Carry bear spray. It works pretty well on anything, even predatory humans. Hopefully you never need it but I always feel confident with it.

As crazy as it may sound, I also feel more confident with my hiking poles. If I see a bear or something, I’ll drop them to access my spray. But if there’s a truly emergent situation (can’t even get the spray ready) it’s good to have a pole I can maybe hit something with. No guarantees, but it’s at least something.

The more you know about each potentially dangerous animal the safer you will feel.

I live in Australia and we have snakes, but knowing how they will likely behave given different stimulus means I’m not scared - because I have the knowledge to manage the situation.

You’re far more likely to die of bees. Or mosquitoes. Than wild bears. Or snakes

Hell. Dog attacks are much much more fatal/common

Or die in an auto accident on the way to an outdoor adventure. Than you ever are from wild animal attack.

As food for thought. There are estimated 40 bear fatalities a year. By contrast, 500 people a year die from Tylenol overdose

The simple reality is. Humanity has destroyed the environment. Wild animals are extremely rare. And by nature. Are more afraid of you than you of them

Practice safe food storage. And hanging food bags/using s bear canister

Use some common sense. If traveling in an area where poisonous snakes. Or large predators are.

Never approach wild animals. Be very aware of mating season or times where animals may have Cubs. (But again. People are idiots. And get close bison or moose. In national parks. And think nothing of it. Moose kill plenty of people every year)

But not getting out and seeing things is much more a waste. Than any real risk you face From wild animals

Start small. Visit local or smaller state parks. Where car camping is more common. Build up some easy wins. Then. Pick heavily traveled non car camping areas,.. maybe with others. Build up that confidence

Then. Education and an ounce of prevention. Probably all you’ll ever need

Bobcats and coyotes: nothing to worry about, they don’t want humans

Bears: wild black bears behave like dogs, if you yell at them they’ll usually put their head down and walk away. Carry bear spray if it helps you feel more comfortable

Cougars: could generally care less about us. I’ve hiked 1000+ miles in cougar country the past 2 years, and I’ve never seen one. Bear spray can be good for them too but running into one is insanely rare. They are really smart creatures that prefer their own solitude.

Rattlesnakes: another one I’ve never seen with all my hiking in canyon/desert country. Also more scared of us than we are them, and if you watch where you’re walking you’re fine. Most bites happen when people accidentally step on/very close to them and they’re acting out of defense.

Overall, getting to know the animals you’re hiking around has really helped me. Also, picking more heavily trafficked trails to start with is not a bad idea because animals stay away when they hear lots of humans. You can do it!

Education. Fear only comes from not understanding something. If you learn about the animals, their habits, movement patterns, and why they do the things they do you can learn to appreciate them and not fear them.

Being afraid of them will cause you to do something stupid which will cause either harm to you or unnecessarily harming them. Truly understanding them will allow you to predict their movements, know that they are extremely unlikely to randomly attack you, and actually love them for being a part of the ecosystem.

Bear spray or bear bell can be useful but honestly you never know. I have have gone on long hikes and not seen anything and also gone on short hikes starting from the inside of town and have run into four bears at once. Dangerous animals are rare though and you can do a lot of hiking without fear.

In general, don't turn your back on an animal and don't state it in the eye. Most of the time they aren't threatening and will just go away. If they do appear menacing you back away and if they attack, then it depends on the animal you have run into while hiking. Moose is counter intuitive and you need to get a big branch or log and be big and intimidating and stand tall and shout at it. That works with some bears (black, brown bears and hence carrying a bear bell to shake while you yell and holler and make lots of weird noise) if they don't have kids or are just solo young adults/adults. Grizzly and polar bears are another story and I have no experience with those.

Edit: I also have seen Goats, Marmots, Ptarmigans, and a many other harmless animals as well. Much more frequently than I have seen bears and an angry moose.

The less traveled and more remote a trail is the less habituated to people animals are. So they are more likely to run away than consider your pack a food source or just not a threat and ignor you. Deer and bears on popular trails or close to a parking lot just kind of hang out and stare at you. Off the beaten track they will bolt after one look or shout.

I'd think it much stranger not to encounter wild animals. However, encounters with dangerous animals are extremely rare.

I don't worry about dangerous wildlife 99% of the time. I hike in black bear and timber rattlesnake country and I've seen maybe 12 bears my whole life and zero snakes. If I do encounter a bear on trail, it's usually running away from me by the time I see it. If it's slow to turn away and run (young bear are sometimes curious), I give a loud clap and yell and off they go. As some else said, don't turn your back and run. I enjoy seeing them and typically get excited rather than scared.

I'm more worried about wild people than wild animals. A small can of mace would be enough to deter 99% of the bears/people you would run into.

I'm constantly being told by non-hikers "you go out there with no gun? You should carry a gun"... Though I own handguns, I've never felt the need to carry one hiking or backpacking.

Statistically, climbing the peak is safer than driving. Research the animals; learn their habits. Approach them with fascination and curiosity, not fear. Learn how to avoid them. Learn how to deter them if you actually encounter one. Spend time alone with yourself to grow comfortable with solitude.

I regularly encounter bears and boars in the SouthEast US. They're cool and bears are a little goofy. They aren't a threat. Go out there, once you encounter one, you won't feel so afraid. Yell at it and it will run off. I promise the woods is safer than you think. It's good fun and feels ancestral.

I have no idea where you live but here's a few things to consider.

Number of deaths by wild boars in the U.S. since the late 1800's. - 4

Number of deaths by wolves in the U.S. in the last 100 years - 2

Number of deaths by venomous snakes in the U.S. - About 5 a year

Number of deaths by cougars in all of North America (mostly children) since 1890 - 27

Number of deaths by black bears in all of North America, mostly due to human error, since 1900. - 61

Number of deaths by brown bears in all of North America, mostly due to human error, since 1900: 158 with 26 coming from captive bears

Number of deaths by dogs in the U.S - Average of between 30 to 50 a year

Number of deaths worldwide by mosquitoes a year - About a million

The reason so many get fearful about nature is because fear sells. Whenever something goes south it gets pumped out there and a lot of people get afraid. Don't be that person. It's a waste. Educate yourself on the animals, get some experience being alone (which is awesome) and go. You don't need a rifle. You just need respect, a little knowledge and humility. Easy. Hope you go for it. You'll be very glad you did and you'll have more confidence every time you go out. If not, then maybe it's just not something for you. And that's fine.

I know it might sounds stupid... but practice.

I had a panic attack on a small (not sure what it was) fjord or mountain in Iceland with my friends. I thought I was out of shape (I was a little) and I thought I was dying. My mom had COPD and was oxygen so you could see where my brain was going at the time...

When I got home, I found the most vertical hike in my area. I would do it on my own. Through practice, I discovered (quickly) that my heart rate and breathing were accelerating much faster than they should be. My first concentration was on the breathing. Then I noticed that my vision changed when I was stressed. I was eagle-eyed on the short steps in front of me for no reason. So I worked on breathing and keeping a wider vision.

So....

• Hike with friends in the beginning but practice like you're going alone. Listen. Pay attention to your breathing. Broaden your vision. Listen more
• When alone, pick trails that loop closely to your car or trailhead.
• Or maybe pick more popular trails so there are people somewhat nearby

Take it slow. You will only get better about it.

You just have to do and then your comfort zone expands. There is no preparation.

I was hiking down a river when a grizzly jumped out of the brush five feet from me and charged around me. I shit my pants. If the bear had pants, he would have shit his pants.

OK here are two, one a lot less unexpected than the other:

I was tent camping in the Eastern Sierras with two friends, all in the same tent. As it's bear territory you need to take precautions, but this was before bear cannisters - the SOP was to put your food in a bag and sling it high over a tree branch so the bears can't get to it - but you needed to put it in a tree somewhat separated from your campsite.

Anyway, we did all that, but at about 1 in the morning as we were starting to crash, we heard snorting and rustling outside the tent. We couldn't see outside the tent as it was pitch-black dark outside. We started questioning whether we had put the food far enough away from the tent as to dissociate our scents (and ourselves) from the food. We also were wondering if we had residual food odors on our clothes or hands...We were all really freaking out - one of my friends started shaking uncontrollably. After about 10-15 minutes of this, the shaking friend couldn't stand it anymore and opened up the tent with a flashlight and saw... two mule deer grazing.

I was walking down a trail and a Komodo dragon approached me.

The guide that was with me fended him off with a stick.

Given that this happened on Komodo island, it wasn't particularly unexpected though!

:-)

Seeing about 20-30 deer stand up and stare at me. I just kept walking while making sure to keep an eye on them.

Couple of weeks ago hiking I watched a deer dart off into distance, thought it was kind of an extreme reaction to our presence at the water.Then I saw the cougar tracks, and then I heard the cougar. He was about 10 yards behind me. We made very good time getting out of the canyon, not running just walking faster we planned. My boyfriend was so proud of me for not crying. Hahaha week before that we enjoyed a little moment at the river with a young black bear. He wasn't interested in us, we were fascinated with him.

Killer bees. I was hiking, came around a corner and saw their hive about 20 yards away. Immediately did a 180 and hightailed it out of there. But the little SOB's have sentries posted around their hive and they went back for reinforcements. Ended up running as fast as I could (and I'm not a slow runner) for about a half mile while being chased. Got stung about two dozen times all over my head and neck. I can still feel the bees crawling around in my hair, a sensation I hope to never, ever have again.

Arizona. Few years ago a local guy hiked up to a peak and rappelled down to start to clean it off for doing a technical climb up that face. Rappelled right into a killer bee hive and they found his body three days later still dangling from the rope with about 1000 stings. His dog that was sitting on the edge of the cliff got killed as well.

If it didn't notice you, I'd have done exactly what you did. Once eye contact is made that's when I'd have shouted "hey, bear" while backing up, slowly. Luckily, it was a black bear and unless the babies are around, they don't want to bother you.

Eta: invest in bear spray. You'll most likely never have to use it but it's good to have if you're gonna be in bear populated woods. If you do find yourself in a situation where you have to use it, pay attention to where the wind is blowing!

Aggressive noises are not the best approach, black bears have emotional responses. You might scare them with a loud noise, but aggressive challenges will be accepted. You did OK but next time check behind yourself now and then. If you were upwind he knew you were there, they have tremendous noses. They are curious and will circle and approach from behind, not necessarily looking for a meal, usually curiosity. Look up Ben Kilham, he's the black bear expert

https://preview.redd.it/et6mf3vvoglf1.jpeg?width=5312&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1fe913ecfe68a13499516ab708ced3118ae2d644

Having encounted many black bears in the mountains, I would say you did exactly what you should have. Generally they will sprint off at the first sign of people, but not always. Avoiding a confrontation is always the best course. imho.

I live in an area where it's fairly common to see Black Bear's, or their scat etc... they are around. In the spring time when they may have young ones, I carry an air horn with me. I've come upon them a few times when I'm out walking my dog. I make sure they know I'm there from a distance, and use the air horn if they aren't running away. Vast majority of the time, once they see me, their gone.

One time I came upon a mom and her two cubs rummaging thru my neighbors trash. I saw them from a reasonable distance... started to back away, and yelled at mom so she saw me. She immediately took off, but her cubs were way to interested in the trash. I stayed at a distance while the cubs continued investigating. Mom gave them a major grunt.... and they saw me, and ran to her and they were gone.

One early morning, well before dawn, I was taking my dog out to her do her morning routine. Well... I always check for wildlife in our yard.... but I failed that morning, and wouldn't ya know it there was a momma bear and two cubs on our front porch. As I opened the door, all hell broke loose. My dog went after the bear.... momma and cubs started to run away, but the cubs went up a tree. Momma realized that and came back. Meanwhile I got my dog in the house.... and the cubs came back down the tree and they all took off together. Time for coffee.

Great to have wildlife around when it all works out!!

Encountered many a black bear hiking in the Sierras in CA. Not saying you did the wrong thing, but I would not have given up my hike just for a bear. I would have broke a branch or something to alert it I was there, and then just stood there. From my experience they run or walk off once they see you. I have walked right past them at night and both of us just kept going in our direction. When I do see a mother with cubs, is the only time I reverse direction or stand still if she is moving through the area, If I do back off I face her until I am sure she does not see me as a threat and is coming after me. Running is the worse thing you can do so I am glad you had the sense not to do that.

If you see a moose, give it a lot of space and be patient until it decides to clear the path. They are the most dangerous animal most of us encounter in this area. I always chuckle when someone I am on trail with decides they need a pistol with them. It seems to provide them with more mental confidence than physical protection. If a cat comes for you, there is not much you can do but fight like hell. Moose don't care about your pee shooter. Consider yourself lucky if you spot a bear on these trails.

I primarily hike, and camp, solo throughout the year, and carry nothing for self defense other than my trekking poles. Perhaps you might benefit from a can of pepper gel?

As a woman who loves to hike alone the only thing I keep in my pack is pepper spray. I am very aware and don’t hike in headphones but the only thing that scares me in the forest is a human. As far as animal goes I am just aware and stay away from wildlife.

Nunchucks, bo staff, karate skills.

J/K. In Japan, it’s very common practice for hikers to carry / adorn a bell so that the animal can hear you coming a mile away.

And by the time you get there, in turn, they will have had enough advance warning to get a mile away from you.

So bells are good.

But still bring the nunchucks just in case.

If you are going first thing in the morning, be aware of snakes. They like to lay out on the rocks to get warm and they are easy to overlook.

Moose like to be near the streams which is where trails like to be. Don't go near the bison if you go to Antelope Island.

I'm sure it would scare some critters, but it may scare them into attack mode. I would save the weight.

bear spray is always a good idea. I keep it in a water bottle holder in my pack for easy access. never had to use it over many years, though. for large herbivores like elk, moose, or bison, I recommend giving them as wide a berth as possible, and talking to them in a calm, low, sing-song voice. I've gotten through many close and tense encounters by simply keeping an eye on them, talking to them like you would a puppy, and moving deliberately around them.

if you know anyone who has cows or horses, that can be a great way to practice this. your goal is to be non-threatening and predictable. they should know that you see them, but don't stare- just move in a smooth line and murmur sweetly so they know where you are

Perhaps get a bow or spear ?

> A hunter told me that cigar smoke will make them fear me

Not that I really need an excuse to smoke a cigar while camping, but if I can say "Oh, I'm preventing wild boar attacks" that's pretty cool.

I don’t see any reason why bear spray, despite the name, wouldn’t work on wolves and boars. It’s just a version of pepper spray. Though I’ve never tried it on wolves or boars to be sure.

Wolves and boars should stay away from you. I’ve hardly heard of any dangerous encounters, but absolute worst case scenario if you get 5-6 feet off the ground you’ll be pretty safe. They can’t climb trees like bears.

I live in Aus, so any of the 37 times each summer that I nearly step on a Tiger Snake…

I handle it by squealing and attempting to levitate.

I think I told this story on Reddit before but I was in La Línea/Gibraltar for sailing for about a month and on a day off I hiked the rock. I walked from La Línea to the south side of the rock and ascended, then on my way down toward the city I had a pack of monkeys jump on my back trying to open my backpack. I was halfway down the Charles V Wall steps when this happened and had nowhere to run so I just like, let them hang out while I kept walking; I heard they bite if you swat at them. If I stopped they’d pull my hair. Eventually they stopped using me as a jungle gym, the whole interaction lasted about 5 minutes, and I got some good photos of a baby eating my shoelace. I just didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t run from them, so I ignored them while they tried to rob me.

Black bear whilst hiking around Shikoku.

I looked at it. It looked at me. I froze. After what felt like 300 days it walked away. Was probably around 5 seconds.

Now that I think about it, it wasn't... scary scary.

The things that really get my heart racing are snakes in the Australian outback.

When at Shenandoah National Park while hitchhiking the east coast the year after graduating Boulder High in 1973, I 'disturbed' a 5 foot long Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake that had invaded my tent. Not proud of the fact, but after a rather panicked response that wounded it, I put it out of its misery.

By an unlikely chain of events that encounter led to, I ended up in the Washington D.C. courtroom on the day that Howard Hunt testified against the other defendants in the Watergate Trial - all of whom were convicted.

Pretty heady stuff for a 19 year-old kid from Colorado. Hard to believe it was more than fifty years ago.

Last month I was hiking in the Redwoods Nat’l park and as I was admiring the gorgeous forest I looked ahead and noticed a big black bear about 10 feet in front of me resting. I stepped weird and started tripping towards the bear and it woke up and looked back at me. All I could muster as I was a few feet in front of it was “Sorry Mr. bear!” And I quickly albeit cartoonishly gave it a ton of space. It grunted and stayed in place, I assume to continue snoozing. It was entirely my fault.

“You’ll know brown bear poop because it smells like pepper and has lots of little bells in it.”