Yukon Hunting - Department of Environment - Government of Yukon

u Make noise to let bears know you’re coming.
u Travel in groups.
u Avoid traveling at night.
u Choose a campsite well away from wildlife and human trails.
Don’t attract a bear
u Never feed a bear.
u Don’t bring greasy, smelly foods such as bacon or canned fish.
u Pack your food in airtight containers such as zip-lock bags or hard plastic boxes.
u Thoroughly burn your garbage or pack it out in airtight containers.
u Move the food away from your tent at night.
u Don’t bring food into your tent.
At the kill site
u Stay alert while field dressing your animal. Look around and listen.
u Keep a firearm within easy reach.
u Take all the meat out in one trip if possible. If not, return to the site as quickly
as possible.
u Separate the meat pile from the gut pile if you have to leave the site.
u Leave your odour on or near the meat pile. Urinate around it or leave your shirt
or jacket.
u Mark the kill site with lots of surveyor’s tape tied so it flaps in the breeze.
Remove the tape when you leave the site.
Returning to the kill site
u Carry at least one rifle in your group when returning to the site.
u Approach the site from higher ground, if possible, to give yourself a long-distance
view.
u Make noise as you approach the site.
u Approach from upwind if possible.
u If a bear is present, noise and gunshots may scare it away. Remember, you
cannot shoot a bear to protect your meat (see Non-Hunting Kills, page 27-28).
If you encounter a bear
u Group together if there are other people present.
u Speak calmly but firmly to the bear.
u If the bear is stationary, back away slowly, but DON’T RUN. Leave the area.
u If the bear stays focused on you and keeps coming as you back away, try standing
your ground, raising your arms and calling out in a calm voice.
u Shoot the bear only as a last resort and report it to a Conservation Officer as soon
as possible.
For more information contact Environment Yukon.
Pick up a copy of How you can stay safe in bear country from an Environment Yukon
office or Visitor Information Centre or download it from www.env.gov.yk.ca/bears. You
can also purchase the video Staying Safe in Bear Country from Mac’s Fireweed Books
in Whitehorse, Maximillian’s in Dawson, or online at www.distributionaccess.com.
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