Bears Are Getting Ready For Hibernation-With Your Food

With the recent bear attacks around British Columbia come warnings that at this time of year the animals are trying to fatten up for their dormant winter months. In Whistler on Sunday, a black bear had to be destroyed after it got into a home and knocked down a resident. In another incident, a grizzly bear badly mauled a hunter in the northeastern town of Hudson’s Hope, a tiny community about 100 kilometres west of Fort St. John. In both cases the bear was trying to access human food. The rest of the story is HERE. “We are coming in to the highest conflict time of the year,” said Whistler’s Sylvia Dolson, the executive director of the Get Bear Smart Society. Dolson said as the bears try to bulk up for winter, they will come down from the mountains looking for an easy food source. “The real critical thing is bears will go after household garbage, bird seed, pet food, fruit trees and when there is a human food source, that is when the trouble starts,” she said. The shooting of the black bear in Whistler happened after the bear entered a home in Whistler Kay Heights and then became trapped inside. It caused considerable damage and knocked one of the residents down as it tried to get it out. “Once they get into a house they can do quite a bit of damage,” added Dolson. “The worst is when they figure out that food is in the home,” she said. “When they know the food is in there it is a huge problem.” She said a black bear at this time of year is foraging to fill up on about 20,000 calories a day. “At this point they are in an exaggerated eating mode,” she said. This summer, a black bear had to be killed in Whistler in July, and Dolson said the number is low because the bears had a good food sources higher up in the mountains. Always carry the most Powerful Bear Spray available with you whenever you go into the backcountry. Even the Sierra Club endorses the use of bear pepper spray. It has been proven to be much more effective than even a handgun. A bear wounded by a handgun can become even more dangerous. Whereas a bear that walks into a fog of bear spray will make a hasty retreat. Guardian Self-Defense & Security Products LLC is one of the largest most trusted online distributors of non-lethal self-defense items and surveillance equipment in the US. We specialize in premium pepper spray, mace, personal alarms, stun batons and more. We are "The Self Defense Product Experts"!