Be Bear Aware.

10 Reasons Bears are better than Sharks…

Petition for Bearweek.

Right-O NSMB-ers, we're coming out of the time of year where I have been happy to cruise the trails in blissful ignorance of wildlife. I see on the Squamish bear aware site that there have been a few sightings this month (plus a cougar at an elementary school - is that a bit like finding a cat in the mousecage?). I wouald be interested to hear what, if any, precautions people take for bears and other wildlife on the trails. Do you take more precautions when riding Squamish, Whistler or Pemberton than you do on the North Shore? Do you ride alone?

I'm new here so please excuse my ignorance.

Cheers, Ben

I ride alone. We have lots of bears and cougars over here (most cougars in the world i think). Be aware of your surroundings and look ahead down the trail. Expect the unexpected… and carry an accessible knife if you might have to go toe to toe with a cougar.

I just pee my pants and call the cops if I see one.

bear spray? Not sure how effective it really is but it's gota be better than nothing. I had a couple times last year where I though I was being followed. Never did find out what was making branches snap every so often behind me. :eek2:

I ride alone. We have lots of bears and cougars over here (most cougars in the world i think). Be aware of your surroundings and look ahead down the trail. Expect the unexpected… and carry an accessible knife if you might have to go toe to toe with a cougar.

Holy fuck dood!

I don't really worry about bears all that much while on the trail although both my wife and I carry bear spray when we are riding places like the Chilcotin. (Bears are more of an issue when you are cooking or stopping to eat lunch with the smell of food.)

I'm more worried about cougars as they will stalk you and are silent.

Cougar safety in BC:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/cougsf.htm

Last year we did have a bobcat watching our group up in the Chilcotin. We were a big group of 10 but only the last 2 people in the group saw it. The other 8 (including me) rode past it. It was stalking a lame horse in the area.

Someone might have already posted a link but the BC Government has a Bear Aware site:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/bearaware/index.html

Holy fuck dood!

This old timer took out a cougar with his pocket knife 5 mins from my place when I was up in Port Alice. He did lose an eye in the attack.

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/mj04/feature.asp

They're def out of hibernation, judging by the pile of garbage on the neighbors lawn this morning. They usually pick my lawn to chow down on the neighbors garbage.

LOCK UP YOU GARBAGE. They are euthanizing more bears every year in the tri city's. A garbage bear is a dead bear.

When I used to ride alone in Kamloops I would ring a bike bell at regular intervals. Bears would leave knowing I was coming. Bears just don't like to be snuck up on. I could see the bears heading off.
Cougars, on the otherhand, scare me. I tried to take consolation that if I saw birds then I would suspect that there's adequate easier food for the cougars to hunt.
Whistler can be a problem with bears but I hear the cougars up there can be fun.
Alas, I think I'm too old to be considered good hunting for the Whistler cougars.

Cougars are everywhere, nobody ever seems them, they always see you.
Like TomP said, carry a knife.

It's my goal to get a photo of one this year.

I met a guy from Prince Rupert who worked in forestry or something like that and he said flares were the best for encounters with wildlife. See something too close, light it up. Nothing messes with the fire god. I think he said there was a kind you just pull something to light.

I met a guy from Prince Rupert who worked in forestry or something like that and he said flares were the best for encounters with wildlife. See something too close, light it up. Nothing messes with the fire god. I think he said there was a kind you just pull something to light.

For sure, but pick your seasons wisely and don't burn down the forest.