The scariest thing that can happen to a person in the forest is meeting a bear. A wild predator of gigantic proportions! How to behave correctly in order to peacefully part ways and not anger the dangerous beast? To do this, you need to know some basic rules.
The most important of all is mental stability. You need to morally accept the situation and calm down. Panic has never saved anyone. Everything depends on the endurance of the nervous system.
So, let's start in order.
Even before meeting a bear, when walking in the forest, try to stick to open spaces. This will give you the opportunity to see the animal in advance and its appearance will not be a surprise to you. Dense thickets, bear trails, rivers with fish, berry clearings - all this increases the chance of meeting the lord of the taiga.
And of course, avoid walking in the forest at dawn, dusk, and nighttime. These are its hours. During the day, the likelihood of encountering one is significantly lower.
Walking alone in the forest is also dangerous for a person, it is better to walk in a group. It has been noticed that the aggressiveness of a bear towards a group of people is significantly lower.
What to do if you encounter a bear?
You can try to scare it away (increase your size, jump on some elevation, and make scary noises).
Another option is to convince the predator of your peacefulness, that it does not need to fear you. As an option, pretend to be dead. Or freeze in place, do not move. However, if the bear perceives you as food rather than an enemy, this method will not work. Making noise and pretending to be dead will be useless. Alas.
The reason for a bear's attack on a person can be defense or hunger. In the first case, it should not be provoked, and in the second case, it is necessary to understand the seriousness of its intentions. To do this, pay attention to the ears, specifically, their position. The closer they are pressed to the head, the more serious the animal is.
A bear is planning an attack if its fur is raised on the nape and it emits a threatening roar. If the animal is moving toward you in the direction of the wind, it means it wants to better sense your scent. During an attack, it will try to bite you on the back of the head, as well as break the spine with a paw strike.
If the bear is standing on its hind legs, it does not mean aggression. This is just a way for it to look around and explore the surroundings. If it is calm, then after sensing the human scent, it will simply leave the area. However, if the bear is busy fishing and has already caught some fish, getting it to leave will be a problem. Therefore, it is better to move through the forest loudly. Sing songs, talk, hit trees and bushes with a stick. This way the bear may hear you in advance, even before starting its fishing process.
Know that dangerous proximity to the animal is a distance of less than 6 meters. Then it will definitely attack.
If you are walking with a dog
A walk with a dog in the forest can be both a plus and a minus when encountering a bear. If the dog is not trained, it may rush at the animal, and then in search of protection, snuggle up to your feet. This is a provocation for an attack, which will provoke an attack on you.
A smart and fearless dog always warns of the close presence of the beast with loud barking. If necessary, it can rush at it and bite, thereby distracting it to itself. Meanwhile, the owner can walk away.
It should be known that the bear usually does not feel full confidence to attack. It is afraid itself! The animal often imitates an attack, even when making lunges towards a person. In doing so, it forces them to leave.
There is no need to succumb to aggression and throw sticks and stones in response. Do not injure the bear. Act wisely and sensibly: slowly and calmly move away from it, the main thing is not to start running. A wounded and enraged bear is especially dangerous, it will be impossible to stop it.
If the bear still attacks, then the person has no choice but to defend themselves. The vulnerable area on the animal's body is its eyes. Hit them with any available object. Remember, there is always a chance, despite the desperation of the situation.
