As the weather starts to cool, you might want to make plans to enjoy Georgia’s outdoors. Remember to make BearWise® practices part of your plans, encourages the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

“Being BearWise doesn’t require a lot of extra effort, but those simple precautions can make a big difference.” says Adam Hammond, WRD’s State Bear Biologist. “Wild black bears naturally avoid people, so keeping food, trash, and other attractants secured helps prevent bears from becoming comfortable around people. Taking those steps allows us to safely enjoy Georgia’s outdoors while helping bears remain wild.”

Fall also marks an important time for bears as they enter hyperphagia, a period of increased feeding as they prepare for winter. During this time, bears will spend much of their day searching for food to consume more calories than usual. This increased food drive makes it especially important to secure garbage, pet food, birdseed, and other potential attractants.

Let’s Review Some Outdoor BearWise Basics:

• Stay Alert: Pay attention to your surroundings. Keep kids within sight and close by. Leave earbuds at home and enjoy the sounds of nature. More often than not, bears will hear you coming and avoid unnecessarily close interactions. 
• Leave No Trash or Food Scraps: Double bag your food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill. Leaving scraps, wrappers, or even harmless items like apple cores teaches bears to associate trails and campsites with food.
• Keep Dogs Leashed: Letting dogs chase or bark at bears is asking for trouble; don’t force a bear to defend itself. Keep your dogs leashed at all times or leave them at home.
• Camp Safely: Set up camp away from dense vegetation and natural food sources. Cook as far from your tent as possible. Do not store food, trash, clothes worn while cooking, or toiletries in your tent. Store in approved bear-resistant containers OR out of sight in a locked vehicle OR suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from any part of the tree.
• If You Encounter a Black Bear: If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. If the bear continues to approach, stand your ground, wave your arms and yell, throw sticks or rocks, and be prepared to put up an aggressive fight, if necessary, until it leaves. If you are in a group, stay together. If it keeps approaching and you have bear spray, be prepared to use it.

Georgia has three distinct populations of black bears, in the north Georgia mountains, in central Georgia along the Ocmulgee River, in and around the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia, and occasionally, anywhere in between.

BearWise is the national program of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies dedicated to helping people live responsibly with bears. BearWise was developed by state bear biologists, is anchored by the website BearWise.org and offers citizens specific, detailed, and high-quality information, engaging education pieces, and more.

For more info, visit BearWise.org.

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