Experts offer tips to stay safe in Yellowstone bear country

Aug 04, 2023

Wapiti - Grizzly bears in and outside Yellowstone National Park are searching for food to carry them through winter hibernation. With thousands more tourists in the area, the U.S. Forest Service, and Center of the West in Cody are partnering to keep people and bears away from each other.

If you travel to Yellowstone now, you may see what looks like piles of poop on the road. That’s what it is. The bears are looking for a lot of calories now to carry them through the winter hibernation, so they are eating berries near the river.

I’ve had several grizzly and black bears in the yard of my cabin in the Shoshone Forest east of Yellowstone. Moose have been close, too. It’s never a good idea to surprise a big animal like a moose or a bear.

U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Technician Erika Zimmerman tells a crowd in a cabin inside the Draper Natural History Museum, “so you want to be really loud in bear country.”

Zimmerman gives Draper Museum visitors lessons on staying safe in bear country. The Draper Museum is part of the Center of the West in Cody.

The Draper partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to also produce a series of videos on bear safety.

“Bear safety is important here. They are part of the landscape, and it’s what makes this landscape so wonderful,” Draper Curator Corey Anco said.

Shoshone National Forest Wildlife Manager Kerry Murphy remarked the Forest Service has also partnered with Wyoming’s Game and Fish, Safari International, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to save lives.

“Those folks have been great partners in helping us educate forest visitors and Park visitors," Murphy said.

What are the most important things to remember when hiking, fishing, or wildlife watching in bear country?

"Number one, the best thing in bear country is to be situationally aware, so looking ahead for bears and being aware of your surroundings," Zimmerman said.

That means even bear poop is something to look for, as well as tracks, or food they may be eating.

“The next thing is to carry bear spray in (bear) country. Carry it in a place you are going to be easily able to reach it,” Zimmerman said.

She pulled a dummy canister from her belt, flipped off the orange guard, and pushed the spray button like an old western movie gunman. She said you should put the spray on your belt or your chest, so you can grab and spray in seconds. Studies show bear spray is more effective at preventing human injury or death than guns.

“And then the next is being really really loud in bear country. This is so you don’t surprise the bears while you are in bear country," Zimmerman continued.

She said traveling in groups is better than traveling alone to make more noise.

Last but not least, she said, “Never run in bear country. This is because bears are predators and they have predator chase instinct.”

Experts say you should back away instead of running. And, if the grizzly attack has already started, the best way to stay alive is to lay on your stomach, cover your neck, and play dead.

Click here to see the Bear Aware videos from the Draper Natural History Museum.