Bear Basics challenges conventional wisdom about bears.With dozens of books about bears on the market, including five books devoted to safety in bear country, why choose Backcountry Bear Basics? Why did Yellowstone Grizzly Foundation research director Steve French write a dust jacket endorsement for Bear Basics stating that it's "the number one book I'd recommend to anyone going into bear country."
1) Bear Basics is accurate. Lots of bear literature says that bears eat anything and everything, a claim some writers bolster with John Muir's remark that to bears, everything is food except granite. In Bear Basics, I said, "John Muir was wrong. When it comes to natural foods, bears are rather finicky. Out of 1,000 types of plants in a given area, they might only consume 100 to 250, and each of those will be eaten during a particular season.
2) Bear Basics is humorous. Some bear literature claims that human sexual activity may attract or interest bears. Bear Basics notes that there have never been any studies on this topic, although it would make "a great research project for an intrepid grad student."
3) Bear Basics is up-to-date. For years, bear literature told people to play dead by curling up in a cannonball position. Bear Basics points out that the new and better way to play dead is to lie "face down with your hands crossed behind your neck, elbows tucked tight along your face, and legs slightly apart."
4) Bear Basics gives you practical advice. Climb a tree to escape a charging grizzly? In Bear Basics, I point out that "if you don't notice a grizzly until it's charging, it's too late for tree-climbing."
4) Bear Basics includes a long chapter that explains why officials from Glacier National Park, Montana started the myth that menstruating women should stay out of bear country.
6) Bear basics will give you a better understanding of bear behavior than any other book. You'll often read that bears will defend their territory; bears are not territorial. If you don't know the difference between a wolf pack's territory, a bear's home range, and any animal's personal space ("the distance that if entered will cause and animal to fight or flee), you need to read bear basics. If you don't really understand the significance of personal space, you might get killed by following expert advice that says the safest way to approach grizzlies for a photograph is to let the bear sense you when you're far away and then make a slow, obvious approach. You're actually being told to encroach on a grizzly bear's personal space and then see if it fights or flees. Ninety-five percent of the people who write books about bears don't have a clue about bears and their personal space. With the information Bear Basics gives you about personal space and bear behavior, you can see a bear-human encounter from the bear's perspective.
If you want trustworthy information about bears, read Bear Basics. Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game biologist Larry Aumiller's dust jacket endorsement for Bear Basics says it's "entertaining and accurate. Dave Smith dissects myths from reality as he draws not only from his own experiences and observations, but from North America's best bear experts as well."
