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Animals Cougar,
Bear and Wolf encounters are
possible at any location so to
keep negative encounters to a
minimum, bring a long rope and a
waterproof sac to store all food
items and anything food smelling
(ie deodorant, shampoo etc) and
hang them at least 8 ft high on a
tree limb. Do this whenever you
leave camp, are not cooking and
at night.
Bears-
Black bears are the only bears on
Vancouver Island and surrounding
islets. They are solitary
scavengers and hunters. In the
summer and fall black bears are
usually preoccupied with sweet
berries and salmon runs, but that
doesn't mean the smell of your
dinner cooking won't entice them
to visit and see what smells so
good. If you see a bear, give
them a wide berth. Make lots of
noise as you are walking in the
bush (especially in berry
seasons*June-Sept*). Most bears
are afraid of humans, but some
have grown accustomed to our
presence and recognize humans as
beings that leave food in their
wake. So it is especially
important to hang food up when
you are not cooking a meal. Be
also aware of baby bears, as the
mother will not be far behind and
they will defend their offspring
in all instances. If you
encounter a black bear, make
yourself look bigger, and back
away slowly, avoid eye contact
and talk to it so it can
distinguish you are moving away
and are not a threat.
Wolves-
Similar to bears, wolves tend to
scavenge for food and eat small
animals/rodents. Unsimiliar to
bears, wolves are pack hunters
not solitary hunters. Wolves are
generally very shy and afraid of
humans, however, in the past
years, tourists have been feeding
the wolves for an opportunity to
see one, so some wolves are not
afraid of humans and have been
known to attack to get food.
Wolves are pack animals so even
if you only see one, there is a
good chance there are more out of
view.
Cougars-
tend to hunt during the dark
hours of the day and prefer
eating "live prey" - so
they are less likely to be the
ones that will rip through your
camp and tents to find where the
food smell is coming from. On
that note, they will still be
attracted to the smell of your
food, as they will hunt the other
animals who show up. Cougars
usually sleep in the trees during
the day light and hunt at dusk
and dawn. When cougars are
around, it's better to keep small
children close as well as dogs.
If you encounter a cougar, back
away slowly, avoid direct eye
contact with the animal but don't
let it out of your sight; make
yourself look bigger (ie arms up
in the air,or jacket up in the
air.) NEVER turn your back and
run. This action triggers the
'hunt' or 'predator/prey'
response, and you are more likely
to get attacked.
Weather
Weather
on the West Coast is highly
variable and can change quickly.
Pack good rainwear (tops and
bottoms) even if the forecast is
sunny and 2 changes of dry
warm-when-wet clothing (fleece,
wool) and more than 2 pairs of
socks.
Water
There
are several fresh water streams
that join with the sea. These are
suitable for filtering fresh
drinking water.
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