There are black bears in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness but luckily they are timid creatures that are easily scared. Unlike polar bears and grizzly bears the black bear rarely attacks humans even if their cubs are threatened. According to the North Central Research Station, "During a 19-year study of bear/camper encounters in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, only two injuries were reported in 19 million visitor-days. The study included the year 1985 when bear nuisance activity was at a record high. The two injuries were by one bear on September 14 and 15, 1987. The bear was killed the next day. By comparison, a person is about 180 times more likely to be killed by a bee than by a black bear and 160,000 times more likely to die in a traffic accident."
Visitors to the Boundary Waters should consider a black bear sighting a treat. A few of our canoe trip guests this year have reported seeing bears but no nuisance bears have been reported in the BWCA. Every once in a great while there will be reports of a nuisance bear at a particular Boundary Waters wilderness campsite. When this happens we usually tell our guests to stay away from that campsite and even that BWCA lake. Bears have good eyesight, great hearing and an incredible sense of smell. I've heard reports of bears being able to smell food from a mile away up to 20 miles away. "Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound's is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human."
If you keep your wilderness campsite clean then the odds of a bear encounter are greatly reduced. It is recommended to hang your pack from a tree while canoe camping in the Boundary Waters. If you can add some hanging pots and pans from the same tree this may just be enough to scare the bear away. Otherwise a few loud shouts or well aimed rocks will most likely cause the bear to retreat.
You're more likely to see a bear when you're traveling up the Gunflint Trail than you are in the Boundary Waters. If you do get to see a black bear in the BWCA and it's not at your campsite, then consider yourself lucky, it's a rare opportunity.
Visitors to the Boundary Waters should consider a black bear sighting a treat. A few of our canoe trip guests this year have reported seeing bears but no nuisance bears have been reported in the BWCA. Every once in a great while there will be reports of a nuisance bear at a particular Boundary Waters wilderness campsite. When this happens we usually tell our guests to stay away from that campsite and even that BWCA lake. Bears have good eyesight, great hearing and an incredible sense of smell. I've heard reports of bears being able to smell food from a mile away up to 20 miles away. "Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound's is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human."
If you keep your wilderness campsite clean then the odds of a bear encounter are greatly reduced. It is recommended to hang your pack from a tree while canoe camping in the Boundary Waters. If you can add some hanging pots and pans from the same tree this may just be enough to scare the bear away. Otherwise a few loud shouts or well aimed rocks will most likely cause the bear to retreat.
You're more likely to see a bear when you're traveling up the Gunflint Trail than you are in the Boundary Waters. If you do get to see a black bear in the BWCA and it's not at your campsite, then consider yourself lucky, it's a rare opportunity.
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