Everyone knows you should give bears plenty of distance in the wild. However, sometimes things happen, and they usually happen fast. There are times when people find themselves in an unwanted encounter with a bear, and that's the case with today's video. This footage was shot in Saskatchewan, Canada. The photographer was taking photos of this young black bear from a distance when the bear caught wind of the human. Curious, it quickly closed the gap and started following the man.
Fortunately, the photographer is carrying bear spray with him. But there's still a tense three minutes as the bear continues its pursuit of the photographer as he attempts to leave the area. Eventually, the curious bear gets a little too close and the man hits him with a blast of bear spray to the face. The footage does an excellent job of displaying the effectiveness of bear spray.
The video's description notes the man who filmed this only started backing away like this after the bear kept approaching. He initially stood his ground and waved his arms out. That's what most experts recommend doing with an approaching bear because it makes you appear larger. However, this appears to be a younger bear that's extremely curious. Sometimes that's not enough to dissuade a bear's interest.
The man probably did back away a bit too quickly in this case. This may have triggered the animal's natural instincts to pursue prey. The photographer is just fortunate the bruin never mounted a serious attempt at chasing after him.
Finally, when the bear got too close for comfort, the bear spray ended the encounter quickly. You'll hear all sorts of debates about the use of bear spray to ward off a bear attack, but this video shows it can be quite effective. This bear obviously suffered a direct hit. The burning sensation in its eyes caused it to immediately flee the scene. This is probably a best case scenario for any close encounter with a bear, and a good reminder to always have a firearm or bear spray when you're wandering in an area where these predators roam.
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