You should’nt run otherwise the bear will think your his prey,just stay put and start moving slowly.
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Run, but if your with someone else, knock them down first.
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Stay put but slowly back away. Try not to let the bear know that you are afraid of it!!
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Well you should slowly back off and not eye the bear and try not to let bear get that close in the first place……if you are getting mauled go fetal position covering head face with arms and play dead.

If your in the woods its good to have a gun…then just shoot it or a few shots to scare the bear.

Most bears run from humans unless really hungry or with cubs or you startle a bear.
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I’d stay very still, making small movements away from it, but no sudden movements. Maybe subtly throw a rock in the opposite direction so it’s distracted for a moment? Geez I hope you aren’t planning on being attacked by one! :/
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1. if you with someone else , all you must do is out run that person
2. If not , the nose is the most sensitive part of a bear (so bite , kick, punch it)
3.Act like your dead and slow your breathing
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That depends on the species of bear that is attacking you, but you never run you always hold your ground and slowly back away.

In black bear attacks it is advised that you fight back. Fight as if your life depends on it.. gouge eyes, ect. Black bear attacks are often predatory and playing dead will be a fatal mistake because the bear wants you dead so it can eat you. I dont know of any competent wildlife expert that advises playing dead with a black bear.

With all other bears it is advised that you hold your ground but if they start to attack you then you should play dead. Grizzly bear most often attack only to neutralize the threat and once you are down on the ground and stop moving then the attack will most likely end.

Of course the best thing to do is to have a magnum revolver and know how to use it.
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If the bear is already attacking, you think you want to stay put?

Run like hell, and better be quick, hide in buildings, vehicles and drive away…

Careful with your friends because they might knock you down to feed the bear. LOL

Wrestle the bear. Nah… that’s crazy, humans usually can’t afford. If you got a gun just shoot him!

Just don’t go near a bear. Body slim? LOL
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Just sit down with the bear, Have a cup of tea, and ask him why does he want to attack you… Then… When he feels bad for you, You say you have to go pee, and then you go behind a tree, and Take off like a mother… Trust me, I KNOW!!! Me and Smokey the bear got along pretty well… Until that night where he blamed me for that fire!
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play dead!!!!!!
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Grin and bear it. JK

Play dead if its not a black bear, fight for life if it is. Pack a gun if you are smart, know what guns to use. Shoot any bear out to harm you.

Never ever run, or you are done.
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Push someone else in front of you then run like hell!
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I love survival questions.

Ok, so the first thing is identifying what kind of bear you have on you. If it is a grizzly bear, then lay on your belly, covering your neck with your hands, and spread your legs for extra leverage to stay on your belly. Be quiet, and stay there even after the bear "leaves" for a little while as they might just be watching to see if they did the job.

If the beast is a black bear. Then fight back, and I mean give it hell, because now it is literally your life depending on it. If possible use weapons. Black bears don’t back down when they are dominating. So, you have stand up for yourself.

If your wondering what to do to avoid an attack, then contrary to popular belief, be kind of loud so that you don’t surprise one. Normally if they hear you coming, they will leave you alone, and go somewhere else. There are lots of "noise makers" to deter bear from attacking. If it is giving a false charge then back away slowly facing the bear, but careful not to fall down. The one thing to remember out of everything I’ve put on here though is NEVER TRY TO RUN. They can catch you, and they will.
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You have to play dead if you don’t they will think you are alive then they will attack you but if you want to run from bear that up to you.
I do like to add some more information if it was a Grizzly? PLAY DEAD!
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Never run, you can’t escape from that Bear or Grizzly because they run five time faster than humans.

I’m amazed at the inaccuracy of these answers.

Like some answers said, it depends on the species of bear. If it is a BLACK bear, you don’t run or even walk away (this is assuming there are no cubs involved). Black bears are not very aggressive and they very rarely attack or kill humans. Just make a lot of noise and make yourself look big.

If it is a BROWN (this includes the Grizzly) bear, that’s different. Then your chance of fighting one off becomes very small. Just slowly back away from it, but keep facing it. If it charges at you, don’t panic. Bears commonly do a ‘bluff’ charge. If it actually does attack you, like the other answerer said, hit the ground, protect your head and neck, and stay on your stomach.

The most helpful things you can do for your self is know what species of bear is in the area you plan on visiting and learn the proper way to behave around them.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Black_Bear#Attacks_on_humans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Bear#Attacks_on_humans

if its a polar bear the best thing to do is run and take off a piece of clothing, when the bear reaches your clothing it will start smelling it, giving you time to escape.
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draw gun (.41 magnum, .44 magnum, .454 casull, 10mm, .500 mag, etc…)

pump as many rounds into the center of the blur running towards you as you can
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Move back slow, steadily increasing your speed until you’re running.
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It depends upon the circumstances, like the type of bear, where you are and whether or not you have any type of protection…and to respond to a question without some specifics would lead to a book…of which, I’m not wishing to write…lol…or, at least, not at this time. Or, are you paying? …hahaha…
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With a large caliber rifle!!!
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As others have said, if it’s a black bear fight, including using pepper spray. If it’s a grizzly, or brown bear play dead. If it’s a polar bear you’re probably dead no matter what because to a polar bear, any living creature in it’s habitat is just another piece of food. When in bear country wear small "jingle bells" on your clothes to avoid surprising a bear and carry pepper spray with you. To know in advance what kind of bears are in the area learn to tell the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings. Black bear droppings will be smaller, full of berries and maybe small animal fur. Grizzly bear sh*t will have bells in it and smell like pepper. (Yes that last is said with tongue firmly planted in cheek)
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It depends on the type of bear. From what I have always heard if a grizzly attacks you it is for dominance, so playing dead and just laying still while covering your head will work. But if a black bear attacks you it is for food so you need to fight back. When the bear encounters you make your self look big by standing up tall and holding something over your head. Scream at the animal and most likely it will take off. Should you have to fight the animal you should throw rocks at it and if it really gets after you and you are on the ground then you need to shoot, stab, or punch it in the face. ( particularly stabbing its eyes or really smacking its nose.)

I’m no bear expert but this is what I’ve always heard. Good luck.
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GOSH!!!! I cant believe the answers your getting!!! CRAP!!!!!
If its a black then fight back (correct) most answered right!
Grizzly……depends(ie) a yearling grizzly will follow closely sizing you up…..in this case if you play dead you just served him his dinner!
throw rocks, yell, hit him with a stick what ever but DO fight back!
mother griz with cubs…play dead,she’ll tear the crap out of you but you should survive….
an old male grizz …..fights on..fight like hell !!
sorry guys most of you are wrong…more people are killed by BLACK bears than grizzlies in the U.S….why? they dont take them seriously!
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bear hunter for years
study the fight with a grizzly by Hugh Glass

If the bear is already attacking you- scream like a baby until the hurting stops!
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I change the channel on the TV so I don’t have to watch it.
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you should unsling your 18 1/4" barreled pump shotgun loaded with slugs and remove it from the gene pool.
Seriously? they say the best bet is to avoid the situation. If you allowed yourself to get into the situation, you made a series of mistakes.
1) you did not make noise as you moved thru the area
2) you did not remain aware enough of your surroundings
3)you did not come prepared for the possibility of a bear attack.
So, first order of business is to make some noise as you hike. Many people use a bell or even a can with rocks in it attached to a walking stick so that it makes noise as you walk. Bring a dog, whistle as you hike. These things will help warn a curious bear off. BUT, if it is a predatory attack by the bear, these things will not work. Now you have two main choices, try bear spray or use a firearm. Bear spray is iffy at best. Sometimes it sends them packing, other times it just doesn’t seem to work. A good handgun in .44 magnum or larger caliber works fairly well. But that shotgun I mentioned puts them down right now.
so, failing to plan, entering bear habitat and letting yourself get attacked, they say the best thing is to curl up, protect the back of your neck with your hands and hope it only bites a few parts off. But again, if it is a predatory attack, you must fight back as best you can, since it’s intent is to kill and consume you.
shoot safe
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Retired Police Officer
NRA certified police firearms instructor
Competition shooter (ret)
Avid hunter since age 9 with:
Archery
Black powder firearms
Handguns
Modern rifles
Shotguns
Trained at S&W, COLT and GLOCK Armorer schools
I specialize in building 1911 pistols and AR 15 rifles
And ran a gun shop for many years

SIC VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM.
“If you want peace, prepare for war”