In the latest of a series of run-ins between hunters and grizzlies, a hunter in Montana tried climbing a tree to get away from a female bear with two large cubs.
It didn’t work.
The man ended up and shooting and wounding the bear, which was later finished off by agents from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).
Climbing a tree is a natural flight response, until you realize bears are pretty good climbers, too.
Climbing a tree to avoid a bear attack might not work, Wyoming Game and Fish Large Carnivore Specialist Dan Thompson told Cowboy State Daily.
“Both bear species (grizzlies and black bears) can and do climb trees, black bears actively climb trees as a defense mechanism,” he said. “Grizzly bears can climb trees because basically they do whatever they want.”
Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich, who frequently ventures into grizzly country, said he doesn’t consider climbing a tree to get away from an angry bear a good option.
“The myth that grizzlies can’t climb trees is exactly that — a myth,” he said. “They’re not as good at climbing as black bears, but they certainly can climb a tree.
“Trying to climb a tree is about as good idea as walking around grizzly country with a pocket full of bacon.”
Even so, Ulrich gave the Montana hunter the benefit of the doubt.
“In the heat of the moment, the instinct to survive kicks in, and I’m sure that’s what happened in this case,” he said.
Montana Grizzly Encounter Goes Bad
The Montana hunter was in the backcountry south of Hidden Lakes in the Gallatin Range mountains on Saturday when he encountered the female grizzly and cubs “at close range,” FWP reports.
“The hunter climbed a tree to avoid the bear, but the bear charged at the hunter,” according to the agency. “The hunter shot and injured the bear from the tree. The hunter stayed in the tree while the injured bear remained nearby.”
The hunter got a connection with a 911 call and reported his situation and the location. Wildlife agents later arrived via helicopter and finished off the wounded bear.
“FWP staff did not observe any cubs or cub tracks from the air or ground. The area was flown multiple times during the event. The euthanized bear was confirmed to be an adult female,” the agency reports.
FWP didn’t release the name of the hunter, who wasn’t injured. Nor did the agency specify whether he shot the bear with a hunting rifle or a sidearm.
To Climb Or Not?
Thompson said questions about climbing trees to escape bears come up frequently.
It’s not likely that a person could out-climb a bear, he said.
In some circumstances, though, going up a tree might provide a good defensive position.
“Although I've never tested it, it is a fair assumption either bear (black bear or grizzly) can outclimb a human in a race, but as with all things there are specific circumstances where climbing a tree could be advantageous; especially if you had time and knew you could get clear of the ground and have bear spray ready and aimed should the bear decide to follow,” he said.
Such a situation is briefly depicted in a bear country safety video produced by Canadian bear experts, which Wyoming Game and Fish uses for its Bear Wise Wyoming program.
Grizzly biologist Frank van Manen also told Cowboy State Daily that climbing a tree to get away from a bear can work, but only under certain circumstances.
“Climbing a tree can be a very effective tactic in a grizzly bear encounter but, as usual, there are some nuances,” he said. “The bear's behavior is one factor as well as the type of tree.
“A tree can be a good escape if the bear is not overly aggressive and does not attempt very hard to reach the person in the tree.”
It’s a different story with an aggressive bear, said van Manen, the supervisory research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.
“With an aggressive bear, one that has already been wounded, for example, the tree size and structure matters more: being able to get relatively high in the tree quickly is important, and a lack of lower branches would help limit the ability of a motivated bear to climb farther up,” he said. “Another benefit of using a tree as an escape is that one can make effective use of bear spray if a bear were to try and climb up.”
There’s another thing to take into account if you try to escape up a tree.
“Of course, one consideration for escaping into a tree is that you might have to wait a while before a bear leaves you alone,” he said.
Ulrich said the hunter was fortunate to have a firearm, “and hopefully he had bear spray too.”
He said he carries both a firearm and bear spray in grizzly country.
Vigilant situational awareness is vital too, Ulrich added, because whenever possible, it’s best to avoid close encounters with grizzlies altogether.
Bear Trouble All Over
There have been several bad encounters between grizzlies in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho this year, some of which ended with hunters shooting and killing the bears.
It’s reignited the debate over which handguns are best for bear defense.
It’s also sparked debate over whether hunters are choosing firearms over bear spray in situations where some think that bear spray would have been a better option.
Archery hunter Landon Clement, who used a 10 mm pistol to shoot and kill an attacking grizzly last month in the upper Green River Basin, told Cowboy State Daily that he thinks bear spray wouldn’t have worked in his situation.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
