A couple of backpackers—backpackingbrothers on Instagram—came across a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park. When the bear approached them, the pair, Hayden and Harrison, said they used a bear horn and were prepared to take the next step (using bear spray), if they had needed to. Thankfully, they didn’t.
In an Instagram post, they wrote:
“Stood our ground with bear spray in hand as the curious grizzly approached. Bear horn to the rescue – it works! We were the followed by this majestic creature for over a mile! Nature’s wonders on the trail. We highly recommend carrying a bear horn in grizzly country.”
A research study from 2019 suggests there are about 40 brown bear attacks on humans each year, with 11-12 of those occurring in North America. This is based on historical data between the years 2000 and 2015.
Presumably, the number of encounters with brown bears is way higher, suggesting almost all encounters between humans and grizzlies do not end in attacks.
Some commenters challenged the idea that the bear in the video is a grizzly. However, the backpackingbrothers posted another video of the same bear that more clearly shows the tell-tale hump of a brown bear.
Read up on the best bear sprays before your next backcountry trip.
