# Being Bear Aware!



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Where are you located? What kind of bears are you running into?

Grizzlies always make me nervous, but black bears seem to move away given the opportunity.


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## Barefoot1 (Feb 19, 2010)

*I live in the shenandoah valley*

here in the shenandoah valley va, we see black bears all the time......I have been 10 feet from one when it walked out in front of me...My horse was just fine..it was me who had the nervous break down:shock:....now when I see them we just calmly divert.....only on two or three occassions out of at least a hundred have I ever had any problems.....one time I noticed the bear was closing in on me and we were out of there so fast, I cannot tell you where the bear dropped off at.......Generally the bears just move off slowly.


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## RawhideKid (May 10, 2010)

I am located in the interior of BC Canada. Kamloops. Okanagan area.

So far just black bears and brown bears. I've seen them from quite a distance...so when they finally saw me they ran away. When I'm by myself I like to stay in the open fields and meadows so that I can see things around me. What concerns me most is how my horses will react...and staying on! 

I know that Grasshopper has seen them before and she is quite controlable with a confident rider. While I'm not sure if Gypsygirl has even seen one, so she might not react scared not knowing what it is. I know she does spook if she's surprised by something from behind.

What I want to do when riding Grasshopper some day is...when (if) I see a bear I will try to get her to see it (from a distance) and see how she reacts.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

We don't have any bears where I live but last year while riding in the Shenendoah. I met my first black bear. We startled it and needless to say it did the same to us.:shock: It didn't phase my horse at all. He just stopped and looked...not worried in the least...Now me I was worried but knew what to do...So we back tracked and all was good....:wink:


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

Good idea.... look out for Mountain lions as well.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

There are very few predators that want to pick a fight with a human. Grizzly bears are one of the few that will.

Most mountain lions are curious and will watch you to see what you are. And if you run it can trigger their chase instinct. But mostly once they satisfy their curiosty, They want nothing to do with humans. With a cougar you want to maintain eye contact and appear as big as possible. Be noisy and just back away if they don't leave.










Bears if they are in an area where they are hunting will pretty much behave the same. Cougars will almost always retreat, Bears if they feel cornered will wade into fight. So always give them an easier alternative to leave and they usually will.

If your horses are used to dogs be around them, the first sighting of a bear usually does not excite them. Of course if the bear charges or shows aggression, your horse is going to percieve them as being different than the friendly dogs along for a trail ride.

We came over a ridge and spotted a sow Grizzly and two cubs on the edge of the forest. They were about 200 yards off. We sat on the horses and quitely watched them for 5 minutes, before the mother caught our scent. With a loud Woof, she and cubs retreated into the forest. On other occassions I've had grizzlies come right up and challenge us for our fish in Alaska. If you are in their fishing hole or near what their food source, They will be agressive.

Grizzly bears intimidate me. Black Bears and Cougars do not.

So far I'm not sure what to think of the wolves. We've encountered a few packs. They have quickly fled when they spoted us. I don't have enough experience with them to know whether to worry or not,

Here is a picture of a wolf fleeing after we spotted it. ( at the end of the red line)


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## RawhideKid (May 10, 2010)

Right on. Thanks for the tips....the very "grizzly" tips! :lol:

Some very good info. Yes, I've seen coyotes and wolves as well, and they usually flee away. But now...wolves in packs...hungry wolves...????'m not knowing...nor wanting to finding out! :?


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Painted Horse said:


> On other occassions I've had grizzlies come right up and challenge us for our fish in Alaska.


Bet you didn't put up much resistance 



> Grizzly bears intimidate me. Black Bears and Cougars do not.


Same here. Though I don't have any experience of horse/bear encounters, I've met a number out hiking &c, or even in the yard, and haven't had any problems. As long as you look too big to be an easy meal, and aren't threatening them or their cubs, you should be ok.

The problem with grizzlies is that you ARE an easy meal


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I was in MT with a elk guide for a summer horse trip in the mountains. He told us that we don't need to worry about bears around the horses (unless we get in between mother/cub) because bears are aware of how dangerous a horse can be. Something about a bear's skull being thinner and a horse could crush it? 

He really didn't like wolves though and told us that we did need to be worried/aware of wolf packs when riding/camping. 

Not sure how much of that I believed.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

I have no first hand experience with bear encounters, but have done a bit of reading on the subject. (Not the same, I know!!)
There has not been a Documented case of bears attacking people on horseback. (At least not at time of publishing, maybe 6 yrs ago.)
So #1, don't fall off your horse, lol.
The most dangerous bear is a sow with cubs, especially if you have inadverdantly gotten in between them! So the general rule of hiking (and riding, I guess) is that you Want the bear to know you are coming... so make noise. Bells, sing, a whistle blown every so often. They will move off right away.
If you encounter a mama bear, act submissive and back away. Make sure you are not blocking Her escape route. If she attacks, it is my understanding that this is when you play dead, she will leave with her cubs when the threat is gone. 
If you encounter a predatory BLACK bear (wants to eat you), make yourself big, loud aggressive. If it charges, hold your ground, may be a bluff charge. If it attacks, fight back with all you got.
Mama grizzly, same as black bear, submissive, no eye contact, slow retreat, play dead.
Predatory Grizzly.... you're screwed.
Anyone, please correct me if I made any errors!


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

Putting bells - like jingle bells- are great to warn all wildlife. You may spot the bears before the horses do, but you can bet they know you're there before you see them. Most will leave you be. Our cougars are hard to spot, and very sparse, so I don't worry about them. Bears however, will consider it a threat if you look them in the eyes. I have had them charge me for a simple slip like that. You may need to with other animals, but with the bears, look at their ears, their mouth, feet - but don't make eye contact. In their language, it's a challenge. The only amendment I have to Skip's post is black bears - playing dead doesn't work. That is only for Grizz/brown bears. A black will false charge several times before they really mean it, sometimes coming within 10 feet or less before they back off - never - NEVER turn your back on a charging bear. Otherwise, Skip's got it down. 
That pic of the wolf looked more like a coyote to me. They tend to travel alone while wolves are usually in packs, and about 3 times the size of a coyote. IMHO, wolves are the worst. They can/will take down a horse - coyotes are not big enough, and generally shy away. 

Don't know how to train the horses to accept it, unless you can get a hold of something with bear scent on it to get them desensitized to the smell of them. Otherwise, it's just a matter of exposure. 

Good luck, hope ya have a safe ride!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I assure you it was a pack of wolves, I only got one on the picture. There were 6-7 of them, but they scattered when they saw us. You can see it is almost black in color. Not a color found among coyotes. They were close enough to see their size and coloring when we first spotted them, By time I got the camera out, turned it on, I just got parting shots.

I've shot and skinned enough coyotes, that I am very familar with what they are.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

Hey, no insult meant, PH. Looking at the pic in passing, it looked like a 'yote to me. Didn't say it was, after all, I wasn't there. Just mentioned what it seemed to me. Sorry if I ruffled your feathers. But I don't think I put it in a way that was insulting.


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## RawhideKid (May 10, 2010)

Went bear hunting with Grasshopper today. :lol: Didn't see any today. She sure is a wary horse though. Been out in open range for so long that she looks behind every tree. Kinda like pentacostals looking for demons behind every bush! :shock: 

It will be interesting when we actually see something together. There's never a problem with coyotes, elk, deer, etc... she just perks up and watches them for a minute. But she's the one who lined up 60 other horses to charge a bear off their field, so she obviously knows they are a threat.

I know though that she freaks at donkeys. There are some donkeys on the ranch where they board and she just went nuts the first time she saw them. They are just too strange looking for her, I guess. But she is getting used to them. So it is obviously wierd looking, unfamiliar things that spook her the worst.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Qt no feathers ruffled. Sorry didn't mean to come across that way. Just wanted to clarify that I do know and can tell the difference.

At the distance in the photo it does look much smaller than it really was. Especially in that tall grass.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

Hard to read intonation when it's typed! I would LOVE to see some photos of your hunts - predator hunting is my favorite thing to do outdoors outside of horses


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## wicastawakan (Mar 2, 2010)

This may not add to your confidence, but a horse cannot outrun a bear in the woods. They look like a giant fur ball in high gear. We tried to head/heal this bear & had the dogs behind us, but never got close enough to get it roped. I have never had a bear act aggressive while I was on a horse, but I was also always surrounded by dogs & think that makes a big difference.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

I think _most _bears will leave you be. Last time I went hunting I had cubby bears climbing my tree, and mom sitting right under it - she knew I was there, but never bothered me. I've had more problems with adolescent males than anything else. I've walked near mama bears with little bowling ball babies without any problems, and had 500# boars run off on seeing me. Black bears are pretty docile, and yes - wicked wicked fast.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

wicastawakan said:


> This may not add to your confidence, but a horse cannot outrun a bear in the woods. They look like a giant fur ball in high gear. We tried to head/heal this bear & had the dogs behind us, but never got close enough to get it roped. I have never had a bear act aggressive while I was on a horse, but I was also always surrounded by dogs & think that makes a big difference.


That could get wild in a hurry! If you ever get one roped I want pictures. I have a hard enough time roping a sick cow so I wouldn't even try roping a bear.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I roped a 4 point mule deer once and lost my rope. They don't know how to stand still for you to take the rope off. 

I don't do stupid stuff like that anymore.


I can't imagine trying to get a rope off a wild bear.


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## wicastawakan (Mar 2, 2010)

My hunting days are long over. I can tell you a horse can't hold a bull elk. A mountain lion will run right back up the rope & on the horse & guarantee a horse doesn't like that. So much for that. I took a day off yesterday & got in a couple hours or so of nice trail riding. Wonderful day.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I read a first hand account of a man that helped gather a herd of Tule elk in California in the 1920's. Many of them were roped and tied down for transport. Unfortunately none of them survived the trip. I would say it's quite possible that a horse could hold an elk however it may not do the elk any favors.


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## wicastawakan (Mar 2, 2010)

He must of had a lot more horse than we had. Problem with huge rack & loss of leverage that day.


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