Bear Facts

We live in a beautiful, rural area surrounded by nature and wildlife. This means that someones we may see bears roaming in our backyards and the surrounding area.

For information about Bear Safety go to …

Bear Safety (BC Parks)
https://wildsafebc.com/species/black-bear/

General information about Bear Safety is included below.

Keeping Bears Away from your Home

There are many things we can do as a community to reduce the risk of attracting bears to our and our neighbours yards. Here are some tips at keeping bears at bay:

Keep garbage in airtight containers inside your garage or storage area until you can take it to the landfill. Double bagging and the use of ammonia will reduce odors that attract bears.
Do not leave pet food or dishes outdoors at night.
Clean up and/or store outdoor grills after use.
Use a bear-proof dumpster, can, or store all garbage in a secure storage area without windows until day of pickup.
Don’t put meat, fish, melon rinds and other pungent scraps in the compost pile. Keep it aerated and properly turned. Add lime to promote decomposition and reduce odour.
Take down, clean and put away bird feeders by April 1. Store the bird feeder until early winter. (Birds will do just fine with the natural foods available.) Bear damage due to bird feeders is a very common and growing complaint. Do not begin feeding birds again, until mid-November when most bears have gone into hibernation.
Clean up spilled seed below feeder stations.
Clean up fruit trees and dropped fruit.

Plants Known to Attract Bears

Before you buy a new shrub or tree for your backyard landscaping project, make sure you are not just buying a plant that may attract bears to your yard. The following list of plants are known to attract bears:

Berries and FruitsGrass and Grass-like Plants

Bog Cranberry
Bearberry Alpine
Cherry Choke
Cherry Pin
Dogwood/Red-osier
Elderberry
Bearberry Common
Gooseberry Wild
Bilberry Dwarf
Cowberry
Grouseberry
Bilberry Tall
Cranberry Low-bush
Honeysuckle/Twinberry

If You Encounter a Bear

Bears are very intelligent and complex animals. Each bear and each encounter is unique; there is no single strategy that will work in all situations, almost all bear encounters end without injuries, especially if you follow some basic guidelines: Stay Calm. Most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Bears may also react defensively by woofing, growling, snapping their jaws, and laying their ears back.

Immediately pick up small children and stay in a group.
Talk calmly and firmly. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you. Remain still stand your ground and talk calmly so it knows you are a human and not a prey animal. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack.
Don’t drop your pack. It can provide protection.
Back away slowly if the bear is stationary, never run! Bears can run as fast as a racehorse, both uphill and down hill.
Leave the area or take a detour. If this is impossible, wait until the bear moves away. Always leave the bear an escape route.

Bear Attacks

Attacks are rare. Most are defensive when a bear is surprised and feels threatened or fears for the safety of its cubs; try to avoid such encounters by being alert and making noise.

If you surprise a bear and it DEFENDS ITSELF:

If you have bear spray, use it. If physical contact has occurred or is imminent, PLAY DEAD! Lie on your stomach with legs apart. Protect your face, the back of your head and neck with your arms. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. These attacks seldom last more than a few minutes. While fighting back usually increase the intensity of such an attack, in some cases it has caused the bear to leave. If the attack continues for more than several minutes, consider fighting back.

If a Bear ATTACKS YOU IN YOUR TENT or STALKS YOU and THEN ATTACKS: DON'T PLAY DEAD-FIGHT BACK!

First-try to escape, preferably to a building, car or up a tree. If you can’t escape, or if the bear follows, use bear spray, or shout and try to intimidate the bear with a branch or rock. Do what ever it takes to let the bear know you are not easy prey. Concentrate your blows on the bears face and muzzle.

This kind of attack is very rare but can be very serious because it often means the bear is looking for food and preying on you.

Blueberry
Current Wild
Mountain ash
Raspberry Wild Red
Strawberry, Wild

Brome, Northern Awnless
Sedges
Tufted Hair Grass
Trisetum
Cow Parsnip
Horsetail
Common or FieldSorrel
MountainVetchling
Pea Vine
Vetch, Wild

Co-existing With Coyotes in Steelhead

Creating a boundary between people/pets and urban coyotes has proven to be the most effective way of managing their behaviour in urban settings. Coyotes are very opportunistic animals always looking and learning – it’s a major factor in their success.

Coyotes will observe their surroundings to identify opportunities like food and shelter, and if left undeterred they will begin to pursue these opportunities in your neighbourhood. You can shape coyote behaviour to reduce conflicts by hazing, removing coyote attractants, and spreading the word in your community.

To learn more about urban coyotes and how to co-exist with them check out:

https://stanleyparkecology.ca/ecology/co-existing-with-coyotes/understanding-urban-coyotes

Hazing Coyotes

Hazing is a process whereby people deliberately disturb an animal’s sense of security so that it learns to avoid people, and helps to reduce conflicts with people and pets.

Steps for Effective Hazing

Never run away from a coyote – Though coyotes are not naturally aggressive to people, like most predatory mammals, they have a natural instinct to chase. Make sure your child knows not to run from coyotes. Children and adults should stand their ground, be big (put hands over head) and yell “Go Away Coyote” in their loudest voice.

Step 1. Basic Hazing deterrents include: loud noises, spraying water, bright lights, and shouting. Hazing can help maintain a coyote’s fear of humans and discourage them from neighbourhood spaces such as backyards and play areas. Yell “Go Away Coyote.” This both scares the coyote and alerts other people nearby of the coyote.

Step 2. Observe the coyote’s response. Many coyotes will flee with basic hazing. If the coyote does not flee the area then proceed to Step 3.

Step 3. Increase the intensity of your hazing effort. You can do this by chasing the coyote, throwing things at it, and by making loud noises (i.e. banging pots and pans).

The ‘Coyote Shaker’ is a highly effective tool in deterring coyotes. Simply put 12-15 pennies in a soda can and tape the opening closed. It is very noisy when shaken and can be thrown to land near a coyote that does not respond to the noise alone (or even throw the shaker directly at them).

Step 4. Involve your community. If the coyote seems highly habituated and does not respond to your increased vigilance and persistence at scaring it off, the next step is to get your neighbours involved. Hazing must be consistent to be effective, the more people that do it the more likely the coyote will stay afraid. If you suspect that the coyote is unresponsive to hazing because someone is feeding it intentionally, please inform the Co-existing with Coyote staff and the BC MOE (see contact information below).

Cougar Facts

Would you know what to do if you were faced with a cougar?

Cougars have been sighted through the Steelhead area, so be aware and be prepared. Read the following information to learn more about cougars and the precautions you should take in cougar country.

If you meet a cougar . . .

Stay calm and keep the cougar in view. Pick up children immediately. Back away slowly, ensuring that the animal has a clear avenue of escape. Make yourself look as large as possible. Never run or turn your back on a cougar.
If the cat shows intense interest or follows you, respond aggressively. Maintain eye contact with the cat, show your teeth and make loud noises. Arm yourself with rocks or sticks as weapons. Crouch down as little as possible when picking things up off the ground.
If the cougar attacks, fight back. Keep the animal in front of you at all times. Convince the cougar you are a threat, not prey. Use anything you can as a weapon. Focus your attack on the cougar’s face and eyes.

The above tips come from BC Parks resource ‘Bears and Cougars’. Click here to view the more of the information they provide. For additional information about Cougars, click here (Wild Safe BC).

Who Are They?

Mysterious, enigmatic, secretive – the cougar weaves in and out of myth and legend like a wisp of smoke. Mountain lion, puma, catamount; many names from many places, all belonging to the cat known in the Pacific Northwest as cougar. To scientists it is know as Felis concolor, or “cat of single colour.” In American folklore, it is the ghost walker, ghost of the wilderness.

Natural History

Larger than the other two North American wild cats – the lynx and the bobcat – an adult cougar may weigh from 85 to 180 pounds. It may reach six to eight feet in length including the thick, expressive, dark-tipped tail which makes up about one-third of it’s total length. A cougar’s coat is typically a tawny colour, shading into gray in the northern part of the species’ range. The muzzle and chest are white, with a dark triangular marking on each side of the mouth.

Cougars are primarily nocturnal creatures and even when active in daylight, they are secretive and rarely seen. They favour dense forest and brush that provides good stalking cover while hunting. Cougars also take advantage of steep canyons and rock outcroppings to remain hidden.

A cougar is a solitary animal, coming together with another cougar only for mating. Females first breed at 18 to 24 months of age, and litters are born at two- to three-year intervals thereafter. Gestation is 92 days. Cubs are born with blue eyes and a spotted coat; the spots gradually fade and disappear completely by age two. Cubs stay with their mother for up to two years. She is a playful and loving parent, teaching her young what they need to know to survive.

The cougar patrols a territory of 125 to 175 square miles, with females’ ranges a bit smaller than males’. Territories are defended by mutual avoidance rather than direct confrontation. A cougar marks its boundaries with “scrapes” consisting of a mound of dirt and forest litter, urine and dung. These scrapes serve to warn away other cougars of the same gender, though the ranges of females often overlap males’ ranges.

Cougars eat everything from mice to elk but deer are their preferred prey.

Status

The largest cat in North America, cougars once ranged across the continent. Due to aggressive predator control programs and habitat loss, they are now scarce in much of their former range. Though they continue to suffer from habitat loss due to human intrusion, the cougar is not considered a threatened or endangered species.

Life in the wild is dangerous for a cougar. Free-ranging cougars seldom live for more than 13 years. They must find food, mates, a territory, and avoid hunters and other hazards.

Outside of national parks, the cougar is listed as a game animal in Washington and in most states, so hunting is allowed according to state game regulations. Hunting is not allowed in most unity of the National Park System.

Safety in Cougar Country

A cougar has all of the grace and playfulness of house cat; it purrs and has a taste for catnip. Our familiarity with domestic cats can lead to some misconceptions about cougars, however. They are wild animals and must be respected as such.

Although few people ever see this elusive cat in the wild, sightings and encounters in the national parks have increased in recent years.

Cougars are entirely capable of lethal attacks on people, and predatory attacks by cougars have occurred across the western U.S. and southwestern Canada over at least the last 50 years. Some incidents occur when people behave in a manner that resembles a cougar’s normal prey. Expanding development and subdivisions into cougar habitat, particularly in areas with high deer populations, and residents who leave pet food or small pets or other animals outdoors at night seem to be factors that contribute to increased frequency of cougar attacks.

When you are in backcountry, you are in cougar habitat. Keep this in mind and follow some basic rules.

For Your Safety

Never approach a cougar, especially a feeding one. Cougars are unpredictable individuals, but will normally avoid a confrontation. If you encounter a cougar, be sure to give it a way out.
Keep children close to you while hiking, and do not allow them to run ahead or lag behind on the trail. Pick them up if you see fresh sign of cougar.
Hiking in a small group is best. Particularly in areas where cougars have been sighted, avoid hiking alone.
Jogging is not recommended. People running or moving rapidly may be at higher risk.
A walking stick makes a useful weapon in the event of an encounter.

If You Encounter A Cougar

Stop. Do not run.
Immediately pick up small children.
If you were sitting or bending over, stand upright. Spread your arms, open your coat – try to look as large as possible.
Maintain eye contact with the cougar, and attempt to slowly back away.

If A Cougar Acts Aggressively

Be assertive. If approached, wave your arms, shout and throw sticks or rocks at it.
If attacked, fight back aggressively.

An attack from a cougar is an unlikely event and by taking these precautions, you can reduce the chances even further. By taking care, you will help enable all of us to continue to share America’s wildlands with these magnificent animals.

If You’re Lucky…

If by some rare chance, you meet the ghost cat of the wilderness, consider it a gift.