This keeps everybody together. Although bears use trails, they don't often use them during midday when hikers commonly use them. Through generations of associating trails with people, bears probably expect to find hikers on trails, especially during midday. Contrarily, bears probably don't expect to find hikers off trails. Bears rarely settle down in a day bed right along a heavily used trail.
Wild animals are most active around dawn and dusk.
Therefore, hiking early in the morning or late afternoon increases your chances of seeing wildlife, including bears. Likewise, hiking from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a hot August day greatly reduces the chance of an encounter. Obnoxious A grizzly on the trail Notecards from Kennan Ward . Perhaps the best way to avoid an encounter is to make sure the bear knows you're there, so make lots of noise. However, the type of noise is a source of debate among bear researchers.