Bear Charge, Bear Spray Used

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Black bear charge during trail run.
In July 2020, during a long trail run in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in western Colorado, I spotted two bear cubs climbing a tree in front of me. Luckily, I saw them before the sow- who was behind them- saw me. When she heard the commotion she came charging up the hill in my direction, but she couldn’t see me crouching behind a fallen tree. There was a long standoff before I ended up spraying her with bear mace (Brand: "Counter Assault"), as seen in the video. Stay vigilant friends!

EDIT: The comments warrant some clarification about context.

I know bears, and I know predators: I was a safari guide in Africa for 5 years and had plenty of encounters with Lions, Leopards, and more while being unarmed. I also spend hundreds of hours in the backcountry every year, and many of that time i spend photographing wild bears (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI7KaUc7BQY , and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxdauoWJd9c ) (Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/adam.parkison/ ) Of the 80+ encounters I’ve had with black bears the last 8 years (and at least a dozen with grizzlies) - this was the only time a bear actually charged me. Its almost unheard of. In fact, I once blundered into a sow with cubs at a similar distance, and stood my ground as she bluff charged me (without having to use my bear spray).

This incident was different: I had the camera on me while I was literally hiding behind a log while the bear had charged up looking for me. The ground had lots of debris and was loud to move around in. The bear was just on the other side of the log I was hiding behind, pacing back and forth. The reason I did not immediately back out of there is because she had me pinned, and I was hoping she would leave without a confrontation. Had I moved backwards in retreat, I risked her charging me anyway.

When I finally stood up and yelled at the bear it was because she was too close and I was now risking her walking directly on me while i was crouched down. When I did yell at the bear, she immediately charged me with her ears flattened (the time I was bluff charged by another sow a few years ago, that bear did not have her ears down). She stopped as soon as the orange cloud of bear mace hit her in the face.

I was far off trail in a designated wilderness area cutting through a south-facing avalanche chute when I encountered these bears. It was a perfect place to blunder into a bear. Hindsight is 20/20, and I recognize I could have done things differently- but I also had enough situational awareness to spot the cubs before the sow spotted me. It was a good outcome for everyone- but i recognize It could have ended badly. I knowingly take these risks when I enter bear country. Had I been mauled, I would have not blamed the bear for doing what bears do naturally.

Take it or leave it.
Bear Spray
#bears #hiking #colorado

Видео Bear Charge, Bear Spray Used канала adam parkison