Reflections on 2018 Bear Encounters in the Northern Rockies
By Kimberly Johnston
UPDATE 2/3/19: A recent report from Wyoming Game and Fish Department regarding the September 2018 fatality (noted below) concluded that bear spray was in fact used and did deter the bears, but it was after the guide sustained his initial wounds.
1/4/19: Each year, People and Carnivores examines bear attacks from the past season in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, to see what learnings might guide our bear safety training and outreach. This article describes 2018 incidents and potential lessons learned.
Statistics show bear attacks across North America are rare. When given the chance, bears avoid contact with people. While both black bears and grizzly bears are found in the region, all of the attacks last year were verified or suspected as involving grizzly bears. Most grizzly bear attacks result from a bear that has been surprised at close range, especially if there is a nearby food source or cubs to protect. If people follow recommendations for recreating in bear country, such as making noise, traveling in groups, and carrying bear spray, they can greatly reduce the chances of a surprise bear encounter or injury if an attack does occur. Survival rates for bear attacks are high, especially when bear spray is carried and used properly. While human injuries were reported in all seven cases, only one fatality occurred in 2018.
The first incident occurred in May, when a grizzly bear research technician was collecting bear hair samples at a study site in the Cabinet Mountains in Montana and was attacked after unknowingly coming within several feet of an adult male grizzly bear. The technician dropped to the ground and was able to spray the bear before it let her go and disappeared. The second incident occurred in August, in Yellowstone National Park, when a 10-year-old boy was injured after surprising an adult female grizzly bear with a cub. The family of four was hiking on the Divide Trail when a grizzly bear emerged from some vegetation near the trail. When the bear appeared, the young boy ran, initiating a chase. The bear knocked the boy down before his family was able to drive the bear off using bear spray. In both of these cases, bear spray was effectively used to deter the bear and likely reduced the severity of the attacks.
The month of September experienced the highest occurrence of reported bear attacks. There were three separate bear attacks, one involving a hiker and two involving hunters. A hiker from Minnesota was attacked by a bear in the Beartooth Mountains near Granite Lake in the Shoshone National Forest after hiking ahead of his group and encountering two bears near the trail. Although he was carrying bear spray, he did not have enough time to reach it before the attack occurred. In a separate incident, a hunter was attacked by an older adult male grizzly bear in Montana on the Blackfeet Reservation when he and a friend were preparing to move a moose carcass. There was no information in media reports about the hunters carrying bear spray.
In addition to these encounters, the only fatality reported in 2018 occurred in September in Wyoming, after a female grizzly bear with a yearling cub attacked a hunter and his guide, causing injuries to the hunter and fatally wounding the guide. While six out of the seven bear attacks this year involved surprise encounters in which a bear was acting defensively, officials have called this incident an aggressive attack. The two men were in the process of field dressing an elk when the attack occurred. While it was an unusual attack in that the bears were not surprised in the encounter, nor was there any sign indicating they fed on the elk and were acting defensively, it’s possible they were approaching to investigate the carcass. The Wyoming hunting guide was carrying bear spray and investigators determined the female grizzly bear responsible for the fatality had been sprayed with bear spray; however, there is some question it may have been sprayed after the initial attack. In this case, the timing of the bear spray use and the role it played in the outcome of the attack is unclear. While a fatality is nothing to take lightly, this was the first fatality reported in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem since 2015. Overall, fatalities are rare.
In October, the sixth incident occurred when an elk hunter was injured after surprise encountering an adult female with two 2-year-old cubs, north of Yellowstone National Park, in Beattie Gulch. While the bow hunter was carrying bear spray, he did not have enough time to reach for the bear spray before the attack. His hunting guide was also carrying bear spray, and was able to successfully spray the bear, causing it to let the hunter go. In November, the seventh reported incident involved another hunter who was attacked after surprise encountering an adult male grizzly bear northwest of Columbia Falls, Montana. The hunter was hiking off-trail by himself in a forested area when the bear attacked him. In news reports, there was no mention of bear spray having been carried or used.
What can we learn from these seven incidents? Most grizzly bear attacks result from surprise encounters and 2018 was no exception, with six out of the seven cases reported as surprise encounters, where the bear was likely acting defensively. It has been shown that traveling in larger group sizes, particular four or more, can reduce the chances of a surprise encounter. While group sizes ranged from one to four, groups were often spread out or people were traveling alone during the time of the attack. More attacks occurred during the fall months, with six out of the seven attacks occurring between August and November. From mid-August to November, bears begin to enter hyperphagia, a period when a bear’s appetite increases dramatically in anticipation of hibernation. During this time, bears can be especially protective of food sources. Hunting seasons had also started, bringing hunters into bear country and increasing their risk of surprising a bear. More than half (four out of seven) of the bear attacks in 2018 involved hunters. With the exception of the unusual attack on the hunter and guide in Wyoming, the other three hunter-involved incidents were surprise encounters.
More than half of the groups were carrying bear spray, which is good news. However, of the five incidents in which people were carrying bear spray, three of them were unable to reach their bear spray in time. This tells us that while people may be more diligent about carrying bear spray, there is still a need for training people to respond quickly or be prepared to deploy the spray. Carrying and properly using bear spray has been proven to be highly successful in deterring bear encounters. It can also be used to ward off a bear that is attacking a person and preventing more serious injury, which we have seen in some cases in recent years. This is why each person hunting or recreating in bear country should carry a can of bear spray and have it readily accessible.
Overall, the incidents in 2018 highlight the importance of not only carrying bear spray, but practicing its deployment before heading into the backcountry. (We use inert canisters for training purposes, and we’re happy to provide them to people.) Bear attacks, particularly surprise encounters, happen so fast that recreationists may have little time to react. Situational awareness is key, and having bear spray in hand or easily accessible during high-risk activities or times is essential.