Grizzly meets rancher: who wins?

Grizzly bear encounters with humans are becoming more common; workshops teach how to handle threatening situations

BEAVER MINES, Alta. — The photographic evidence of grizzly bear presence and proximity was sobering.

Shown at a June 18 bear safety workshop in southern Alberta, the first photo showed a bear in a hay shed at 6:35 a.m., where it had ripped open the back of a grain truck to eat seed and triggered the motion-sensitive camera as it was leaving.

At 6:36 a.m., less than one minute later, a man walks into the shed, also triggering the camera.

A close encounter between man and grizzly bear was avoided by seconds.

Read Also

Ag in Motion speaker highlights need for biosecurity on cattle operations

Ag in Motion highlights need for biosecurity on cattle farms. Government of Saskatchewan provides checklist on what you can do to make your cattle operation more biosecure.

Such incidents have prompted those in southwestern Alberta’s foothills to take action through bear safety workshops and initiatives to minimize grizzly-human conflict.

“That happens to us in the ranching community more often than you know,” said Tony Bruder, who ranches south of Pincher Creek, Alta.

“How often did you go around a corner of that barn and there was a bear standing there a minute before you? Or how often did your kids go down to feed their 4-H lambs or steers or pigs and the bear heard them leave the house and they left the grain bin 30 seconds before your kids walked into the grain bin? This is something we deal with daily.”

Rancher groups and the Waterton Biosphere Reserve (WBR) organization have implemented mitigation projects including bear-proof grain bin doors, electric fences to dissuade bears and bear-proof bins for dead stock.

The idea is to limit conflicts while also respecting grizzly bears, which are protected under Alberta law.

Workshops have also been organized to teach area ranchers how to identify grizzly bear threats and react when they encounter one.

“The bears are where we do stuff,” said rancher Jeff Bectell, chair of the WBR.

“They’re right where we want to be, right where we belong, right where our home is.”

Jay Honeyman, a human-wildlife conflict biologist with Alberta Environment and Parks, said grizzly bears are now being seen further east than in the recent past.

The Prairies were traditional grizzly bear range until human activity pushed them into the foothills and mountains. Now they appear to be reclaiming at least some of that territory.

Grizzly bear response in a direct encounter with a human is unpredictable, partly because of that traditional range, said Mike Gibeau, a former park warden now with the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society.

“One of the distinctions I’d like to make here is that most animals only have one defence mechanism and that’s to run away,” he said.

“A grizzly bear evolved to have two defence mechanisms. It can either run away, and that’s because of where it evolved on the Plains — it can either run away or it can stand and defend itself and eliminate the threat. You never know which defence mechanism a bear may choose when it perceives it is being threatened.”

Honeyman said male grizzlies typically have a range of 1,400 sq. kilometres and females of about 500 sq. kilometres.

In the course of roaming to find food, they cross provincial and international borders, public land, private land, national and provincial parks and First Nations property.

“As they’re moving through those different land bases and jurisdictions, they’re dealing with a whole bunch of different tolerance levels of people,” said Honeyman.

“Bears are having to somehow dipsy doodle through all of that, and it makes it really interesting for people that are living in these areas with multiple jurisdictions.

“Because bears are products of their environment, they end up becoming a certain type of bear.”

A bear that spends most of its time in a national park and in sight of people will react differently than a more wary bear that frequents far reaches of the wild.

“You’re just never quite sure.”

As for size, Honeyman said male grizzlies range from 300 to 600 pounds and females 200 to 300 pounds.

However, size is relative to the perceived danger, he noted to the amusement of the ranchers at the workshop.

“The people who are on foot tend to see bigger bears. People in vehicles tend to see a little smaller bear. It really depends on your experience and your comfort level with bears as to how big they get.”

Participants in the bear safety workshops learn how to gauge the level of threat when they see a bear, how to identify signs of bear presence and how to use bear spray in the event of a direct encounter.

Bear smart agriculture

Keep livestock confined for at least 10 days after castration, dehorning and branding.

Dispose of dead livestock through a renderer, by burning or burying or in a bear-proof dead stock bin where available.
Immediately report livestock suspected to have been killed by a bear. Call 310-0000 to find nearest Fish and Wildlife office.
Consider electric fences around stored produce and gardens.
Remove pet food and feeders at night.
Be cautious when working around cereal crops, especially at dusk and dawn.
Ensure granaries and doors are sturdy. Use bear-proof bin doors where available.
Clean up spilled grain as soon as possible.
Never approach a bear and never run away from a bear. Back away slowly and find a safe place.
If in a group, stay with that group and move away from the bear together.