Dangerous Wildlife

North America's dangerous animals are avoidable far more often than they are fightable. This chapter is organized by the only strategy that works consistently: AVOIDANCE first, then exactly what to do when avoidance fails. Note the protocols differ by animal — what saves you from a grizzly will get you killed by a mountain lion, and vice versa.

Bears — know which bear, know the protocol

Black bears range across most of North America; grizzlies (brown bears) are concentrated in the northwestern states — Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Alaska. AVOIDANCE for both: make noise while hiking (your voice is best); carry bear spray ACCESSIBLE on a hip or chest holster — not in the backpack; store food away from camp; learn to read scat, tracks, and trails.

BEAR SPRAY (per the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee): choose 1.4–1.8% capsaicin, at least 225 grams (7.9 oz), oleoresin of capsicum, shotgun-cloud pattern, minimum 25-foot range, at least 6 seconds of spray, EPA approved. Deploy it as an airborne deterrent CLOUD: aim slightly DOWN toward the approaching bear and adjust for wind; a brief shot at about 50 feet, spray again if it keeps coming. Expert guidance: on a charging bear, start spraying at about 60 feet and tilt the can down so the cloud atomizes and rises into a wall — waiting until the bear is 10–20 feet away may be too late. Once the bear retreats, leave the area without running. WARNING: NEVER apply bear spray as a repellent on tents, packs, clothing, or gear — it does not work that way, and the residue can actually ATTRACT bears. Check the expiration date; test-fire yearly away from camp. Bear spray stops up to 90% of encounters and outperforms firearms at preventing injury.

IF ATTACKED — and this is the critical difference: a GRIZZLY in a defensive attack: PLAY DEAD — face down, hands laced over your neck, legs spread; stay still until the bear leaves (count to 500 after contact stops). A BLACK BEAR attack: FIGHT BACK with anything available — do NOT play dead, never run, never climb a tree (black bears climb well).

Illustration: Deploying bear spray in a wide, slightly downward arc — a barrier wall at a safe distance.

Mountain lions — the opposite protocol

Mountain lions (cougar, puma) hunt most actively at dawn, dusk, and night, and stalk from behind. ENCOUNTER RESPONSE — consistent across the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and state agencies: STOP. Do NOT run — running triggers the chase instinct. Face the animal, maintain eye contact, appear LARGE (raise your arms, open your jacket, lift children onto your shoulders), speak firmly and loudly, give it an escape route, and back away slowly. If it acts aggressive, throw rocks and sticks WITHOUT turning away.

IF ATTACKED: FIGHT BACK — stay on your feet, get back up if knocked down. People have driven lions off with rocks, sticks, jackets, tools, and bare hands. NEVER play dead — the exact opposite of the grizzly protocol. PREVENTION: hike in groups, make noise, keep children close and within sight, keep pets leashed, never feed wildlife.

Moose — the underestimated danger

Moose injure MORE people than bears in Alaska — faster and far less docile than they look. WARNING SIGNS you are too close: ears laid back, hair raised on the neck and hump, head lowered, lip and snout licking. Peak danger: cows with calves (late May–June), bulls in rut (September–October), and any moose near a dog — moose read dogs as predators, so keep dogs leashed.

RESPONSE: stay calm, talk, back away slowly in the direction you came; give wide berth (the National Park Service says 25 yards minimum). IF CHARGED: RUN and get behind something solid — a tree, a car, a building; zigzag if you are in the open (they usually do not chase far). IF KNOCKED DOWN: curl into a ball, protect your head, and lie STILL until the moose retreats — do NOT fight back (the opposite of the mountain-lion and black-bear protocol). Do not feed moose; it is illegal in many states and makes them dangerous.

Venomous snakes — avoidance and identification

PIT VIPERS (rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths/water moccasins): heat-sensing pits between eye and nostril, elliptical pupils, a single row of tail scales; hemotoxic venom — tissue damage and swelling. Copperheads have cryptic camouflage and often FREEZE instead of fleeing, so many bites are accidental steps; juveniles show bright yellow tail tips. Cottonmouths live near water from the Carolinas to Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida, and will display the white mouth interior as a threat. Rattlesnakes: the rattle is a courtesy — not every snake gives one.

CORAL SNAKES (Southeast, Texas): NOT pit vipers — they are elapids, in the cobra family, with neurotoxic venom that can paralyze breathing muscles. Small, shy, and reclusive (fewer than 24 U.S. bites a year). The rhyme 'red touches yellow, kills a fellow; red touches black, friend of Jack' works ONLY for U.S. species — in tropical America, with its many tricolored snakes, it is unreliable. Worse, coral snakes break the pit-viper ID rules (round heads, round pupils). The better rule: avoid ANY red-yellow-black banded snake, and learn your region's species from a field guide.

AVOIDANCE: watch where you step, sit, and put your hands; step ONTO logs, not over them; use a light at night; wear boots; give every snake a wide berth — never try to kill or catch it.

IF BITTEN: get emergency medical help; keep the victim calm and still; remove rings, watches, and shoes near the bite before swelling starts; immobilize the limb; keep the bite at or slightly below heart level; note the snake's appearance for the ER — do NOT try to catch or kill it. Do NOT cut, suck, tourniquet, or ice the bite: none of these help, and all can harm.

Illustration: Pit viper: heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril. Coral snake: red bands touching yellow.

Alligators — Southeast wetlands

Florida alone holds about 1.3 million alligators in all 67 counties — assume any freshwater body holds them. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission guidance: swim only in designated areas during daylight; alligators are most active dusk to dawn, so stay out of the water then; keep pets leashed and at least 25 feet from the water's edge (pets resemble natural prey); supervise children near water; keep a safe distance of at least 30 feet; NEVER feed alligators — it is illegal, fed gators lose their fear of humans, and the animal usually ends up killed for it; dispose of fish scraps in the trash, never in the water; do not fish where gators are present.

If one approaches: get inside or get away — do not chase it; call the FWC Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). Serious injuries are rare; alligators are naturally wary of humans, and most bites involve people not paying attention near water.