CONCORD, N.H. — In three separate incidents on Monday, hikers reported a bear following them on trails in the Lincoln Woods, undeterred by loud noises. In one case the bear bluff charged the hikers, according to reports to USDA Forest Service officials.
While bears are known to frequent that area in Lincoln, N.H., it was unusual to receive three reports about bear encounters in one day, according to Leighlan Prout of the USDA Forest Service at the White Mountain National Forest.
“A normal bear that hasn’t been exposed to people typically is afraid of humans and will run away,” she said. But that’s not what these hikers reported happening.
In these cases, Prout said, the bear has likely gotten used to being around people and learned that people can be a source of food.
The first encounter happened around 6:30 a.m. on the Franconia Brook Trail, according to the bear incident report. The bear shadowed the hikers for a short distance and then left them alone, the report said.
A separate group of hikers reported a bear encounter on the same trail, another report shows. The hikers estimated the bear was about the size of a picnic table – or around 200 pounds, according to the report.
The report said the bear continued to walk towards the hikers, even as they made loud noises, banging their hiking poles together and yelling, which did not deter its approach. The hiker finally used bear spray, which stopped the bear from coming any closer, according to the report. After that, the bear moved off the trail and let the hikers go by.
A third report logged an incident at around 5 p.m. on the Lincoln Woods Trail. In this case, the report said the bear was just 10 feet away from the hikers when it charged at them after their dog barked at it.
Prout said while it sounds aggressive, the bluff charge is actually a defensive move for the bear, meant to tell other bears its feeling crowded.
She encouraged people to store food correctly and use a bear canister while hiking. “Food storage is by far the most important thing, because if there’s no food available, then the bear’s really not going to be that interested,” she said.
Prout said, as far as she knows, no people or bears were injured in the incidents, and that the district ranger, district biologist, and the assistant ranger for recreation typically meet to decide what happens next after an incident.
Next steps could include monitoring the situation, posting signs about an active bear in the area, sending out patrols to talk to people, or a “hazing program” to make the bear associate people with a negative experience by using air horns or even paintball guns. They could also temporarily close the area to recreation.
Andrew Timmins reviewed photos and videos of the bear encounters and believes all reports relate to an individual juvenile bear he estimated to be around 2.5 years old.
From what he’s seen, the bear isn’t exhibiting aggressive behavior, he said, but is just begging for food.
“These bears step out on the trail and approach people,” he said. “I suspect there’s people out there that panic and think the best way to resolve it is to toss some food into the bushes to divert the bear.”
But he advised people against doing that since it reinforces undesirable behavior.
“In the past we have had to capture and euthanize these bears when they become accustomed to that lifestyle,” Timmins said. “I think we’re a long way from that right now.”
He said the current estimate is that there are about 5,700 bears in the state, which is slightly lower than it was three or four years ago. The White Mountains have the highest density of bears because of the abundant habitat and low human population, according to Timmins.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
