Methods for Identifying Bears

1. How to tell the species of bear you are looking at:

   Go over to him and kick him in the behind. Run up a nearby tree. If he climbs the tree and eats you, he's a black bear. If he knocks the tree down and eats you, he's a grizzly.

   -- October 1990 Backpacker Magazine





2. In light of the rising frequency of human-grizzly bear conflicts, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert of bears while in the field.

   We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear. It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity.

   Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear excrement. Black bear excrement is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear excrement has little bells in it and smells like pepper.