STAYING SAFE IN BEAR COUNTRY
Xoots | Yatseeneit | Shashcho | S’eek
Our Elders tell us bears are sacred; bears and humans are equal, we respect them by sharing the land, air and water with them; they are our spirit brothers and sisters; they are the protector of the animal kingdom; they keep the land and ecosystem healthy.
So, in respecting our grandmothers and grandfathers’ words, let’s do our part to keep this legacy alive and protect and respect bears, so we can both roam this great land together in harmony.
Travelling safely in bear country:
- Always travel with bear spray, and know how to use it. Videos are on line or call your Land Steward Officers and Environmental/Ecological Monitors for a demo.
- Carry bear spray in a harness on your body where you can quickly access it if needed. Do not carry in your backpack.
- Know the signs of bear activity (i.e. dug up stumps, roots and/or rotting wood, scratches on tree’s, scat, tracks, etc.).
- When travelling by bike on trails, slow down, so you don’t surprise a bear and yourself. Make noise.
- When walking on trails, travel in pairs or groups, make noise, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
- Pay attention and listen, do not wear headphones when on wilderness trails.
- Keep your dogs on a leash if not a trained bear dog, an untrained dog may encounter a bear and unknowingly bring the bear right to you upon return because it’s scared.
- Practice good “wilderness housekeeping”, take out what you brought in, including apple cores, banana and orange peelings – only leave your footprints.
- Practice bear safety all year long, carry bear spray and continue taking bear precautions throughout the fall and winter.
What to do if you come across a bear:
- If you encounter a bear, stop, talk to the bear (do not yell) and make noise, make yourself big by standing tall and raising your arms (pick up a stick if available and safe to do so), back away slowly, let the bear know you are leaving.
- If a bear charges, use your bear spray deter it. Bear spray works best at very close range. It will not work farther than about 30 feet and some brands 15 feet. Read the instructions on the can and know what you are working with.
- If you see a bear and it hasn’t seen you, assess whether it is far enough away that you can carry on without disturbing it. If you are unsure, go back the way you came. Talk to the bear.
Managing attractants:
Bears have the ability to smell things from a long distance. The best way to avoid an unwanted interaction with a bear is to be diligent about managing your attractants (i.e. game meat, berries, fuel, recreation vehicle seats, etc.). Generally, bears are not looking for trouble – they’re looking for food!
- Keep your camps and area around your home and cabins clean of garbage, carcasses and fuel, yes fuel. Bears are known to be attracted to petroleum products.
- When camping, store food in a bear safe container or in a secure vehicle. Never leave food or beverages on table and never store food or smelly objects in your tent.
- Cover your quads and snowmobile seats with plastic or tarps when not in use, seats are an attractant due to the formaldehyde in the vinyl covering.
- Keep garbage and compost in a bear resistant bin or locked building until garbage collection day, or until you can take it to the landfill. Do not stockpile garbage on your property.
- Electric fencing is a good way to make sure a bear can’t get your chickens, meat caches, smokers and other attractants. Call WildWise Yukon for more information about using electric fencing.
Hunting and Fishing:
- Share the river, fish during the day and leave to river to the bears at night – talk to the bears and let them know what you are doing and when their time to fish is.
- Discard your bones and fish scraps back to the water away from your camp
- If a bear is present, leave the area.
- Keep your smoke house clean and never leave unattended when in use. Use an electric fence if possible.
- Hunt early in the day, so you are not dressing your kill at night.
- If you find a bear kill site, leave the area, the bear is most likely close.
- When a bear and game opportunity are both present, show respect to the bear, and do not shoot the game animal. Chances are the bear has his sights on that animal too, and shooting the game animal can cause the bear to be killed, or you injured – or worse!
- Promptly field dress a game animal after the kill away from camp. If possible, avoid opening the gut cavity until after you have salvaged all other edible meat. Removing the hide first and avoiding opening the gut cavity will help limit odors.
- Try to pack all the meat out in one load. If this is not feasible, place the remaining meat in game bags and hang from a tree, or cache them in an open area at least 100m from the kill site and away from your camp.
- When you are packing out game meat and have finished hunting for the day, make lots of noise to announce your presence to any bear in the area.
- Keep your meat out of reach of bears or cache the meat away from your camp with a clear line of sight between the camp and cache.
- Treat clothes soaked with blood or guts the same as any other attractant, Leave soiled clothes with the meat cache.
- Stay alert, and avoid the use of drugs and alcohol!
Reporting:
If you have an encounter with a bear, please report it to KDFN Land Steward Officers or call Yukon Government T.I.P.P. line: 1-800-661-0525.
Acknowledgment:
KDFN Land Steward Officers work closely with Yukon Environment, Yukon Conservation Officers, Neighboring First Nation Governments, WildWise and NGOs to administer bear awareness campaigns, workshops, bear spray demos and bear studies with in the Traditional Territories.
For online video bear spray demos go to:
https://yukon.ca/en/stay-safe-bear-country#what-to-do-if-you-encounter-a-bear
To book a bear awareness session with KDFN Land Stewards, please contact Bruce Wilson:
(867) 334-8990 or bruce.wilson@KDFN.net
Language:
English | Łingít | Tagish | Southern Tutchone |
Grizzly (Brown) Bear | Xoots | Shashcho | |
Grizzly (Brown) Bear – a term used by speakers who respect the bear so much that they do not use its real name | Yatseeneit | — | |
Black Bear | S’eek | — | |
Bear | — | Shash |
Written and Prepared by:
Brandy Mayes
Manager of Operations & Fish & Wildlife Heritage, Lands & Resources C: (867) 336-3166 E: Brandy.Mayes@kdfn.net |
Bruce Wilson
Land Steward Officer Heritage, Lands & Natural Resources C: (867) 334-8990 E: Bruce Wilson@kdfn.net |