5 Reasons I'm Not Afraid to Observe the Florida Black Bear

I enjoy watching the Florida black bear in my yard almost every night. I'm in awe of them. I find them to be beautiful, magnificent creatures.

Most of my friends enjoy reading about my bear-watching adventures on Facebook. A few seem to think I'm foolish or downright stupid. 

In the name of education and to alleviate anyone's concern, I'm sharing with you...

5 Reasons I'm Not Afraid to Observe the Florida Black Bear

1. I've educated myself about the Florida black bear.

The first two times I encountered bears in my yard, it set my knees to knockin' and heart to poundin'. Yeah. It scared me. I knew nothing except "Oh my gosh, there was a bear in front of my porch!" and that was enough to terrify me.

Knowledge is Power
I started looking up information about the Florida black bear. I found a lot of useful information at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission website. In fact, I've spent a lot of time looking up information and attending festivals to learn more. This is what I've learned so far.

2. The Florida black bear is a timid creature.

Although American black bears tend to avoid human confrontation, they have been known to attack humans in defense of cubs (rarely will a mother black bear do this) or extreme hunger. Also, the American black bear is territorial.

Grizzly bears (brown bears) are aggressive. Period.

The Florida black bear (a sub-species of the American black bear), however, is not territorial. They are migratory. Being non-territorial means they have nothing to defend really. So they don't. 

3. The Florida black bear is easily scared away.

I've watched neighbors frighten bears away with a flashlight. I've scared bears away by accident simply by speaking. Yes, speaking. Just saying something like, "Lorelai, it's over there" in a soft voice was enough to send the bear running down the street.

How easy is that?

4. I know the reasons the Florida black bear will attack.

There are three reasons a Florida black bear will attack.

1. To defend cubs
2. To defend food
3. To defend itself if it feels threatened.

As long as I'm not near their cubs or food, I only need to not make them feel threatened. 

What could I do to trigger an attack? 

I could move towards them. 

I could make sudden movements.

What else could I do wrong? I could turn my back on them.

Aggressive or not, don't turn your back on a wild animal. In fact, you shouldn't even turn your back on a dog that's barking at you, why would you do it with a wild animal? 

It gives them the upper hand. Don't do it.

5. I know what to do if a bear is uncomfortable or attacks.

More important than knowing why a bear will attack is knowing what to do if the bear seems uncomfortable or is attacking. How do I know if the bear is uncomfortable or about to attack?

If the bear starts huffing and puffing and stomping its feet...
This is a mock attack. It's not going to attack. Rather, it is warning you that it's uncomfortable.

If a bear is "eerily silent" ...
It's about to attack. 

In either case...

1. Remain standing.
2. Speak in a calm, assertive voice.
3. Back up s-l-o-w-l-y. (Your goal is to give the bear room to escape.)
4. Avoid eye contact (same as with any other animal).
5. Stop and hold your ground if moving seems to irritate rather than calm the bear.

Do NOT: 

1. Make sudden movements or move towards the bear.
2. Run. This can trigger their chase instinct. Trust me. A bear running at 35-40 mph is going to catch you. So don't do this.
3. Play dead. Playing dead is what you do in the case of brown bears. Black bears eat things they think are dead. Don't play dead! 
4. Climb a tree. I've watched them. They climb quickly. FWC states the bears can climb 100 feet in 30 seconds. Who are you kidding climbin' a tree? 

What if the bear attacks?
Fight it. These timid creatures who are afraid of flashlights and voices can be successfully fought. The bear will run away. The key is to fight back. 

Now back to my bear-watching adventures. 

I haven't encountered bears on hiking trips. I guess I'm kind of surprised by this now that I realize I've lived near them for 20+ years. Now, however, I'm in the Ocala National Forest, one of the three main bear habitats in Florida. I see them all the time in my yard and neighborhood.

When my neighbors' dogs begin barking like maniacs, I know a bear is outside. Usually it's in my yard. Then...

• I look out the door to make sure it's not right at my front door. (The first two times I saw bears, they were on my porch. Yeah. I almost peed myself.) 
• Once I've determine no bear is within clawing distance, I walk onto the porch. I look at the barking dogs to see which direction they're looking. This way, I know where the bear is.
• Once I spot the bear. I watch. From the safety of my porch, I watch. Usually they're a good distance from me. I watch them clawing trees, sniffing around, eating acorns or just walking through my yard to their next destination.

Why do I choose this manner for observing? Oh, that would be my bonus reason.

Wait for it. 

6. I'm not stupid (also known as having common sense).

Some people seem to believe I think these animals are cuddly, cute little pets. Oh sure, I think they're adorable. I'll bet they are cuddly. To another bear!

They're God's magnificent creatures. The nature of this particular creature makes it easy for humans to watch them. I consider this is a great gift from our creator. There aren't many wild animals we can safely watch in their own habitat. I appreciate that I can do this.

Do I fear the bears?
Yes. I fear them, but not in a ridiculous way that will cause me to make stupid choices that result in an attack. 

My fear for them is fear born of respect. 

I respect this wild animal. I respect its space. I respect its ability to tear my face off, so I don't do anything to provoke that sort of thing. 

What other things would you suggest for watching black bears? Or do you have any questions about it? Share in the comments.


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