Safety guide

1. Stop. Stand tall and face the animal.
2. Don't run and don't turn your back.
3. Speak calmly so it knows you're human.
4. Back away slowly at an angle.
5. Have bear spray ready on your hip or chest — not in your pack.

A surprised bear is asking two things: who are you, and should I be concerned? Answer softly — "It's okay bear… you're good, you're good" — hold still, keep your words few, then slowly go back the way you came. She's reading your intentions, and bears are excellent at it.

• Ditch the headphones

  Stay alert and listen — rustling, snapping branches, or warning calls are your earliest notice that a bear is near.

• Make plenty of human noise

  Talk loudly, shout, or sing near blind corners and rushing creeks, where sound is muffled and bears can be surprised.

• Keep dogs strictly on leash

  Off-leash dogs frequently provoke defensive behaviour — and a chased dog runs straight back to you.

• Carry bear spray where you can reach it

  On your hip or chest harness, never buried in your pack. Know the draw before you need it.

• Expect activity day and night in fall

  During hyperphagia (pre-hibernation feeding) bears forage around the clock near food sources — trail cameras keep confirming overnight movement.

• Garbage: freeze smelly scraps and put bins out only on pickup morning — never the night before.
• Fruit trees: pick ripe fruit daily and clear windfalls; a single loaded apple tree can hold a bear for weeks.
• Bird feeders: take them down until winter — a full feeder is a day's calories for a bear.
• BBQs: burn off residue and clean the grill after every use; store it inside if you can.
• Pet food & livestock feed: feed indoors and lock feed in a bear-proof container or shed.
• Compost: skip meat, fish and fruit scraps; turn it often and keep it covered.
• Doors & windows: keep ground-floor ones closed at dawn and dusk when bears are most active.
• Livestock & chickens: electric fencing is the only reliable deterrent — WildSafeBC can advise.

• Keep kids within arm's reach on trails

  Children running ahead are the classic cougar risk. Keep them between adults, and teach them to never run from an animal.

• Teach kids the three rules

  Don't run, don't scream, don't approach — even for a photo. Stand still, speak calmly, and walk back to an adult.

• Pick up little ones immediately

  If a cougar or bear is near, lift small children without bending down or turning your back.

• Check the yard before kids or pets go out

  At dawn and dusk, an adult checks first — a motion light and a quick look take ten seconds.

• Dogs stay leashed, always

  Off-leash dogs chase deer, provoke elk and bears, then run straight back to you with the animal behind them.

• Feed pets indoors

  Outdoor kibble bowls attract bears day and night. Feed inside and lock feed in a hard-sided container.

• Bring pets in at night

  Cats and small dogs left out overnight are at risk from cougars and coyotes, especially at the forest edge.

• Bear spray by the door you use most — plus a second can in the car
• Bear-resistant garbage bin, or a locked garage to store bins until pickup morning
• Airtight hard-sided containers for pet food, birdseed and livestock feed
• Porch lights or motion lights over every door used after dark
• An air horn or whistle at the door — noise moves a curious bear along
• Freezer bag for food scraps — freeze them and bin them on collection morning
• Electric fence charger and wire if you keep chickens, bees or small livestock
• RAPP's number saved in every phone in the house: 1-877-952-7277

• Bear spray on your hip or chest harness — never inside your backpack
• A phone with the WildWatch BC map saved, so you can check your route
• A whistle — three blasts is the universal help signal
• A leash for the dog, even on trails where off-leash is allowed
• Bright clothing or a bell in low light so wildlife hears and sees you coming
• A small first-aid kit on longer trail days

Black bears usually want to avoid you. Most encounters end quietly if you give the bear an exit.

• Make yourself known early

  Speak in a calm, normal voice as you walk. A bear that hears you coming will usually move off before you meet.

• Never run, never climb

  Back away slowly while facing the bear. Running can trigger a chase, and black bears climb better than you do.

• Manage attractants at home

  Garbage out the morning of pickup, fruit picked, birdseed away, freezers and pet food indoors. Most street-level bears are food-conditioned.

• Give cubs a wide berth

  If you see a cub, the sow is close. Leave the way you came immediately.

• Carry and know your spray

  Bear spray on your hip, not in your pack. Practice the draw once so it's automatic.

• If contact happens with a black bear, fight back

  Unlike grizzlies, fight a black bear that makes contact — aim for the face and muzzle.

Roosevelt elk are not predators, but they are large, fast, and dangerous when rutting or protecting calves.

• Rut season is September

  Mid-September rut makes bulls highly active, vocal, and easier to spot — but also unpredictable and protective.

• Watch at dawn and dusk

  Elk are crepuscular: most active at first light and sunset, and often heard moving or bugling toward water at night.

• Give bulls extra space

  Never corner or approach. Bull elk in rut can weigh over 1,000 lbs and have large, sharp antlers.

• Listen for the bugle

  A high-pitched whistling or screaming call means a bull is nearby. Use your ears to track from a distance.

• Keep 30 metres or more

  Elk tolerate people until they suddenly don't. Distance is the whole safety plan.

• Be extra careful in fall rut and spring calving

  Bulls in September–October and cows with calves in May–June are the most likely to charge.

• Read the warning signs

  Ears back, head lowered, teeth grinding, or stiff-legged pacing means back off now.

• Put something solid between you

  A vehicle, tree, or fence is better protection than speed — elk easily outrun people.

• Leash dogs around herds

  Dogs provoke elk more than people do, and the elk will follow the dog straight back to you.

• Slow down on rural roads at dusk

  Herds cross in groups — if one crosses, expect several more behind it.

• Highway 101 is the danger zone

  Elk weigh up to 500 kg and cross the highway near Ruby Lake, Madeira Park and Sechelt — worst at night and in foggy mornings.

• Where herds live

  Reintroduced Roosevelt elk thrive around Sechelt, Powell River and Haslam Lake, and the Ruby Lake–Earls Cove corridor.

• Prime viewing spots

  Sechelt: Blue Ocean Golf Club, green spaces near the airport, and marshy fields along Dusty Road. Halfmoon Bay & Highway 101: the forested corridor toward Secret Cove and nearby logging clearings. Ruby Lake & Pender Harbour: flats around Ruby Lake, Iris Griffith Nature Centre, and marshlands toward Earls Cove. Powell River: river valleys and estuaries around Haslam Lake, Duck Lake, and the backcountry edges of the Suncoaster Trail.

• Report injured wildlife

  Keep Coastal Wildlife Rescue (604-399-8502) handy for injured or orphaned animals.

Coastal black-tailed deer are everywhere on the Coast — calm to watch, but unpredictable around fawns and on roads.

• Watch from a distance

  Deer grazing near forest edges and clearings are fine to enjoy — stay back and never feed them.

• Give mothers with fawns extra room

  Fawning season is June–July. Does hide fawns in tall grass — a lone fawn is NOT abandoned, never touch it. The mother is nearby and will charge people and dogs.

• Know the distances

  Stay at least 30 metres from deer and elk, and 100 metres from bears, cougars and wolves. If it stops and stares, you're too close.

• Keep dogs leashed

  Dogs stress and chase deer, and a defensive doe will strike with sharp front hooves.

• Slow down at dawn and dusk

  Deer cross rural roads and highways in low light — where one crosses, more usually follow.

• Don't treat them as tame

  Deer that lose their fear of people become a neighbourhood problem. Never hand-feed or pet them.

• Common spots

  Forest edges, rural roadsides and quiet parks like Smuggler Cove — early morning and evening are the active hours.

Cougars are ambush hunters and rarely seen. If you can see one, it is aware of you — act big, not small.

• Don't hike alone

  Travel in groups whenever possible, and avoid trails during dawn, dusk, and night when predators are most active.

• Keep pets secured

  Keep dogs tightly on a leash and bring small pets indoors, especially at night.

• Carry deterrents

  Keep bear spray readily accessible on your belt or pack and know how to use it quickly.

• Don't run

  If you encounter a cougar, stay calm, face the animal, make yourself look large, and back away slowly. Never turn your back or run.

• Stop and face it

  Never turn your back. Running makes you look like prey and triggers a chase.

• Make yourself look large

  Open your jacket, raise your arms, speak in a firm loud voice, and back away slowly.

• Pick up children and small pets immediately

  Lift them without bending down or turning away — cougars target smaller, lower targets.

• Keep kids and dogs close near dusk and dawn

  Those are the hunting hours, and a child running ahead on a trail is the classic risk.

• Fight back if attacked

  Use anything you have — sticks, rocks, bear spray, fists — and stay on your feet.

• Report every sighting

  Cougars near homes and schools are followed up by the Conservation Officer Service — reporting matters.

Coastal wolves are rare to see and usually keep their distance. A habituated wolf is the one to worry about.

• Never feed wolves

  Fed wolves lose their fear of people and become dangerous. Secure garbage, compost, pet food and anything that smells like food.

• Keep dogs leashed or close

  Wolves may see an off-leash dog as a threat or competitor. Don't let dogs chase or approach wolves.

• Travel in groups

  Wolves are far less likely to approach groups of people. Avoid solo walks at dawn, dusk and night.

• If you see one, don't run

  Stand tall, wave your arms, make noise and back away slowly. Running can trigger a chase response.

• Give dens and rendezvous sites a wide berth

  Wolves are protective of pups in spring and summer. If you see tracks leading to a den area, leave the way you came.

• Report habituated or aggressive wolves

  A wolf that approaches people, follows trails, or loses its wariness needs to be reported to the Conservation Officer Service.

Seeing grizzlies on the coast stirs up a lot of feelings — from worry to wonder. The truth sits in the middle: there is no bear population explosion, and grizzlies do not hunt children. Generations before us have lived comfortably alongside BC wildlife, and with a little knowledge, so can we.

• Immediate danger or aggressive animal

  Call the Conservation Officer Service RAPP line — open 24/7.

  Call 8779527277

• Emergency, people at risk

  Call 911 first, then RAPP.

  Call 911

• Ongoing bear visits to your property

  Report to RAPP so officers can track patterns and advise you before it escalates.

  Call 8779527277

• Attractant & fencing advice

  WildSafeBC Sunshine Coast runs free property assessments and electric-fencing guidance.