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Message: [QUOTE="D J B, post: 4009712, member: 11270"] Years ago, when I was a scoutmaster, I would talk to my scouts about bears, and bear safety. I personally have had experience with two bears up close and it was a nervous several minutes, but it worked out fine. The number one rule is to never get between a mother bear and her cubs, but there are other things to consider as well. I told them that most important was to alert bears well in advance of your presence if you were in bear country. Talk, make noise, rattle a few pots and pans if you could. Also, some people attach bells (like those jingle bells from Christmas) to their backpacks. Above all, you don't want to startle a bear. Given a chance, they will give you plenty of room. Defensive safety is also important. Rule number one, never run from a bear, no matter how impossible that might sound. (I know the old joke that you only need to be able to outrun the person you are with.) Some folks carry guns in bear country, but that isn't always an option and a bad idea if you don't know what you're doing. Many hikers swear by bear spray and keep a can with them. Also important is knowing which type of bear you are likely to find in your area. The best way of doing this is to examine any bear scat (poop) you find. If it contains mostly vegetation and berries, you are most likely dealing with small brown or black bears. Grizzly scat will smell like bear spray and contain little small bells. [/QUOTE]