Man Stalked by Bear in Saskatchewan
Have you ever had an encounter with a bear? We have a large collection of stories about encountering bears in the backcountry on the site. While most of the time seeing a bear can be a cool and majestic experience, sometimes bear encounters get downright terrifying.
In the video below, a man in the Saskatchewan, Canada wilderness comes across a bear that is interested in a lot more than just passing through harmlessly – this bear is very interested in the man and continues to stalk him for several minutes.
The bear seen here is apparently a brown phase black bear – a black bear whose fur has been bleached by the sun. While grizzlies are generally thought of as more aggressive and dangerous, this bear definitely gets too close for comfort.
The entire ordeal was captured on video by the man’s friend, giving us all a look into what an aggressive bear encounter looks like. This video can also serve as a pretty good guide of how to act if you are faced with a similar predicament.
Take a look at the footage below (WARNING: There is some profanity):
Apparently, after the footage cuts out, the man was able to get a hold of a rifle and shoot the bear, getting away from the ordeal in one piece. However, not all people who find themselves in similar situations get so lucky; when a bear takes that sort of interest in you, it is usually very bad news.
Do you think you would know how to react if confronted by an aggressive bear? The man in the video does a pretty good job. If a bear is following you and clearly interested in you – as opposed to just wandering by – you need to take certain steps to try to make sure you are not the animal’s lunch.
If a bear is pursuing you in this manner, you need to make yourself appear as large and dominant as possible; scream at the bear, look it in the eyes, gesture aggressively, and try to threaten the animal with whatever weapons or tools you have accessible.
But remember, this is only if a bear is clearly being aggressive towards you; if you see a bear from afar, the best idea is to ignore it completely and hope it just moves along.
Dealing with potentially dangerous animals is simply an inherent risk of life in the backcountry, and you should always be prepared with a weapon, or at least some bear spray, just in case.
Hopefully you will never need any of these things, but as the video shows, it’s always good to have a plan if confronted by a bear.
Have you ever had an experience with an aggressive bear? If so, tell us your story here.
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