Black Bear Stalks Backpacker In Upstate New York, What Would You Do?

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York is home to approximately 8,000 bears and, with the exception of the occasional glimpse, most humans don't ever see them...most humans.

Recently one individual not only spotted a bear in the Hudson Valley, the bear spotted her and began following the backpacker. What would you do if a bear was coming for you? Here's what happened.

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On Friday August 4th, according to a DEC press release, officers from Greene County responded to a call regarding a bear following a human. New York Forest Ranger Clute was able to contact the hiker, a 23-year-old from Canada, and confirmed her location in Catskill, NY.

This incident took place in the Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness and reports indicate that although the backpacker attempted to frighten the bear, the bear continued to follow her.

As the hiker continued making noises and attempting to scare the bear away she decided to drop her backpack and continue up the trail. That's when she called for help. Forest Rangers were able to find the individual about one hour later. Imagine you and a bear alone in the woods for an hour.

Forest Rangers were able to locate the bear and scared it away from the subject's backpack. At this point I'd be heading back to Canada but this brave individual hiked back down the trail and setup a campsite for the night.

According to the DEC, bears learn from experience. If an encounter with a human is negative, they learn to avoid humans. Also if an encounter with a human doesn't result in a reward (food), they will not have any reason to have contact with humans.