Bears of the Smokies: Your Complete Guide to Watching Them Responsibly

Are you worried about what to do if you encounter a bear in the Smoky Mountains? While black bears are a big appeal to the area, not everyone is as excited about encountering one. If you want to enjoy nature but do so safely, we've got you covered.

1. Don’t feed them!

Don’t leave food, trash or pet food outdoors when no one is around. A few seconds is all it takes for a hungry bear to swipe it. Bears have an incredibly strong sense of smell. They can smell food from very far away and will come poking around to see if it's available. Smoky cabins come with "bear bins", places to store your trash that bears can't get into. Be careful to only store trash in locked bear bins and be aware when you do, they may come around to make sure you locked it.

Feeding bears or using food to encourage bears to approach you is often illegal and always dangerous. Don't set yourself, or who comes along after you to get hurt.

Don’t throw scraps or leftovers out the car window or into the woods behind your vacation rental. This will draw them to the area and can lead to them trying to get into your vehicle or the cabin deck.

If trash container or dumpster is full, don’t pile trash outside; take it with you when you leave. You can also leave your trash inside the cabin in garbage bags tied up. Just be sure to let your host know so they can notify the cleaners.

2. Lock car doors

Bears can open doors! It may sound incredible, but these clever creatures have learned to open different kinds of door handles and get inside of cars and trucks. Make it a point to always lock your vehicles-even if you're in a secluded area where you aren't expecting other guests or visitors. The furry kind of visitors may be looking for leftovers at night while you sleep.

This brings us to the second point, be sure to lock doors even when inside your vehicle. Stopping to view bears is an amazing experience, but if they smell something inside your car it's possible they try to open the door with you inside. Just like the Raptor's in Jurassic Park, bears are clever!

1. What’s in the truck bed

   1. If you leave food in the bed, they will smell it

   2. Bears will look into the back of the trucks

2. Bears on the road

   1. If you see one, watch for cubs

   2. Dusk and dawn is where you will see the most often

   3. If you hit a bear, don’t try to help. Call 911 to report

3. How to view them

   1. Stay inside vehicle with doors locks

   2. Stay inside cabin with doors locked and enjoy through window

4. Pet/dog fears

   1. Keep dogs on a leash

   2. Letting a dog approach a bear puts your pet in danger

   3. Some bears fear dogs and will attack if provoked

   4. Dogs may approach bear cubs

5. Scaring bears

   1. Loud noises like the panic button on your truck

   2. Shouting

   3. Air horns

   4. Give the bear an escape route to avoid being attacked

6. Bear combat

   1. Carry bear spray and know how to use it.

   2. If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away.

   3. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response.

   4. If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell “Hey Bear” until it leaves. Always stay with your group. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray.

   5. If a black bear makes contact with you, do NOT play dead; fight back aggressively