Why You Should Never Run From a Charging Bear

The experienced bear viewing guides of Scenic Bear Viewing in Homer, Alaska, took quick charge when a seemingly angry bear came charging at them. The group instinctively made loud noises to ward off the charge. Proprietor/photographer Martin strapped on his longest camera lens and pretended to approach. The bear backed off without incident. This is what is known as “bluff charging”, where the bear tries to get you to run from them so that they can then chase you.

Never run from a charging bear, even though your instinct is to run. This is a bluff charge. They are just trying to get you to run. They have a natural chase instinct. Don’t get close to bears in the wild. Make sure you have an experienced guide with you! We do not get closer than 50 yards. …This is not the first time we’ve been bluff charged. We are trained exactly for this situation.

They further explain that these bears are familiar with humans and the humans largely leave them alone.

In this area, the bears have been visited by humans for over 30 years. It’s a part of their daily lives in the summer to see us every day of their 20-25 year life. These bears are not fed or hunted by humans. No harm is being done to these bears and we want to keep it that way. We take photos of the bears and leave no trace.

The group has also had many very peaceful close interactions with Alaskan bears.