It is that time of year again when delicious buffalo berries, or shepherdia, begin to ripen just right in the valley bottoms, attracting black and grizzly bears to enjoy the harvest.
But plentiful berries also means bears are food focused in the bushes, making it more likely for outdoor enthusiasts on trails to encounter one by surprise.
With that in mind, wildlife officials are urging residents and visitors to be vigilant and pay attention to their surroundings when on the trails, especially if there are berries nearby.
“Quite often you will see a bear with his head stuck in a berry bush and it is just totally focused. You may be able to get a lot closer and may not even see it because sometimes these buffalo berries are big and the bear will be right inside the bush and you won’t see it until you’re right there,” said Alberta Parks district officer Glenn Naylor, noting there have been several close calls in July already.
“There have been a couple of incidents in the Bow Valley recently where black bears have bluff charged people; however, in all instances we believe they were all defensive encounters and not predatory.
“We have to be more vigilant because of that and chances are these encounters were precipitated by bears feeding on berries and people getting too close.”
Jay Honeyman with Fish and Wildlife said the closure along the powerlines near Quarry Lake has been removed, but warning signs are in place along that corridor through Three Sisters.
“The point we wanted to make is we are getting quite a few bear sightings around town and people need to be vigilant and aware of the bears,” Honeyman said. “With the long weekend coming up, every day we get quite a few sightings of bears from people, so bears are definitely down in the valley bottoms and with the level of human activity, there is definitely going to be continued sightings and interactions taking place.”
Reports from the public indicate bears in the area are both black and grizzly and there is at least one or two family groups. Honeyman said it is hard to determine what species the family group is because reports from members of the public are sometimes unreliable.
“But we are definitely dealing with one family group, maybe two, which is a little bit more concerning because of the protective nature of sows when they have cubs and there’s an interaction going on,” he said.
An incident at a group camp in Sibbald Flats along Highway 68 also has wildlife managers looking for a habituated black bear.
Naylor said last Tuesday (July 22) a black bear became very persistent in trying to obtain food from a children’s group camping at a group camp in that area. Despite efforts by the campers to get rid of the bear it kept returning and by 5 a.m. the following morning it was on top of one of the tents.
Naylor said a trap was set at the group camp and the campers moved to another location. A collared grizzly bear was caught in the trap and released as Naylor determined it had nothing to do with the incident.
“We also set cameras up to see if we can determine what is going on and chances are if we do catch the bear that matches the description, we will probably destroy it because it has learned behaviour that is going to hurt somebody,” he said, adding the campers were doing everything they were supposed to do when it came to food storage. “Once the behaviour is learned, they don’t forget it, it carries on. Unfortunately, this is a bear that has been conditioned to food elsewhere.”
Regardless of the reminder to pay attention to bears at this time of the season in the valley bottom, Naylor said it doesn’t mean hikers and bikers should be afraid.
“It means we are in the middle of berry season now, berries are ripe and bears are actively looking for them,” he said. “They can be anywhere, anytime and when you are going out hiking you should be paying attention and the shepherdia bushes are easy to notice as they have bright red or orange pea-sized berries.
“If you are hiking and seeing them, you need to be paying more attention.”
Always carry bear spray with you, keep dogs on a leash and Naylor recommended running through in your mind before you leave your home what you would do if you indeed encountered a bear or a cougar.
“Get your plan formulated and chances are if you do encounter a bear on that trip you will be able to deal with it better and you will respond to it better,” he said.
Go to www.wildsmart.ca for more information on how to be prepared for encountering an animal and what to do if it happens. A weekly bear report posted on the website each Friday.
