Bears, Cougars Genuine Risks

The region’s woods soon will be full of hikers, hunters, berry pickers and others. It’s possible that one or two will have an adrenaline-pumping, life-threatening encounter with a cougar or a bear.

If you are confronted by a cougar or a bear, what should you do?

Wildlife experts are warning people that cougar populations have increased steadily the last few years and that chances of encounters with the big cats have escalated, particularly near population centers.

They’re also noting that there are enough grizzly bears in northeastern Washington and north Idaho to create problems. Grizzlies are notoriously more aggressive and unpredictable than black bears. Even a black bear, however, may become aggressive.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Department has even published a “Fact Sheet” that discusses what a person should do if confronted by a cougar or a bear.

Cougars are active at dawn and dusk, times when a hiker or hunter may see one, the department says.

“If confronted by a cougar, do not run,” the agency says. “Stay calm. Move slowly and carefully. Never turn your back. Pick up small children. Try to look tall and big. Throw rocks at the animal and yell. If it attacks, try to remain standing and fight back.”

Cougars are extremely secretive. Until recently, even hunters and others who spent a lot of time in the forests had never seen one. Few, if any, people thought they’d be attacked by a cougar.

I’ve seen one cougar in more than 60 years of hunting and traveling in Northwest forests. That was 40 years ago while I was riding a horse along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho.

But times have changed. Sightings of cougars are no longer rare. Cougars occasionally attack pets and livestock. Once in a while, a cougar attacks a person.

The FWD says that cougar and bear complaints have risen dramatically the last few years. The department receives hundreds of complaints a year from people who have seen the animals near their homes or believe their pets or livestock were killed by the carnivores.

One of the major reasons why Washington’s Fish and Wildlife commissioners authorized an open season on cougars this year was their concern that the cougar population has been increasing and that the population growth must be checked.

“The increase in the cougar population, coupled with increasing cougar livestock attacks and nuisance problems indicated to us that the time was right for this season,” commission chairman Mitch Johnson said.

All hunters who buy cougar tags will be permitted to hunt cougars throughout the state from Oct. 12 through Nov. 10. A permit season will be held Nov. 27 through next Feb. 28.

Ironically, even though a few Californians have been attacked by cougars the last few years, the state’s voters last week overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have allowed the fish and game agency to manage the cats as game animals.

As grizzly bears continue to increase in northeast Washington and in north Idaho, the possibility that someone will be attacked will rise. Female grizzlies are so protective of their cubs that, when surprised, often attack. Male grizzlies have short fuses.

Even an occasional black bear, particularly a sow with cubs, may attack a person. Nearly all black bears that don’t become accustomed to people prefer to run if they see or smell a human.

Bears have poor vision, but they can hear and smell a person a half mile away.

“If you see a bear, but it does not see you, avoid it by leaving the area quickly and quietly,” the FWS says. “Give the bear plenty of room.

“Most bears do not charge. Avoid eye contact. As a last resort, drop, cover and roll. Play dead. Do not move until you are certain the bear has left the area.”

Unlike cougars, bears will enter campgrounds and raid campers’ tents in search of food.

They’re still wild animals, wildlife experts warn, and they are unpredictable.

The FWD advises campers to store food in air-tight containers and place them out of reach of bears.

Many Inland Northwest residents, particularly fishermen and hunters, spend time in Canada and Alaska, where big brown bears (grizzlies) are plentiful. They’ve become accustomed to showing respect for the bears when they see them.

When you suspect the presence of a bear while you’re in bear country, do what Alaskan guides do. Make noise to let the bears know you’re in the area.

When I think of Alaskan fishing guides, I visualize a guide carrying a rifle and yelling over and over, “Hey, bear, we’re coming.” Even the biggest brown bears crash through cover along a stream and bound up a hill.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review