Coyotes: These relatively harmless animals. They resemble dogs, are generally tan to light brown in color, and are about the size of a German Sheppard. They are skinny, and their fluffy coat makes them look a bit larger. Coyotes (almost) never attack adults. We have coyotes in our neighborhood, and although there are, ahem, mysteriously few small dogs and cats anymore, they do not bother people. The only real threat is to very small children. You may hear them howling, more of a yipping noise, and no recorded case of humans being injured by their noise is on record. There are two confirmed fatal attacks by coyotes in North America.; one on a three year old girl, and the other by a pack of coyotes on a 19 year old female hiking in Canada.
Wolves: Larger than coyotes, wolves are not a generally a threat, and if you see one you are very lucky, as they avoid humans in the wild. I found six cases during the past 100 years of fatal wolf attacks on the North American continent, that did not involve pet wolves, or zoo animal attacks.
Snakes: The most common snake to be concerned about is the western diamondback, Crotalus atrox. Commonly called a rattlesnake, or 'rattler', this snake is found from Canada to Mexico. It is classified as a pit viper, and injects venom via two fangs. The venom is hemotoxic, and causes death to tissues. Most fatalities from snake bites are to the very small and young, or to very old victims. Although called a rattlesnake, about a third of the snakes have lost their rattles, so may not give warning. Rattlers can strike about 2/3 of their length when they are coiled, and cannot 'jump' at a person. Twenty to forty percent of rattler bites are 'dry' warning bites and venom is not injected. Rattlesnake venom is 1/10th the strength of cobra venom. Snakes love shade when it is hot, and hang out near water if given the choice, as their food source also likes water. Avoid snakes by not stepping near logs or rocks that may shelter them. If you are lucky you may see them, especially in the lower elevations in Montana and Wyoming. Along the route this is the most venomous snake you will encounter – North America does not have really nasty snakes such as cobras or the like.
I've worked in rattlesnake country for many years, seen hundreds of them, and not had a problem. (However, I do not handle rattlers for 'fun' anymore, as I used to when I was younger, immortal, and stupid!) When I was a medic in the Army, I helped treat several pit viper snake bites from the Okinawan 'Habu' - a snake related to the rattlesnake. Treatment is to use a constricting band above the bite (not a tourniquet!), keep the limb lower than the heart, and get the person to medical aid. Rattlesnake bites are rarely fatal to humans if treated promptly. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year with approximately five deaths. The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the amount of time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenin treatment is given within 2 hours of the bite, however, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.
Spiders: The two spiders that may hang out in outhouses (toilets) or old buildings are the Black Widow (similar to the Australian Redback), and the Brown Reclusa. The Black Widow is shiny black, about a cm or two long (total legs and body), has pronounced long front legs, and a red hourglass shape on its belly - yep, ya gotta turn it over to see! The reclusa is similar in size, and brown colored. Both are relatively harmless, and cause local tissue damage if a bite ensues. Check under toilet seats and watch where you place your hands if moving objects. We've got Black Widows living in our garage and outbuilding, and other than me vaporizing them if found, they don't cause a fuss.
Scorpions: Ditto watch where you reach, and check your shoes before you put them on in the morning. Scorpions are found in lower, hotter elevations. Their bite is like being stung by a wasp (I know), so not a dangerous beasty.
Wolverines: Wolverines are the size of medium dogs and have been described as looking like skunks or a small bear. They're difficult to spot as they travel alone and are shy. There are few documented cases of wolverine attacks on humans - most involve people trying to grab them. Really not an issue. You may see one if lucky.
Cougars (aka puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount, or panther): Although cougar attacks have occurred on lone hikers and joggers, most attacks are on small children, and even those are rare. Cougars are solitary, and seeing one in the wild is a treat. I've seen two, and tracks of many. Cougars do not attack groups of people. Wikipedia says it best: "At least 20 people in North America were killed by cougars between 1890 and 2011, including six in California. More than two-thirds of the Canadian fatalities occurred on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Fatal cougar attacks are extremely rare and occur much less frequently than fatal dog attacks, fatal snake bites, fatal lightning strikes, or fatal bee stings. Children are particularly vulnerable. The majority of the child victims listed here were not accompanied by adults.
As with many predators, a cougar may attack if cornered, if a fleeing human stimulates their instinct to chase, or if a person "plays dead". Standing still quietly may cause the cougar to consider a person easy prey. Exaggerating the threat to the animal through intense eye contact, loud shouting, and any other action to appear larger and more menacing, may make the animal retreat. Fighting back with sticks and rocks, or even bare hands, is often effective in persuading an attacking cougar to disengage."
Cougar rule: Always intimidate them, and fight back. Never play dead! Wave your coat, pack, or bike above your head to appear larger, and stand your ground or advance slowly towards them while making a lot of noise and showing your best 'nasty face'. Do not bend or stoop down, as you will appear small and vulnerable. Stare them down, and never, ever run! Cougars also are deterred by bear spray.
There is a cougar in the hills above my house, and I don't have any concerns with riding there alone. Cougars may follow you, as they are curious like all cats. I have witnessed a cougar following another hiker, and one following me, with no ill effects. When I would ride at night in the snow I occasionally saw cougar tracks along my bike route.
Bears in general: Many problems with bears involve 'habituated' bears, or those who are used to humans and relate humans to garbage or left behind food at campsites. You will still see idiots at some national parks feeding bears (against the law)! There is a saying in the bear management circles that, "A fed bear is a dead bear.". This means that if a bear is habituated to food, it is either destroyed, or relocated. Relocated bears often continue to be a problem and must be destroyed.
Grizzly Bears (Ursus Horriblus) aka Brown Bears:
Identification - Even experts may have trouble identifying black from grizzly bears. Fur color is not reliable, as black bears may be brown and griz may be black. Size may not help either, as young, smaller, griz that resemble black bears are more curious and may approach more readily. Griz have a distinct hump between their shoulder blades, visible when they are on all fours. Black bears may have a hump that is visible when they have their head down when feeding. A key identifier is the shape of the bear's muzzle: a griz has a nose and forehead similar to that of dogs - a pronounced forehead - think German Sheppard face. A black bear has a nose bridge that slopes from the forehead to the tip - think Roman nose.
General Rules (exceptions noted below): The key to minimizing risk is to avoid encounters. Most human-bear conflicts are caused by surprise encounters, and bear attraction to human foods or related scents. The two worst encounters are surprising a mother with cubs, and being close to a bear's guarded food source (like a dead animal). Bear attacks on humans are relatively rare. Attacks on groups of three or more are even rarer. Bears are a lot like dogs in that each has a different personality. Some are passive, some are grumpy.
Rules to live by are to make noise when traveling and to camp safely. Bears are solitary creatures with an incredible sense of hearing and smell. Human voices in a low register carry well, noisemakers such as whistles also do OK. Bells have been found to be much less effective, and are derisively called 'dinner bells'. When camping, check the campsite to make sure that no trace of human food, food wrappers, or burnt food are evident. A bad sign is nearby bear scat with bits of human garbage. An even worse sign is bear scat with bike parts! If anything is amiss at the campsite, move on to someplace safer – period. Once a campsite has been compromised cleaning it up will do no good as bears have excellent ‘food location’ memory. Don't camp on trails, or in thick brush: bears travel as we do and use brush to lurk around in. Be aware that near rushing water noise does not carry well, and you must be extra vigilant.
Never cook in your tent, instead cook 50-100 meters from camp, downwind. Store food, wrappers, toiletries, sanitary napkins, sunscreen, bug spray and anything with a scent either in provided metal food lockers, or 100 meters downwind from camp, hung in a odor proof bag on a tree branch a minimum of 4 meters above the ground and 2 meters from the tree trunk..
1. Unlike black bears, grizzly bears always win. They will intimidate you. As when playing games with young children, let them 'win'. Assume a non-dominant posture, quarter away from the bear, slightly lower your head, and keep him in your vision (never lose sight or turn your back to a bear)!
2. As with lions and tigers, running from the bear triggers the chase/attack response. Only prey runs. Prey also squeaks, so keep your voice low and gentle. Never make barking or grunting noises at the bear - it's a sign you want to fight. If the bear is far away, and starts a charge, you theoretically can climb a tree to escape. Keep this in mind: your feet must be 5 meters up a tree to be 'safe', and a bear can run at 10-15 meters per second, so do the math. Can you get to and climb a tree in 20 seconds? If so the bear traveled 200-300 meters in this time. A friend of mine has a dog warning sign on his fence: "My dog can make it to the gate in 2.1 seconds, can you?" .
3. The response to a charge is to 'spray and pray' if the bear gets within 6 meters, assuming you have bear spray. Know how to use it and keep it either on your person, or in a handy holster on your bike when riding. Bear spray does not seem to make an actual attack worse.
4. If the bear does not charge, or if it is a false charge, slowly back away from the encounter. Statistically, the majority of charges end with no contact. If your movement agitates the bear, stand still until it leaves. The bear may charge several times. Dropping small items may distract a bear (but not food!), but keep your pack on if you have one - it may help protect you. (I'll fill you in later on my foolproof candy bar strategy for bear attacks - har har)
5. If the bear makes contact, it will most likely injure you. The key to minimizing injury is to play dead by covering your neck (very important!) and keeping on your stomach. The bear will try to turn you over - keep your feet and legs slightly spread to prevent this. Keep quite! The bear cannot open his mouth enough to crush your skull, but can kill by breaking your neck - keep it covered. It may chew on you, swat you, and bite you. When the bear leaves, stay still, as it may be watching you. Wait several minutes. If in a larger group, several people coming to the aid of a victim while the bear is attacking may drive it off.
Exceptions: If a bear attacks, and is actually eating, not just biting you, fight back. Aim for the delicate nose and eyes. If attacked at night while in your tent you have to make a judgment call: is the bear merely ripping open a tent looking for candy bars, or are you the object? If you are dragged out of your tent, it's time to fight back. Note that black bears sometimes are predatory, so identifying the species is not important in these cases.
Attacks / Charges: Most bear 'attacks', both by black and grizzly bears, end with an aborted 'false' charge. Unfortunately, the way to tell if the charge is a false one is when the contact does/doesn't occur.
Bear Spray: Bears have a nose that is seven times more sensitive than a dog's. This both lets them sniff out your Snickers candy bar from a mile away (quite literally), and leaves them vulnerable to irritants, such as bear spray. The spray is a 2% solution of the 'hot' in hot peppers. Police spray in contrast is a 10% concentration, as humans require more 'juice' to jar their relatively insensitive noses. From all that I have read regarding bear spray effectiveness, I would much rather carry bear spray for protection than a firearm, hands down (and being a red blooded American, it hurts to say that!).
The spray is available in Banff, costs about $30 to $40, and needs a holster or harness to carry it, unless you have a spare pocket or bottle holder available. Bear spray shoots about 6 meters.
Link to Youtube video Tom Smith's excellent presentation about bears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExlT-5VU-Y
A map of grizzly bear concentration along the Tour route is located on the web at: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=200334849650645495946.00047e45e4239031f00c3&start=0&num=200&sll=46.7248,-112.807617&sspn=1.269004,2.221985&z=7 . Note that this map has three pages to scroll through.
Black Bears: As a general statement, black bears are less aggressive and inflict less serious injuries than Grizzly bears. Approximately 40 fatal attacks on humans in the wild have occurred in North America during the past 50 years. Many involved children, and only a few cases exist where groups were attacked.
Many of the same tips for avoiding grizzly bears apply to avoiding black bears. The main difference is that black bears can be intimidated! You can stare at a black bear to intimidate him/her, and shout to scare it away. Most surprised mother and cub black bears run off, or perhaps the mother will false charge. Actual contact is rare. Don't push your luck though! And if you want to intimidate the bear, be damn sure it is a black, and not grizzly, bear!
Moose: The danger list in the wild ranks Moose first, closely followed by Grizzly. No joke. According to Glacier National Park travel guide, "Although they appear gentle, wild moose attack hikers and tourists every year in Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Alaska and throughout Canada. The park rangers said wild moose are more dangerous than grizzly bears. A moose will attack you when they feel threatened and are trying to ensure that you are not dangerous. Since a moose weighs upwards of 1,500 pounds, ensuring you are not a threat can be the same as being hit by a car! Generally, a wild moose judges a human as threatening due to bad judgment on our part, which is why you must know the reasons why moose will attack before hiking through moose habitat.
Why Wild Moose Attack: Moose attacks generally occur in two seasons and for two reasons:
Early Summer with Calves - Moose mommas (or cow moose) are likely to have their calves alongside them during this time of year. If you come between a cow and its calf, you are in trouble. Cows do not have antlers, by the way.
Fall and Mating - Bull moose are highly aggressive in the fall when courting cows. If you encounter a bull moose during mating season, it may perceive you as a mating threat and ward you off by attacking. Another reason a moose will attack is if the moose is provoked by man or canine. If you see a wild moose, do not provoke it with words or weapons, such as rocks or sticks. Bull moose normally have large antlers.
As with bears, the best strategy is to make a lot of noise when hiking/biking.
How to Survive a Moose Attack
Remember, a moose charges to ward off potential threats. Wild moose are aggressive, but by assuring the bull or cow that you are not a threat, you can survive an aggressive moose encounter. Signs of an aggressive moose include:
Walking in your direction
Stomping its feet
Laying its ears back
Grunting
Throwing its head back and forth
These are all signs of an aggressive, wild moose. If you are hiking through moose habitat and encounter a moose behaving in this manner, it perceives you as a threat and you must be prepared for an attack. If you see one that isn't approaching, your best bet is to avoid it and allow it to move out of your way. However, if you notice its hairs raised, head down and ears back, that's your cue to hightail it in the opposite direction. And when a moose licks its lips, that doesn't mean it finds you attractive. That's your signal to make tracks. Should you encounter an aggressive, wild moose, here is how to prevent and survive an attack:
From limited data, it appears that bear spray may work on moose
Back away with your palms facing the moose
Speak softly and reassuringly, like you would to a little child
If the moose charges, get behind a large tree or rock in order to separate your body from the moose. Most moose charges, like grizzly bear charges, are bluffs. One website states: When you see a bull, or male moose, charging at you, there's only one thing to do -- turn and run to avoid getting trampled. Although moose can outrun humans at their top speeds, many times they won't chase you far if you run away from them.
If you don't get away fast enough, and a moose knocks you down, don't struggle. If the moose attacks you, feign death by curling up in a little ball. Protect your head and neck with your arms. If you are wearing a backpack, your pack will protect your back. Curl into the fetal position and cover your head with your arms. Trying to move will only cause the moose to continue kicking and stomping.
Moose can kick with their front hooves like a good footballer, so watch out! They typically stomp their threat. If there is heavy brush or abundant tree trunks you can play 'dodgem' with the moose, keeping a tree or four between you and said moose.
That's about it for beastly beasties, so Welcome to North America !
