Release Date: Apr 27, 2023
USDA Forest Service officials remind visitors of food and refuse restrictions on the Cherokee National Forest in place to minimize dangerous bear encounters and interactions. The restrictions, in place since 2017, prohibit possessing or leaving food, bear attractant, or refuse unless it is possessed and/or stored properly.
“The penalty for non-compliance could lead to criminal charges for the human and a death sentence for the bear,” said Travis Macdonald, forest wildlife biologist for the Cherokee National Forest. “Close encounters between humans and bears usually spell trouble.”
Cherokee National Forest visitors are required to store unattended food in bear-resistant containers, in a vehicle in solid non-pliable material or suspend food at least 12 feet off the ground.
Bears are opportunists by nature and feed on berries, insects or whatever is readily available in the wild. Bears have a remarkable sense of smell that can lead them to unnatural foods. Garbage and food odors attract bears to residential areas, dump sites, campsites, and picnic areas. Bears that begin to enter places occupied by humans are in immediate danger.
Once a bear develops a pattern of relying on human food sources it begins to lose its fear of people and may become aggressive. This behavior creates safety concerns for humans and can be fatal for the bear. Bears that frequent inhabited areas run a greater risk of ingesting harmful materials, being hit by a vehicle, or euthanized if they become a threat to humans.
Visit bearwise.org to learn more about how you can help bears remain wild.
The following steps may be helpful if you encounter a black bear.
Remember:
- If you see a bear in the distance, make a wide detour or slowly leave the area.
- Always properly possess and store food and other attractants. Never feed or toss food to a bear.
- Store food or other attractants in a closed hard top vehicle, a bear-resistant storage container or suspend at least 12 feet off the ground and six feet from limbs.
- Never approach bears – they are wild animals. If a bear changes its natural behavior because of your presence, you are too close.
- Give a bear plenty of room to pass, and it usually will.
If a bear approaches you:
- Don’t run or turn away.
- Back away slowly.
- Face the bear, but don’t look directly into its eyes.
- Keep it in sight.
- Make yourself look bigger by waving your arms and yelling.
- Make lots of noise and stomp your feet.
If you are on a picnic or camping trip:
- Never leave food or trash unattended.
- Never cook or store food in or near your tent.
- Keep a clean site by properly disposing of garbage including fruit rinds and cores, empty cans or jars and aluminum foil used for grilling or cooking.
- Pick up all food scraps around your site.
- Wipe down tabletops after each use and before vacating your site.
- If a bear approaches your site, pack up your food and trash. If necessary, attempt to scare the animal away with loud shouts, or by banging pans together. If the bear is persistent, move away slowly to your vehicle or other secure area.
- Keep children close at hand.
- Keep pets properly confined to a leash or in a vehicle or camper.
Definition of terms in the Cherokee National Forest Food Storage Order:
“Food” means any substance, which is not native to the immediate area, solid or liquid (excluding water, baled hay, or hay cubes without additives), which is or may be eaten or otherwise taken into the body to sustain health or life, provide energy, or promote growth of any person or animal.
“Bear Attractant” means any substance having an odor that may attract bears including food, soft drinks, cooking grease, alcoholic beverages, canned foods, pet foods, processed livestock feed and grains, personal hygiene products, and empty food and beverage containers.
“Refuse” means any discarded material or solid waste.
“Possessed properly” means:
- Possessed or attended by a person(s) who is under immediate control of food, attractant, or refuse. The person(s) must be physically present within 100 feet and in plain sight and have the ability to immediately attend to and store such items properly.
“Stored properly” means:
- Stored or disposed of in a bear-resistant container or trash receptacle, which is a securable container constructed of solid non-pliable material capable of withstanding 200 foot-pounds of energy. When secured and under stress the container will not have any cracks, openings, or hinges that would allow a bear to gain entry by biting or pulling with its claws. Wood containers are not considered bear-resistant unless they are reinforced with metal. Most coolers are not considered bear-resistant, or
- Stored in a closed hard top motor vehicle or travel trailer constructed of solid, non-pliable material that, when secured, will have no openings, hinges, lids, or coverings that would allow a bear to gain entry by breaking, bending, tearing, biting, or pulling with its claws (any windows in the vehicle must be closed), or
- Suspended at least 12 feet off the ground and 6 feet from limbs, or
- Stored within a hard-sided residence, building, or storage container subject to the terms and conditions of a special-use authorization or operating plan, or
- Stored by other methods approved in a permit issued by the Forest Supervisor.
For additional information please contact the Cherokee National Forest Supervisor’s office (423) 476-9700.
