Sourced by Alexander Turcan
Other tips:
- Do not take food into a tent.
- Do not sleep in the same clothes you cooked dinner in. In fact, don’t even take those clothes into the tent with you.
- Remove pet food from the area. Pet food attracts bears directly and can draw the small wildlife that is prey for cougars.
- Never feed wild animals, such as deer, raccoons or squirrels, that can attract cougars.
- Avoid direct eye contact, because that is considered an act of aggression.
METHODS AND TOOLS
Following are some techniques and tools that can be used to help you avert and/or survive an attack by a wild animal. Not all techniques work for all animals, so apply the appropriate ones for the animal in question. In every case, keeping your distance works best. After that, use what you have at hand.
- Keep your distance
- Handgun, rifle, shotgun
- Knife
- Club
- Walking staff
- Primitive spear
- Pepper spray
- Play dead
- Make yourself big and loud
- Slowly back away
- Avoid eye contact
- Climb a tree
- Get inside a car or building
- Gouge your fingers in the animal’s eyes
- Fight for your life with all due violence
- Jump in the water and swim away from the animal
- Throw rocks, sticks, etc.
- Bang pots and pans to scare animals away
- Use a bear wire to keep food and garbage out of camp