Bears and You

Tahoe National Forest

General Information

You are in black bear habitat. Each year, hundreds 

of thousands of dollars of damage are done by bears 

in California. This damage is almost always the result of human carelessness. You can prevent this by 

using a bear proof storage locker or containers, if 

available. Hanging your items in a tree often does 

not deter black bears—they are excellent climbers. 

Properly storing food and other items will enhance 

your camping experience, and help protect bears.

Lock up and hide your food

 DO NOT leave any food or food container unattended. Bears and other wildlife recognize ice 

chests, grocery bags and other food related supplies.

 DO NOT leave food or food containers visible 

in your vehicle. Keep storage containers latched 

at all times.

 Store all food, odorous items such as cosmetics, 

toothpaste, and suntan oil, and garbage in bear 

resistant containers or hang them at least 10 feet 

from the ground on a rope strung between two 

trees, leaving at least four feet of clear space 

from the nearest tree. Keep food at least 100 

yards away from your sleeping area.

 DO NOT eat food or use cosmetics in or near 

your sleeping area at any time. Remember, it’s 

the odor that attracts bears.

 During meals or snacks, stay close to your food 

and do not abandon it. Clean up when you’re 

finished.

 Keep the inside of your vehicle clean. The smell 

or sight of even a stick of gum or any empty soda container is often enough to stimulate a bear 

to search further.

 If a bear does take your cooler or backpack, DO 

NOT attempt to retrieve it.

Keep your camp clean

 If you decide to go for a hike, store your food 

properly, just as you would overnight. Bears are 

always looking for food at any time of the day.

 Remove all trash from your campsite and put it 

in animal-resistant containers.

Respect the bear’s rights

Remember, this area is their home. Recognize that 

you are the unnatural intrusion, and take steps to 

minimize your disruption to their natural existence. 

 Never try to pet a bear, or leave bait out in order to photograph them. In addition to being a 

dangerous practice, leaving human foods out for 

any animal is unhealthy for them. 

 Never put yourself between a bear and food, 

their young, or their escape route. It is much 

better to lose your food than be mauled. Confronting a bear is regarded as a threat, and they 

will take defensive measures. 

 If you meet a bear, give it an opportunity to 

avoid you. Remember, bear attacks are very rare.

 If you see a bear at a distance, stay calm and talk 

in a normal tone of voice. Make sure it can see 

you are a human. Some bears will raise up or 

approach to see or smell you. If this occurs, yell, 

throw sticks, extend your arms to appear larger, 

but do not panic.

 Never approach a bear to photograph or observe 

it.

 Never offer food to any wild animal.

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Southwest Region

www.fs.usda.gov/r5

Tahoe National Forest

www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe 

 

rev 02/08/2016
 If a bear approaches you, NEVER run or climb a 

tree. Black bears can run faster than you can, 

and are excellent climbers.

Preventative measures

Bears will eat and/or chew on almost anything that 

is or could be food, as well as ice chests, car upholstery, tents, sleeping bags, etc., but there are a few 

things that bears don’t like. 

 Some people spread cayenne pepper in and 

around their camps, believing that the irritants in 

the pepper will annoy bears that sniff it. 

 Some people place cups of household ammonia 

around their site. Apparently the odor irritates a 

bear sufficiently to keep it out of your site. This 

technique seems to work well.

 Store all odiferous items (food, trash, sunscreen, 

mosquito repellent, etc.) in bear lockers, bear 

canisters, or hang at least ten feet from the 

ground. (illustration on front page)

 Sleep at least 100 yards from food storage and 

cooking areas.

 Select a campsite away from berry patches, 

spawning streams and animal trails.

 Avoid hiking alone. As you walk, make your 

presence known by making noise, singing or 

using a bear bell. When hiking, look at the forest 

around you, not just at the trail ahead of you. 

Bear Biology

Bears are very intelligent and have a powerful sense 

of smell. It only takes one meal involving human 

food for a bear to establish a desire for human food 

for the rest of its life.

Black bears are omnivores and will eat everything 

that humans eat and more. They spend their days 

roaming the forest looking for food. Because they 

have a good memory they will always visit places 

where they have found food in the past. Trailheads 

and campgrounds are sometimes frequented by 

bears due to the carelessness of previous human visitors.

All bears have a powerful sense of smell that they 

use to lead them to food. Because they’re so intelligent, a bear will quickly learn to associate certain 

non-food smells with food. All odors of human 

origin will signal bears that there may be food nearby. Cosmetics, toothpaste, hairspray, other toiletries, 

and baby goods are all important food cues to bears.

Bears are opportunists. They will use the easiest 

method possible to get a meal. Once they have located the food source they may use their long claws 

and powerful muscles to reach the food source. The 

same force and skill it takes to rip apart a log for 

grubs can be used to rip the door off of a vehicle or 

smash a window.

Bears that become accustomed to getting human 

foods tend to become aggressive, and can pose a 

danger to humans. These so-called “problem bears” 

are often killed to reduce the human risk, all because humans themselves didn’t take common sense 

precautions.

For More Information

Tahoe National Forest

631 Coyote Street

Nevada City, CA 95959

530-265-4531 (voice)

TTY users dial 711 for relay service

www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe 

All Are Welcome

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