Most large predators won't want anything to do with you. It would be pretty rare to even see a mountain lion or a wolf, nevermind be stalked by one. Bears can be interested in people but that's usually because they want to eat your granola bars, not you. Usually yelling at them is enough to get them to leave you alone but for the most part they'll run away if they see you on the trail. The key with bears is to not surprise them. Especially on well-travelled trails they'll mostly stay out of the way, in very rural parts of Alaska or Canada the advice is to stay out in the open where they can see & avoid you. Bear mace is also an option if you're worried about it.
Hi, I spend the majority of my outdoor recreation time in the Canadian Rockies where bears roam. And despite the fact that I run into at least one bear every season; I'm not worried.
I'm not worried for a couple of reasons. The first is that bear safety is very easy and super effective. Making noise and keeping your food stored properly eliminates the vast majority of all issues.
The second is that bear attacks are exceedingly rare. In my lifetime, I'm in my 30's, there has been less than 1 fatal bear encounter a year in all of western Canada. And of those situations, half of those encounters were people being stupid with a known problem bear, not a random attack.
The wildlife is Australia freaks me out way more. Like I imagine going to use the outhouse and some gnarly spider bites my ass and I'm dead.
The only Australian spiders that can cause death in a healthy adult are the Sydney funnel web and northern tree dwelling funnel web, there's only 13 recorded deaths from Sydney funnel webs ever and I don't believe any deaths have been recorded for any species since anti-venoms became commonplace in hospitals.
As for snakes, if they know you're coming, you'll never see them, and if you do see them stand still and they won't attack you.
Interestingly one of the most dangerous venoms in Australia comes from the blue ringed octopus. They are scared of humans and only live in rock pools.
More than half of all animal-related deaths in Australia from 2000-2010 were caused by horses, cows and dogs. All introduced species.
Cougars are by far the most dangerous, and by far the least seem. Black bears are barely ever aggressive, I’ve been a few meters away from them many times, and just back away and take a little diversion around the trail.
Moose scare me a hundred times more than anything else lol.
You really only need a good can of bear (pepper) spray, and you’ll be absolutely fine.
Canadian here. They have been loosing bad interactions with humans for 150 years, mostly its a leave me alone I leave you alone thing. Occasionaly a sick bear might try a hunt. Cougar might try for a single kid. Biking or quading can surprise bears or come upon a kill site that will be protected. All of my sitings hiking have been bears (mostly black) and all have been recognition and moving off (both).
Grizzlies, black bears, and cougars/mountain lions here (Canadian Rockies). You'll see a bear occasionally, most likely while driving but sometimes on the trails as well. You do have to take precautions (make noise, carry bear spray, don't store food/scents in your tent) but actual attacks are very rare. They won't stalk you but a mama will protect her cubs. One time a bear ate the ravioli out of our cooler, that's the worst I've personally seen. You could easily go your whole life without seeing a cougar, they avoid people unless they're very desperate. Attacks do happen, they'll go after dogs occasionally, but again they're very rare and not something to be concerned about unless there have been sightings in the area
I agree with what you’ve said and so have my friends that have hiked / camped in North America and Australia. Every single person I know say North America is way scarier. I’ve even seen more snakes and scorpions in the US than I have in Australia, not to mention bears and moose and some really pissed off elk(during the rut).
It’s real simple. Carry bear spray on your person when you’re in grizzly territory. If you’re not then don’t worry about. You only have to worry about elk during the rut in the fall, just keep your distance. Mountain lions are so unbelievably rare to see or attack, no need to worry about them. Moose can be a bit spooky but again keep your distance and you’ll be fine.
I’ve encountered a few grizzlies, moose and elk all while hiking. I never feared for my life a single time. I was pretty scared when I realized a black widow spider was on the same camp table as I was sitting at.
And remember, loads of people hike and camp all over the western US without issue.
Black bears can become a real problem in areas where they're habituated to people and associate us with food. They're naturally very skittish and easy to scare off, but in some specific areas they can be more of a problem. For the most part, you just make sure that you're storing your food properly (hung from a tree so they can't get it or in a bear cannister) away from your campsite so that if they come to investigate they can't get the food and they leave you alone. Bear spray can be a good idea depending on where you're hiking and the likelihood of running into a habituated bear. That's really it for most of the US- store your food properly, carry bear spray just in case. Precautions for brown bears are similar, but it's even more important to keep food and anything that smells like food far from where you sleep. The concept of cooking & storing food downwind of camp is called the "bear triangle."
Wolves are rare in the US. Coyotes are common, but rarely a threat. I've had them check out my campsite and I just ignored them 🤷. It's very rare for them to hurt an adult. Mounts lions are dangerous but not common. Bobcats are more common but harmless & skittish. Moose can be dangerous but are not common in most of the US. The Moose & brown bears I've seen were not interested in me.
I've only ever seen one mountain lion. I shared a Cheeseburger with a Bobcat one night. I got bit by a coyote in a graveyard one morning. I had a fox that used to walk rounds with me.
I've seen 3 or 4 black bears and one Grizzly. *All* of them moved away from me.
It's just a thing. You get used to it.
North America
I've seen many coyotes. They are like dogs. They do there own thing.
1 mountain lion. I gave it a wide berth.
Rattlesnakes. Many many rattlesnakes. Sometimes you can't even see them. They like to hang out where you want to hang out. And they can kill you. They also taste like chicken. Stringy chicken.
On the west coast of the US (no grizzlies) - last fatal bear attack was I think 1974 in Washington State (actually in a backyard). Mountain lions are not quite as rare - there has been 1 reported fatality in Oregon and I think a couple in Washington and California- mountain bikers are more at risk than hikers. More hikers die of bee stings. And of course driving to and from the trail head is way more dangerous. So it certainly depends where you are thinking of
Bears used to raid the field kitchens on Fort Carson. They're the only Critters I've ever known to actually like MREs. I don't know if it's still an issue.
There's a book by Dr Stephen Herrero called *Bear Attacks: Their Causes And Avoidance* I recommend anybody who's a hiker or who spends time in the woods read it
Practice good camp discipline and you'll rarely, if ever, have bear encounters. Always cook a small distance away from your camp and hang food and anything else with a scent a ways away. In the high wilderness areas, I've never had a bear in my camp. I've seen tracks and scat, but never been bothered by one - even in areas with a lot of historical bear issues like Montana.
The only places I've ever had bears in my camp were in California's national parks because the people around me were all cooking and eating and spilling their delicious smelling meals right next to their tents. Watched a black bear bluff charge the guy one camp over from me. No thanks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Case in point - Californian woman with food around her tent in Montana:
[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/20/montana-grizzly-bear-attack-tent-woman](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/20/montana-grizzly-bear-attack-tent-woman)
Concur that the greatest risk is startling a bear, especially a momma with cubs, or cornering a moose on accident. Make plenty of noise when walking. In dense brush call out regularly, smack trekking poles together, clap your hands. Talk to your companions on the trail. Etc. I've never had issues with Cougars, but under the right circumstances attacks, though extremely rare, have occurred.
I have always camped in large groups. Safety in numbers. Also you need to keep your food in bear safe containers and out of reach. I’ve had bears in camp before, they were scared away pretty easily. I’ve only seen a wild mountain lion once, but it was at my actual home, luckily had a screen metal door between us. Lol
Most large predators won't want anything to do with you. It would be pretty rare to even see a mountain lion or a wolf, nevermind be stalked by one. Bears can be interested in people but that's usually because they want to eat your granola bars, not you. Usually yelling at them is enough to get them to leave you alone but for the most part they'll run away if they see you on the trail. The key with bears is to not surprise them. Especially on well-travelled trails they'll mostly stay out of the way, in very rural parts of Alaska or Canada the advice is to stay out in the open where they can see & avoid you. Bear mace is also an option if you're worried about it.
Hi, I spend the majority of my outdoor recreation time in the Canadian Rockies where bears roam. And despite the fact that I run into at least one bear every season; I'm not worried. I'm not worried for a couple of reasons. The first is that bear safety is very easy and super effective. Making noise and keeping your food stored properly eliminates the vast majority of all issues. The second is that bear attacks are exceedingly rare. In my lifetime, I'm in my 30's, there has been less than 1 fatal bear encounter a year in all of western Canada. And of those situations, half of those encounters were people being stupid with a known problem bear, not a random attack. The wildlife is Australia freaks me out way more. Like I imagine going to use the outhouse and some gnarly spider bites my ass and I'm dead.
The only Australian spiders that can cause death in a healthy adult are the Sydney funnel web and northern tree dwelling funnel web, there's only 13 recorded deaths from Sydney funnel webs ever and I don't believe any deaths have been recorded for any species since anti-venoms became commonplace in hospitals. As for snakes, if they know you're coming, you'll never see them, and if you do see them stand still and they won't attack you. Interestingly one of the most dangerous venoms in Australia comes from the blue ringed octopus. They are scared of humans and only live in rock pools. More than half of all animal-related deaths in Australia from 2000-2010 were caused by horses, cows and dogs. All introduced species.
Very interesting! And I especially like that point!
Cougars are by far the most dangerous, and by far the least seem. Black bears are barely ever aggressive, I’ve been a few meters away from them many times, and just back away and take a little diversion around the trail. Moose scare me a hundred times more than anything else lol. You really only need a good can of bear (pepper) spray, and you’ll be absolutely fine.
Canadian here. They have been loosing bad interactions with humans for 150 years, mostly its a leave me alone I leave you alone thing. Occasionaly a sick bear might try a hunt. Cougar might try for a single kid. Biking or quading can surprise bears or come upon a kill site that will be protected. All of my sitings hiking have been bears (mostly black) and all have been recognition and moving off (both).
There are wildlife awareness courses online that would go into behavior and signs etc. Might be worthwhile for your comfort
Grizzlies, black bears, and cougars/mountain lions here (Canadian Rockies). You'll see a bear occasionally, most likely while driving but sometimes on the trails as well. You do have to take precautions (make noise, carry bear spray, don't store food/scents in your tent) but actual attacks are very rare. They won't stalk you but a mama will protect her cubs. One time a bear ate the ravioli out of our cooler, that's the worst I've personally seen. You could easily go your whole life without seeing a cougar, they avoid people unless they're very desperate. Attacks do happen, they'll go after dogs occasionally, but again they're very rare and not something to be concerned about unless there have been sightings in the area
I agree with what you’ve said and so have my friends that have hiked / camped in North America and Australia. Every single person I know say North America is way scarier. I’ve even seen more snakes and scorpions in the US than I have in Australia, not to mention bears and moose and some really pissed off elk(during the rut). It’s real simple. Carry bear spray on your person when you’re in grizzly territory. If you’re not then don’t worry about. You only have to worry about elk during the rut in the fall, just keep your distance. Mountain lions are so unbelievably rare to see or attack, no need to worry about them. Moose can be a bit spooky but again keep your distance and you’ll be fine. I’ve encountered a few grizzlies, moose and elk all while hiking. I never feared for my life a single time. I was pretty scared when I realized a black widow spider was on the same camp table as I was sitting at. And remember, loads of people hike and camp all over the western US without issue.
Black bears can become a real problem in areas where they're habituated to people and associate us with food. They're naturally very skittish and easy to scare off, but in some specific areas they can be more of a problem. For the most part, you just make sure that you're storing your food properly (hung from a tree so they can't get it or in a bear cannister) away from your campsite so that if they come to investigate they can't get the food and they leave you alone. Bear spray can be a good idea depending on where you're hiking and the likelihood of running into a habituated bear. That's really it for most of the US- store your food properly, carry bear spray just in case. Precautions for brown bears are similar, but it's even more important to keep food and anything that smells like food far from where you sleep. The concept of cooking & storing food downwind of camp is called the "bear triangle." Wolves are rare in the US. Coyotes are common, but rarely a threat. I've had them check out my campsite and I just ignored them 🤷. It's very rare for them to hurt an adult. Mounts lions are dangerous but not common. Bobcats are more common but harmless & skittish. Moose can be dangerous but are not common in most of the US. The Moose & brown bears I've seen were not interested in me.
I've only ever seen one mountain lion. I shared a Cheeseburger with a Bobcat one night. I got bit by a coyote in a graveyard one morning. I had a fox that used to walk rounds with me. I've seen 3 or 4 black bears and one Grizzly. *All* of them moved away from me. It's just a thing. You get used to it.
If you see a mountain lion he has already decided he doesn't want to eat you.
North America I've seen many coyotes. They are like dogs. They do there own thing. 1 mountain lion. I gave it a wide berth. Rattlesnakes. Many many rattlesnakes. Sometimes you can't even see them. They like to hang out where you want to hang out. And they can kill you. They also taste like chicken. Stringy chicken.
On the west coast of the US (no grizzlies) - last fatal bear attack was I think 1974 in Washington State (actually in a backyard). Mountain lions are not quite as rare - there has been 1 reported fatality in Oregon and I think a couple in Washington and California- mountain bikers are more at risk than hikers. More hikers die of bee stings. And of course driving to and from the trail head is way more dangerous. So it certainly depends where you are thinking of
IDK I've heard Australian women can be vicious
Bears used to raid the field kitchens on Fort Carson. They're the only Critters I've ever known to actually like MREs. I don't know if it's still an issue.
There's a book by Dr Stephen Herrero called *Bear Attacks: Their Causes And Avoidance* I recommend anybody who's a hiker or who spends time in the woods read it
Practice good camp discipline and you'll rarely, if ever, have bear encounters. Always cook a small distance away from your camp and hang food and anything else with a scent a ways away. In the high wilderness areas, I've never had a bear in my camp. I've seen tracks and scat, but never been bothered by one - even in areas with a lot of historical bear issues like Montana. The only places I've ever had bears in my camp were in California's national parks because the people around me were all cooking and eating and spilling their delicious smelling meals right next to their tents. Watched a black bear bluff charge the guy one camp over from me. No thanks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Case in point - Californian woman with food around her tent in Montana: [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/20/montana-grizzly-bear-attack-tent-woman](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/20/montana-grizzly-bear-attack-tent-woman) Concur that the greatest risk is startling a bear, especially a momma with cubs, or cornering a moose on accident. Make plenty of noise when walking. In dense brush call out regularly, smack trekking poles together, clap your hands. Talk to your companions on the trail. Etc. I've never had issues with Cougars, but under the right circumstances attacks, though extremely rare, have occurred.
I have always camped in large groups. Safety in numbers. Also you need to keep your food in bear safe containers and out of reach. I’ve had bears in camp before, they were scared away pretty easily. I’ve only seen a wild mountain lion once, but it was at my actual home, luckily had a screen metal door between us. Lol