As the summer temperatures increase many citizens choose to head up to higher ground to enjoy the cooler weather while camping in the mountains. Division of Wildlife Resources has been sharing various news articles over the last few weeks about safety precautions for individuals who may encounter wildlife in the back country.

Black bears are the only species that live in Utah and have been known to frequent campsites for one main reason, food. Two simple safety tips can go a long way in avoiding unfriendly bear encounters, cleanliness and proper storage of food. “If you’re going camping this summer the biggest thing is to keep your campsite clean. You know bears have a phenomenal sense of smell and so if they smell food, they smell power bait, they smell something cool, they’re going to come check it out,” said Morgan Jacobsen, Conservation Outreach Manager. Its important campers store their food in an airtight container whether it’s coolers or rubber tubs with lids; if food is stored in vehicles make sure your windows are rolled up completely. There has been reports of bears that have pulled windows out trying to get inside vehicles for the food. Bears can become aggressive towards anything it sees as a threat to an area where they have located food.

Recreation specialists often share with campers that another way to stay safe is to cook at least 50 meters from the campsite, preferable downwind from the sleeping quarters. “Cooking away from where you’re sleeping will ensure if a bear does come to check out that food at least he is not coming where you are sleeping – at least not right away. So just be smart about where you cook and how you clean up your food,” stated Jacobsen. Always clean cooking stoves, wash and store all dishes, along with cooking utensils immediately – don’t forget to dispose of trash carefully, these little tips can help minimize the chances of unwanted visits from bears.

If you do encounter a bear, talk in a firm voice, make lots of noise, yell, stomp your feet, worst case scenario use bear spray – never turn your back or run these two things are only asking the bear to chase you. “We do have a very healthy bear population here, we try to monitor those population – we do bear denning surveys in the winter. So, we know that there is a very robust bear population here in Castle Country,” said Jacobsen. If campers come across a bear in or around campgrounds they may contact DWR officers and/or Forest Rangers immediately so that they may send officials out to survey the situation.

For more information visit https://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/2055-bear-safety-tips-2.html