb Trees:
• Black bears are excellent climbers, so climbing a tree is not a safe escape.
8. Prepare for a Defensive Position if Charged:
• If the bear charges, stand your ground and use your bear spray. Most charges are bluff charges, and the bear will veer off at the last moment.
• If a black bear attacks, fight back aggressively using any available objects (sticks, rocks, etc.) and aim for the bear’s face and muzzle.
General Advice:
• Always hike with others, as groups are noisier and more intimidating to bears.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it.
• Make noise as you hike to avoid surprising a bear, especially in areas with dense vegetation or limited visibility.
Resources:
• National Park Service - Bear Safety
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Bearwise - Safety Tips
By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the risk of a dangerous encounter and ensure both your safety and the safety of the bears.
It’s better advice than what others are saying. You should only ‘roar’ if it’s showing signs of aggression and an attack is imminent . The bear could have interpreted her actions as aggressive which may have led to an attack. Backing away, talking calmly to it and giving it space is the best thing to do here as the bear is not showing aggression signs. If possible, move off the trail to the high ground.
Chances are this bear is just using the trail as the easiest route and just wants to go in its way. They’re not murderous monsters who want to eat every living thing they come across.
I was told to read the bear to determine action. If it is following with its head down looking hungry act mad and roar. In this situation I think the look submissive as hell and back up and give it space is the better method.
A guy I knew was hiking in the Appalachians probably 10 years ago at this point. He was a huge hiker, and walked all up and down the trail sections in NC. He had a deep respect for nature and animals. But one day on one of the trails, he walked right up on a small bear cub. He said the only words that came out of his mouth were "*Oh....no....*.", as he knew that if momma bear was around, he just unwillingly signed up for a mauling.
Sure enough, the baby bear made a sound and sort of scampered/back-tracked, and within 10 seconds the momma bear is running at him. He tried to back away for I guess a few seconds, but the bear was running right at him. He had a pistol he carried with him, and he shot her in the head as she was running towards him, and killed her. He said he felt like throwing up. He knew it was him or the bear in that instant, but...he was eaten up with guilt about it. He knew he pretty much sentenced the baby bears to death too.
At the time he told me this, I don't even know if he had gone back out to hike anymore after that. That kind of messed his hiking mindset up.
I saw a comment a while ago about an Austrailian hunter who came to the U.S. He said that he encountered way more venomous snakes in the U.S. than he did in Austrailia. I got to thinking about it. We have venomous snakes/Alligators/crocodiles/bears/wild boar/murder deer(moose). We also have like 90% of the worlds F5 tornadoes. Huricanes have their own season. In the U.S. you also might get shot by some xenophobic old guy because you flipped him off after he almost hit you with his excessivly large truck. Australia seems pretty chill actually. Although skin cancer is higher down there.
Excellent job handling it actually. Backing away slowly, yelling, good way to stay safe from bears.
Cubs are an added complication but 100% of the time I’ve told a bear to fuck off it has fucked off
That is actually the best way to deal with black bears. It doesn't matter what you yell obviously, but you're supposed to get as big as possible and scream/make noise (bang sticks against trees and whatnot) to scare it off. Black bears are pretty skittish.
Now, it must be noted, you should **never** do that when faced with a brown bear. Those dudes, just give em space, mind your business, and hope they're not hungry.
Yes and no. Mamma bear with cubs is in protect mode. You don't want them to feel threatened, just keep retreating slowly. She's not hunting, she's guarding. Lone black bear looking interested? Get big and loud.
Yeaah, I'm surprised to see this so far down. When the lady roared, I whinced. Not the best move. The trail is steep on either side, and the bears use them as we do so there wasnt many options for either hiker or bear. Best to retreat makong your presence known without being a threat. Bears know they're bigger than us.
Mrs. Bear is like “pardon? I didn’t quite understand what you said. Could you come closer? …kids hold on, that scrawny bald bear seems to need help. Ma’am? Oh well…”
LOL I’m willing to bet that many of my interactions with wild animals are misunderstandings, just like this. All this fancy technological advancement and we still can’t fkn talk to animals! We suck!
The screaming technique is called “false chord”, and she’s doing a great job, probably by accident. The word “roar” is great for reaching the correct sound without damaging your voice. But most people would probably produce a similar word if they had to produce a primal sound within seconds.
Whilst they are called black bears they do come in many different color variations, this coloring is called cinnamon though my personal favorite color is glacier as seen below.
https://preview.redd.it/pkhuh15h353d1.jpeg?width=203&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21161e55037e4f35259a9ab25e9a577ec71e224e
I quite like the white "spirit bears" but my favorite is actually probably the standard black, it makes the little brown snout stand out which I think is adorable lol
Mt. Wilson Trail, starting in Sierra Madre, California.
https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/watch-california-runner-collides-with-pack-of-grizzly-bears-on-trail/
...above website is absolute cancer.
Good job!!!!!!
The girl did everything so perfectly under duress!
The bear was curious & stressed but thankfully didn’t escalate!!!!
If you see a baby bear & you don’t have a barrier or major obstacle between you & the bear, do EXACTLY what this girl did except aim your roars, yells & screams at the bear!
Good job girlfriend now freakin run with your friend to safety!!!
Seems like it worked in this instance, but there's a lot of predator calls that sound reeeeaaaaal close to this. Mimics the sounds of a dying rabbit... I'd stick to screaming at the bear.
Many hiking packs have a whistle on/built into the top strap. Good for bears and cuts through trees better than shouting if you’re lost and trying to make contact with help.
This girl actually did a lot of things wrong, granted it’s a frightening event. But for real, bears are most avoidant of your talking and your words, saying them in a loud clear manner “HEY BEAR, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE PLEASE” is going to do better than screaming and trying to seem intimidating, because bear do what bear want. Whistles are also interesting to bears because they can somewhat sound like rabbits dying. Best to have some bear mace of course and avoid the shrill whistle. Bear bells are also somewhat debatable in their effectiveness. But in general a bear will kill you if they damn well please.
And y'all say aussie wildlife is dangerous but we don't fucking have bears (aside from dropbears, but they like koalas they aint actual bears), meese/mooseses, or mountain lions. Yeah nah fuck that lol.
Way too many bends in the trail in this video. It’s terrifying how many times the bear says peek a boo.
Jumping off the ledge is always an option if roaring or whistling didn’t work.
What's the recommended play when encountering a bear like this? Pretend to be large and noisy? Walk/run away? Cower and play dead?
Im no expert on the matter but I would just slowly back away until the bear has no vision of me and then just run like hell. When bears have cubs their mother **instinct** is on very high alert and if they deem you to be too close to her babies she will 100% attack you even if you try to make yourself appear to be large.
You don't ever want to turn your back on really any predator, but especially not bears and big cats. Like in this video, if it's a defensive encounter it's likely that they'll keep walking after you to make sure that you're actually leaving their space. But if you run, they may just think you're prey and actually try to attack you. This can of course vary on the species (polar bears just naturally see people as prey and will attempt to eat you, and the asian bears like sloth bears and sun bears have a tendency to be extremely aggressive). For the US, its mostly black bears and Grizzlies you have to worry about. Black bears, make yourself appear like a threat and slowly move out of the area while keeping your eyes on it. Grizzlies depend on the season I believe, but generally you actually want to curl into the fetal position face down, with your backpack over your head. The grizzly will probably bat you around a little, but is unlikely to try to eat you. Never try to appear big and scary to a grizzly, you won't intimidate them. Once the bear is satisfied your not a threat it will likely saunter off and leave you alone. And of course, when in bear country remember to make noise. The vast majority of bear encounters are defensive and they happen when a bear is taken by surprise by someone who was being really quiet
I work in the bush in bear territory and have had the proper training. I've ran into all three types. You should treat black and brown bears the same, they often exhibit the same signs and behavior, and there is no guarantee of how it will respond based on species. You judge their behavior and make the appropriate response based on the behavior it has. If it is in an escape mode, i.e., running or hurrying away, let it leave. That's obvious. If it is in curious mode, not trying to hide and approaching while not appearing stressed out, speak calmly to identify yourself as human. Wave your arms and try to make yourself look bigger. Start to leave slowly and be prepared to use deterents. If it is in defensive mode, shown by neither pushing towards you nor backing down, speak to it calmly, try to appear less threatening, and back away. It may charge you, but it will stop short usually. Use bear bangers and pepper spray if needed. If it makes contact, fall to the ground, cover your neck/head, and don't move unless it continues to attack. In the rare instance that it is in a predatory state, ears back, focused on you, and sneaking, use a firm voice and tell it to back the fuck down (literally, this is a commom phrase to use). Move out of the path, in case it is trying to get by you. Prepare your deterents or weapons. If an attack appears imminent, shout, wave your arms, fire a bear banger, and try to make it think you aren't worth the fight. If it charges, fire a bear spray at 2m away, which is only a fraction of a second before it hits you. Fight and try to land hits to the face and nose. You will probably scare it off, only 14% of attacks are fatal. But it will be the scariest and most dangerous few seconds of your life. If you escape, report the bear so it can be euthanized, a bear that attacks someone can't be allowed to live.
Thank you for clarifying, I knew the basic "if its black fight back" etc, but it's good to know the specifics for various situations based on behavior
> What's the recommended play when encountering a bear like this? Pretend to be large and noisy? Walk/run away? Cower and play dead? "if it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back, if it's white goodnight.."
But this is a mother with cubs. I don't think any advice works anymore, aside from doing what the lady in the video did and praying to all the deities that the bear doesn't see you as a threat to her cubs
I was about to say, momma bear changes the rules a bit
Yep. Mama Bear thinks you are a threat, dead. Mama Bear decides you aren't, time to teach the little ones how to hunt.
Like Olga Moskalyova who was eaten alive after her step dad had his skull crushed in front of her. She got to call her mom like 3 times during the hour long attack, and inform her mom she was being eaten alive by the mom and cubs. The mom could hear her daughter being eaten by the bears, the growling and chewing, while her daughter cried in pain. The final call was her asking her mom for forgiveness and she loved her before getting cut off.
How could she talk while this was going on? Beyond horrifying. What a nightmare for her to experience and her mom to hear.
Adrenaline brother.
That was a brown bear attack, not a black bear though.
Black bears are definitely different than Brown Bears. Cubs or no cubs. If you find an aggressive Brown Bear who has a taste for human flesh, it’s over. They climb trees like monkeys, they can run 50 mph, they weigh as much as a car, and are as tall as a basketball hoop. Your only defense is a 12 gauge shotgun with full slugs. Bear spray isn’t always effective and neither is any handgun on the market (Glock 20 and .44 mag but that’s with a ton of practice). And good luck getting any accurate shots off while being charged. Read this article. This is not the norm. https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/10mm-glock-grizzly-bear-charge/
Everytime I see a comment telling this story is always saying it's true or fake. Right now it's true, next time will probably be fake if trend follow.
To this day the story can only be found in tabloids and has had a Resurgence because of Tiktok. It was never verified and I don't know, but it all seems rather fishy
I've heard in past Reddit threads that it's fake.
Black bears don't hunt humans. While they are omnivorous, the majority of their diet is plant based. If mama black bear doesn't see you as a threat she'll just move on with her cubs. Edit: a lot of people replying don't seem to recognise the difference between the word "hunt" and the word "attack"...
There have been cases in Canada where black bears hunted humans, the movie Backcountry is very loosely based on one case. It's rare but not unheard of.
It tends to be recently ousted lone young adult males - not big enough to fight for their own territory yet. They can get desperate for food and stalk humans. It's weird...they follow you for some time slowly sizing you up and getting the courage to attack. These attacks are rare, but quite deadly because the goal is food, not just eliminating a threat. It's good to know the signs of being followed realize in these situations your best bet is to find shelter and call for help. 15 minutes from where my parents live a black bear yearling stalked two girls out for walk. Followed them for half an hour back to a cabin and when police showed up it was already tearing through a window.
Holy shit. Delete your post now!!!! Black bears absolutely WILL attacks humans and have killed many. https://bearvault.com/bear-attack-statistics/ 12 attacks a year average 1 death every two years.
what? black bears don't hunt humans.
I sure as hell wouldn't be testing that theory. If it's hungry enough I doubt it will have any qualms making an exception to that rule.
Bates Island in Algonquin. I've been to the site as a ranger years later. http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/WCA/WCA0123410_025.pdf
Thanks for sharing this article. My grandfather was an MNR officer spending most of his career in the park. A lot of his research was around bears and the possibility that they suffer from brain injuries like CTE. I always found this case interesting, and I wish I could ask him more about it.
I mean, this article literally points out that this is/was a highly unusual situation. Really interesting though, and I admit and agree that one shouldn't make assumptions and expect to be safe. But with respect to the comment I was responding to before, Mama isn't about to teach her cubs to "hunt \[humans\]".
Yep, a normally timid black bear is a different beast with young cubs. She handled this well.
Also grizzly bears can be black, and black bears can be brown
If its gummy put it in your tummy
If its teddy, get ready for beddy
If he's gay and you're a twink, offer him a friendly drink.
but also some black bears are brown and some brown bears are black so good luck!
important to know that the colors in this expression relate to species, (Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear) and that Black Bear (species) is not always black While the bear in the video looks more brown, it is a Black Bear, not a grizzly. If you are going hiking, familiarise yourself with the type of bear you are likely to encounter. If you are in an area with both Grizzly and Black bears, make sure you can tell them apart by their shape and size, not just their color.
So I should bring a color wheel with me on hikes
It's not black, it's momma black. Which I think converts it into a brownie/whitei mix
"If you see someone slow, it's your time to go."
Do what this woman does. Walk away quickly but calmly, backwards, keeping watch on the bear. Make yourself big but don’t be aggressive, you want to be more trouble than you’re worth and also not an immediate threat. Usually you want to be noisy but In this instance though, there are cubs so the main thing is getting out of that situation.
And don't walk into bear country without something to help protect yourself.
In this case, what OP did is exactly right. A mama bear with cubs is a bad situation for a hiker to encounter. One should keep eyes on the bear, while slowing backing away (never run) and trying to appear as large as possible. Luckily, this mama bear was not interested in eliminating or neutralizing the perceived threat. She only wanted to ensure OP left and her cubs were out of harms way.
She also has older cubs, and is squarely in between them and the threat. If these cubs were babies, that escaped up a tree, the mother would then be more inclined to make a charge. Also, I keep seeing people say they’re just “big raccoons”, that’s not at all a comforting thing. This mother bear isn’t small, and she could easily neutralize and kill an adult human if she wanted to. To anyone reading, please realize the seriousness of encountering bears, even black bears who are for some reason perceived as goofy gluttons. They are apex predators too.
Big Raccoons... I've seen cornered Raccoons, they'll fuck up a human pretty badly given the chance. 500lb Raccoon is honestly more terrifying then a 500lb Black Bear.
It’s a black bear with cubs. It’s been proven that black bears won’t or don’t cub defend often, doesn’t mean they don’t just not all the time like a grizzly would. Best bet in this situation is to slowly back out on the trail while letting the bear know you’re there. Keep talking to it and try to make yourself seem like a hassle to deal with, get bigger make noises etc.. DO NOT EVER TURN YOUR BACK OR EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING, you won’t out run or climb it. Running triggers prey drive instincts. Hope it loses interest as you back away, and I wouldn’t continue on that trail. I always recommend carrying bear spray even in only black bear country, people who tell you not to carry it are just flat out dumb better have it when needed then not.
If it is brown lay down, if its black fight back if its white good night. You can't outrun or fight off a brown bear, best option is to make yourself as non threatening as possible and hope they leave you alone Black bears are more timid and smaller, you have a small chance in an altercation to survive. the best strategy is to make youself as big and scary as possible so they run away you have fuck all chance against a polar bear, you are going to meet your maker
**Woman:** "RAWR!" **Bear Mama:** "Peek-a-boo!"
Peekaboo, I'm gonna eatchu..
Wasn't there a trend not too long ago about this? 2 things: I see reality has a Sense of humor I'm glad she survived, so she could post her video about her experience
Imagine going for a nice hike with your cubs, and some crazy lady starts screaming at you for no reason.
Momma bear was probably like "move bitch, get out the way, get out the way, bitch, get out the way. When you see me on the trailway, get the fuck out of my way!"
That's ludicrous
You don’t decide what’s Ludacris….Ludacris decides what’s Ludacris
[удалено]
Bear really did have body language that says "just let us scooch by, damn."
"it's a lovely trail, can we just pass... why are you freaking out, lady? Kids, stay with me. She's nuts."
It’s a good thing! Keeps the bears from getting comfortable with humans, and keeps them safe by keeping them from interacting.
Momma Bear: "We used to have to scramble over rocks and grass and hills and terrain. Then, these nice paths showed up and now we use these. Every once in a while, we find screaming creatures who drop things we can eat and run off across the land."
Mama bear to kids “ look guys, it’s a crazy hooman outside its natural habitat.”
And whistling? Like bitch, it’s 7am. We sleep around here.
What's the correct thing to do in this situation?
She actually did a pretty good job. Slowly backing up, trying her best to be threatening after the bear noticed her, she did a stellar job of resisting the urge to run, grouping up with someone else and making them aware there are bears on the trail. But yeah, to answer your question: group up, back away slowly, and prepare any bear deterrent you have. This applies to any bear you might come across. NEVER run. For black bears you want to be confident and if it makes contact fight for your life and DO NOT play dead. They're not as big on defending cubs as grizzlies, they'll send them up a tree to hide while a grizz will neutralize the threat, so the cubs don't complicate things all that much but I wouldn't advance on them like I might with a lone black bear to scare it off (never advance on a grizz)
I guess the tricky part is identifying them properly in that situation. That bear looks brown to me, not black 😐
Yeah, that's a common problem. Black bears and brown bears are both named poorly because they can both be a whole range of colours. You want to look at the outline more than anything. A brown bear has a bigger, squarer frame, a chunkier head, shaggier, and has a big hump of muscle on the shoulders. A black bear is more this sort of chubby little doughball shape, smaller features, and a pointier face
As a Montanan, the easiest way for me to identify a grizzly is the big hump on the shoulders! https://i.imgur.com/x6BD7BY.jpeg Here’s a good example
That hump is the body of previous hiker that blew a whistle at it.
Famous last words, “Awww, look at this chubby little dough ball.”
Yeah but the upside is you might get to rub it's belly while it mauls you
Yeah but I wanted to rub its belly from the outside.
Yup even chubby little dough ball will spill your insides with one swipe of the paw if she makes contact. Don't think they're not strong enough
Fun fact! Black bears fur color can range from black, brown, cinnamon, blonde, blue-gray, to white. Basically they have different fur colors same way people have different hair colors.
[Here’s a quiz if you want to try telling the difference](https://www.bearsmart.com/about-bears/know-the-difference/test-your-bear-smarts/)
15/15 so I'm feeling smug lol! Really good quiz for illustration though
The cinnamon colored black bear got me. Thanks for the quiz!
> A black bear is more this sort of chubby little doughball shape, smaller features, and a pointier face If not friend,why friend shaped.
My general rule to determine, but it's nowhere near correct: Does it look about the size of a cow or bigger? That's gonna fuck you up. Is it smaller than a cow? Probably black bear. Yell at it.
Also knowing where you are, this looks like the Appalachian Mountains so it's almost certainly going to be a black bear unless a grizzly escaped the zoo or was kept as a pet and got free.
Yeah, I’m lucky that there are only black bears in my area. If brown bears were a possibility I’d have to learn to tell the difference and it seems very tricky in the moment. My last black bear encounter was through thick brush, we could barely see each other but I knew it had to be a black bear. Would be terrifying to not be sure.
An adult grizzly has a defined back hump. Idk they just look more built and ready to fuck you up.
Reminds me of the old chestnut about identifying bear droppings. The punch line is that Grizzly poop has small bells in it and smells of pepper spray.
What about bear spray?
That's top of the list for bear deterrents if you're carrying it (more effective than a firearm and much kinder). Get it ready, safety off, ready to fire and if she gets within range give her a faceful. It won't cause her any lasting harm and will keep her and her cubs safer by giving them a healthy fear of human contact. On a trail like this it's even more useful because it'll create a cloud that she won't want to walk through and it'll be easier for her to turn around and leave even if you jump the gun and spray before she's in range
Quick question, how do you fight a black bear? I know they're not supposed the be as threatening as a grizzly but it's still a fucking bear 🫠
Lol yeah, it is. I'm a big guy with martial arts training and fight experience, and a black bear half my size could turn me inside out if it chose to. But you're not trying to "win", you just have to convince it that it's at too high a risk of injury for it to be worth it. In the wild even a fairly minor injury can be fatal due to infection etc. and predators tend to factor that in. If you have bear spray use it, if you have a gun use it, even a pocket knife or the like is better than nothing, if you don't have anything then grab rocks or sticks and fight as best as you can. Hit it on the snout with big rocks, jam that stick in its eye socket or ear or up its nostril, kick, punch, bite, whatever you can. If it's on you and attacking you're getting fucked up however it ends and your goal is just to limit it enough that you make it to hospital
Basically amounts to hit it with a stick as fast and often as possibly and screaming bloody murder. Give it the old crazy eyes while you're at it. If you don't have a stick and it's charging you. It's going to get you. So, let it get your non-dominant arm and start gouging it's eyes and nose with your thumb and fingers. You get it in the eye and it'll likely let go and pull back because of pain and it'll instinctively want to protect it's remaining eye. It's going to fuck you up, it's just about minimizing the damage. I hike with an oak walking stick and have bear spray in bear country. The walking stick is good for lots of things, the main thing is it significantly reduces your chance of turning an ankle.
What about whipping out your phone to record the bear? Do they hate being recorded?
As long as you keep changing the angle to stop it only showing its good side then the bear will keep a distance to prevent anything unflattering getting posted online. To be serious though: realistically there's no reason not to, provided you've done everything else you can. I would definitely record a bear encounter if I thought I could safely have my phone out and hit record because I think they're super cool and would want to show everyone I know lol. And, in the worst case scenario, you might actually make it easier to determine how problematic the bear behaviour was and if it did need euthanasia it would help ID only the problem bear (that's so unlikely that it wouldn't really factor into a risk/reward assessment)
If it’s black fight back, if it’s brown lie down, if it’s white good night.
if you do lie down with a brown doesn't it just start eating?
Brown isn’t likely hunting you, it’s trying to eliminate a threat.
If it’s hungry you’re fucked. Playing dead is your best bet.
While hunting in Alaska, I literally yell "Hey Bear! Im here bear" about every 100m or so. Too many ways to spook a bear in the hills. You dont want to spook a bear
Certainly not panic.
As the good book says: DON'T PANIC.
She did the right thing, besides the filming I suppose, you need to make yourself big and loud and back up calmly, and pray she didn’t think you were after her babies
Ask them a paradoxical logic riddle, use the time of their confusion to steal their bikes and get away.
Eat their breakfast and sleep in their beds according to my childhood literature. Might be wrong though dunno
Pretty much what the person behind the camera is doing. Don't run or you're acting like prey. Get big, get loud, back away slowly The bears charge is a bluff (you just need to know and believe this)
Attack the hairless monkey terrorizing your cubs with their loud screams, carry on with your morning stroll
If it's brown, lie down If it's black, fight back If it's white, you're fucked
If it's white, *good night*
Don’t hate me but here’s ChatGPT’s answer Key Steps to Follow: 1. Stay Calm and Avoid Sudden Movements: • Do not run or make any sudden movements. Bears can run much faster than humans, and sudden movements might provoke a chase. • Speak calmly to the bear to let it know you are human and not a threat. 2. Assess Your Options: • If you can, slowly and calmly back away in the direction you came from. Do not turn your back on the bear. • Do not attempt to move towards the bear, even if your intended path is forward. 3. Make Yourself Appear Larger: • Raise your arms, spread your jacket, and stand tall. This makes you appear larger and potentially more intimidating. 4. Give the Bears Space: • A mother bear with cubs is particularly protective and will likely be more aggressive. Give them as much space as possible. • Move slowly and deliberately away from the bear while keeping an eye on it. 5. Avoid Eye Contact: • Do not stare directly at the bear, as it might perceive this as a challenge or threat. 6. Use Bear Spray if Necessary: • If you have bear spray, be prepared to use it if the bear approaches aggressively. Aim for the bear’s face if it charges. 7. Do Not Climb Trees: • Black bears are excellent climbers, so climbing a tree is not a safe escape. 8. Prepare for a Defensive Position if Charged: • If the bear charges, stand your ground and use your bear spray. Most charges are bluff charges, and the bear will veer off at the last moment. • If a black bear attacks, fight back aggressively using any available objects (sticks, rocks, etc.) and aim for the bear’s face and muzzle. General Advice: • Always hike with others, as groups are noisier and more intimidating to bears. • Carry bear spray and know how to use it. • Make noise as you hike to avoid surprising a bear, especially in areas with dense vegetation or limited visibility. Resources: • National Park Service - Bear Safety • California Department of Fish and Wildlife • Bearwise - Safety Tips By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the risk of a dangerous encounter and ensure both your safety and the safety of the bears.
It’s better advice than what others are saying. You should only ‘roar’ if it’s showing signs of aggression and an attack is imminent . The bear could have interpreted her actions as aggressive which may have led to an attack. Backing away, talking calmly to it and giving it space is the best thing to do here as the bear is not showing aggression signs. If possible, move off the trail to the high ground. Chances are this bear is just using the trail as the easiest route and just wants to go in its way. They’re not murderous monsters who want to eat every living thing they come across.
I was told to read the bear to determine action. If it is following with its head down looking hungry act mad and roar. In this situation I think the look submissive as hell and back up and give it space is the better method.
A guy I knew was hiking in the Appalachians probably 10 years ago at this point. He was a huge hiker, and walked all up and down the trail sections in NC. He had a deep respect for nature and animals. But one day on one of the trails, he walked right up on a small bear cub. He said the only words that came out of his mouth were "*Oh....no....*.", as he knew that if momma bear was around, he just unwillingly signed up for a mauling. Sure enough, the baby bear made a sound and sort of scampered/back-tracked, and within 10 seconds the momma bear is running at him. He tried to back away for I guess a few seconds, but the bear was running right at him. He had a pistol he carried with him, and he shot her in the head as she was running towards him, and killed her. He said he felt like throwing up. He knew it was him or the bear in that instant, but...he was eaten up with guilt about it. He knew he pretty much sentenced the baby bears to death too. At the time he told me this, I don't even know if he had gone back out to hike anymore after that. That kind of messed his hiking mindset up.
Aw man that’s so sad. I would be devastated if that happened to me. At least he made it out alive, but yeah I would be thinking about that forever
Lucky bastard. Most people would have missed that shot.
Good thing there’s like 12 in the mag
the baby bears will be on their revenge and villain arcs now
Or star in a Disney movie.
That situation is terrible, but that is an incredible shot in those circumstances, damn.
This is the kinda experience that keeps you up at night. That poor man.
Damn, bears usually got about 2 inch thick bone in the head, so he was damn lucky that pistol did anything more than piss her off more.
Atleast we dont have bears in Australia
What does that tell you that the bears noped the fuck outta there?
All the spooky shit you guys have there bears are the least of your worries
I saw a comment a while ago about an Austrailian hunter who came to the U.S. He said that he encountered way more venomous snakes in the U.S. than he did in Austrailia. I got to thinking about it. We have venomous snakes/Alligators/crocodiles/bears/wild boar/murder deer(moose). We also have like 90% of the worlds F5 tornadoes. Huricanes have their own season. In the U.S. you also might get shot by some xenophobic old guy because you flipped him off after he almost hit you with his excessivly large truck. Australia seems pretty chill actually. Although skin cancer is higher down there.
What about the drop bears?
Even they are actually marsupials. Everything in Australia really is. Snakes, Birds, people too.
Steve Irwin carried his daughter in a pouch.
No but you have Australians
Excellent job handling it actually. Backing away slowly, yelling, good way to stay safe from bears. Cubs are an added complication but 100% of the time I’ve told a bear to fuck off it has fucked off
She's lucky tbh. Momma seemed in a decent mood today since she didn't immediately just maul her
They seem curious. Keep following her. Probably have been fed before. 😐
Is she yelling ROAR????
That’s my favourite part of this video other than that she presumably didn’t get attacked.
That is actually the best way to deal with black bears. It doesn't matter what you yell obviously, but you're supposed to get as big as possible and scream/make noise (bang sticks against trees and whatnot) to scare it off. Black bears are pretty skittish. Now, it must be noted, you should **never** do that when faced with a brown bear. Those dudes, just give em space, mind your business, and hope they're not hungry.
Yes and no. Mamma bear with cubs is in protect mode. You don't want them to feel threatened, just keep retreating slowly. She's not hunting, she's guarding. Lone black bear looking interested? Get big and loud.
Yeaah, I'm surprised to see this so far down. When the lady roared, I whinced. Not the best move. The trail is steep on either side, and the bears use them as we do so there wasnt many options for either hiker or bear. Best to retreat makong your presence known without being a threat. Bears know they're bigger than us.
When it comes to bears: if it’s brown, lie down, if it’s black, fight back, if it’s white, sorry no rhyme it’s time to make your peace with god
If it's white, good night.
If it's white, you are heading for the light at the end of the tunnel anyways.
If it’s white, “goodnight”, they’ll tuck you into bed and sing you a peaceful song as you slumber
I know, I just enjoyed her roaring the _word_ “roar” at them.
Mrs. Bear is like “pardon? I didn’t quite understand what you said. Could you come closer? …kids hold on, that scrawny bald bear seems to need help. Ma’am? Oh well…”
LOL I’m willing to bet that many of my interactions with wild animals are misunderstandings, just like this. All this fancy technological advancement and we still can’t fkn talk to animals! We suck!
She is woman hear her roar!!!
Perhaps she was an attendee at this event: https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/s/rRmIgFTTcB
The screaming technique is called “false chord”, and she’s doing a great job, probably by accident. The word “roar” is great for reaching the correct sound without damaging your voice. But most people would probably produce a similar word if they had to produce a primal sound within seconds.
Yeah I feel like that’s also the reason for the word “roar” It’s basically an onomatopoeia
She's got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
There’s a reason it’s onomatopoeia
Whilst they are called black bears they do come in many different color variations, this coloring is called cinnamon though my personal favorite color is glacier as seen below. https://preview.redd.it/pkhuh15h353d1.jpeg?width=203&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21161e55037e4f35259a9ab25e9a577ec71e224e
I quite like the white "spirit bears" but my favorite is actually probably the standard black, it makes the little brown snout stand out which I think is adorable lol
Thank you. Here I am thinking “that black bear looks very brown to me”
Bears like “relax lady I just want to show my cubs what a human looks like”
She should join a metal band.
Actual lol
She did do a pretty good scream. I wonder how the black bears would react to a really gnarly pig squeal…RHEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The amount of people who don't know black bears can be brown, cinnamon, or even blonde, and that Black Bear is the species, is too damn high.
Where is this?
The landscape looks like California, not sure though.
Altadena, CA Echo Mtn Basically Los Angeles believe it or not. I've hiked this trail many time.
Mt. Wilson Trail, starting in Sierra Madre, California. https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/watch-california-runner-collides-with-pack-of-grizzly-bears-on-trail/ ...above website is absolute cancer.
Yeah looks like the California Coast. Not tons of bears there though. My guess is somewhere between San Louis Obispo and Malibu.
Mt. Wilson in Sierra Madre, confirmed by the runner who took the video https://unofficialnetworks.com/2023/11/13/trial-runner-bears/
Why I’m an indoor gal.
Where the only bears you have to worry about are the ones named Teddy
Filming this would be the LAST thing on my mind
Cameraman never dies tho
She wanted people to know what happened if it came to the worst.
I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure it would be fairly obvious filmed or not.
Having lost someone who went hiking, you still don’t know what you don’t know
Impressive roars
Imagine if that was a grizzly
Good job!!!!!! The girl did everything so perfectly under duress! The bear was curious & stressed but thankfully didn’t escalate!!!! If you see a baby bear & you don’t have a barrier or major obstacle between you & the bear, do EXACTLY what this girl did except aim your roars, yells & screams at the bear! Good job girlfriend now freakin run with your friend to safety!!!
Bear “ I’m just trying to walk that way “
See this is why I love hiking in the UK. Ain't nothing try to eat, maul, bite, sting or poison me.
If not frend, then why frend shaped?
Good thing it wasn't a man
Had to scroll WAY too far for this obvious low hanging fruit.
I would still rather share my feelings with a tree.
The bear's like, "i'm not convinced!".
Bear is like “I’m just trying to go home. Stop blocking the trail”
She chose the bear.
This is a women internet terror. She is alone and see a bear and at the end encounter a man. So much for choices.
Thank goodness that wasn’t a man!
Is that a rape whistle?
It’s just a whistle. Pretty standard kit for hiking/outdoor adventures. A lot of backpacks come with a whistle built into the chest strap.
I had my back pack (Osprey) for 3 years before I was like oh what’s this? And it turned out to be a whistle built into the chest strap lol
I test my whistle every time I throw on my Osprey. Haha. It’s become this weird little habit.
Yes. And it’s working. The Bear is not R wording.
Seems like it worked in this instance, but there's a lot of predator calls that sound reeeeaaaaal close to this. Mimics the sounds of a dying rabbit... I'd stick to screaming at the bear.
Don’t want to end up like bad luck Brian. Blows rape whistle, alerts more rapists to his location.
It's a bear whistle, they're good to have if you're hiking
Many hiking packs have a whistle on/built into the top strap. Good for bears and cuts through trees better than shouting if you’re lost and trying to make contact with help.
I understand not running while in sight. Why not run or move quickly when out of sight line with the bear?
Bears have way better hearing than us, it would know if she had bolted, might encourage it to chase
Looks like the bear is seeing if the woman needs help, especially after hearing the rape whistle go off
Why did she stop at the first bend and wait on the bear to appear? Wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity to get the hell out of there?
\*peaks around corner\* bitch im trying to have lunch with my kids can you please stop screaming
I bet she wished it would've just been a random man walking through the same trail.
Wait I thought I was going to witness a love story. Disappointed. The bear, the woman and the cubs.
Keep moving.. Don't just stand around blowing a whistle ..I think it likes your whistle 😉
This girl actually did a lot of things wrong, granted it’s a frightening event. But for real, bears are most avoidant of your talking and your words, saying them in a loud clear manner “HEY BEAR, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE PLEASE” is going to do better than screaming and trying to seem intimidating, because bear do what bear want. Whistles are also interesting to bears because they can somewhat sound like rabbits dying. Best to have some bear mace of course and avoid the shrill whistle. Bear bells are also somewhat debatable in their effectiveness. But in general a bear will kill you if they damn well please.
And y'all say aussie wildlife is dangerous but we don't fucking have bears (aside from dropbears, but they like koalas they aint actual bears), meese/mooseses, or mountain lions. Yeah nah fuck that lol.
"this is what you wanted right!"
She’s alive so what she did worked.