- Carry bear spray — and know how to use it
- Carry bear spray on every trail and keep it where you can reach it in seconds, not buried in a pack. Know how to flip off the safety and fire it. It's the single most effective thing you can do if a bear charges — but only if it's already in your hand.
- Keep your distance — 100 m from bears, 30 m from elk
- Stay at least 100 metres — about ten bus lengths — from any bear, cougar or wolf, and at least 30 metres — three bus lengths — from elk, deer, sheep and moose. If an animal changes what it's doing because of you, you're already too close. Never stop to feed or photograph a bear from a car window.
- Make noise and travel in groups
- Most bear encounters are surprises. Call out, clap and make noise on the trail — especially near running water, in thick brush and around blind corners, where a bear can't hear or see you coming. Hike in a group of four or more where you can; bears rarely approach a larger group.
- Keep dogs leashed and lock up attractants
- An off-leash dog can bring a bear straight back to you — keep dogs leashed. At home and at the campsite, lock away garbage, recycling, bird feeders, barbecues and pet food. Bears have a phenomenal sense of smell, and an easy meal in town is what turns a wild bear into a dangerous one.
- Give elk a wide berth in calving and rut
- Elk walk right through the townsite and are far more dangerous than they look. Cows defend their calves from mid-May to late June and will charge; bulls are aggressive during the September–October rut. Keep 30 metres back, put a car, tree or building between you and the animal, and never get between a cow and her calf.