Living in
Bear Country
The American black bear is one of
the largest and most impressive
animals found in Saskatchewan.
Despite their cartoon depictions,
bears are potentially dangerous
and should be treated with
respect. When in bear country, it
is in your best interest to
minimize any potential conflicts
that can arise when bears and
humans share the same territory.
Black bears can live in various
habitats, but prefer the dense
woods of the boreal forest. They
require a large amount of food,
especially in the autumn when
they are building up their fat
reserves to survive hibernation.
As a result, their preferred habitat
contains thick underbrush of
berry and nut-bearing plants.
They are often found along
valleys and other waterways
where these plants are plentiful.
Black bears are also scavengers,
which means they will investigate
anything that looks like a
potential meal. For black bears,
garbage dumps and garbage
cans are a buffet. Black bears can
be found feeding in garbage
dumps and other areas where
they can find garbage and food
scraps left by humans. This
saskatchewan.ca/environment
sometimes causes problems, as
they are a powerful predator that
can be dangerous to humans.
If you encounter a bear
· Never feed or approach a
bear or cubs.
· Make a wide detour if you see
a bear at a distance. Don't get
too close to a bear for the
sake of a photograph.
· If you suddenly encounter a
bear, calmly back away, speak
in low tones and do not look
directly at the bear.
· Stay calm – DO NOT RUN. You
cannot outrun a bear.
· As a last resort when a bear is
very close, dropping an
article may distract a bear. Do
not drop your pack.
· Move towards a tree or a rock,
which may protect you from
the bear. Climbing a tree is
not an escape but the bear
may feel less threatened.
Black bears can easily climb
trees.
· In almost all cases, a black
bear will threaten but will not
attack. If an attack does occur
and no escape is possible you
should defend yourself. DO
NOT PLAY DEAD.
Living in bear country
Black bears are opportunistic,
habitual creatures that are
naturally drawn to a source of
food by their keen sense of smell.
If successful in finding an easy
source of food, they will continue
to return. This is why it becomes
critical to “bear-proof” our homes
and yards.
If you live in bear country, here
are a few guidelines to follow:
· Avoid leaving pet food
accessible to wildlife.
· Properly clean barbeque grills
after each use.
· Keep trash in a secure
location, or haul your
garbage directly to a landfill.
· A quick blast from an air horn
is an effective tool to
convince a bear it doesn't
belong in your yard. Air horns
are inexpensive, readily
available and simple to use.
A returning bear likely indicates
there is a food source nearby, so
have a look around the yard to
ensure items that may attract it
are picked up and safely stored.·
When bears start to associate their
food with humans, they become a
nuisance.
Bears and camping
Bears have been known to wander
through campgrounds on
occasion. Proper food storage,
cooking methods and garbage
handling are essential for safe
camping in bear country.
In a campground
· Never cook or eat in your tent.
· Store food in air-tight
containers in the trunk of your
vehicle, not in tents or tent-
trailers.
· Place all garbage in the
containers provided. Do not
burn or bury scraps.
· Clean fish only at designated
fish-cleaning stations.
· Keep your pet on a leash or
inside your vehicle. An
unleashed dog may aggravate
a bear.
· Use a flashlight at night; do
not move about the campsite
at night unless necessary.
If a bear enters the campground
· Stay calm; do not run.
· Do not harass or chase the
bear. If the bear is at a
distance, calmly place all food
in your vehicle.
· Get into your vehicle and
report the incident to staff.
In the backcountry
· Cook at least 100 metres
downwind from your tent.
· Store your food in air-tight
containers, preferably
suspended from a tree (at
least four metres up and one
metre away from the tree
trunk and 400 metres from
your campsite).
· Pitch your tent in the open,
away from dense bush,
streams and game trails.
· Leave your pack outside with
flaps open.
· Stay on trails and make noise
as you walk, by whistling or
singing to warn bears of your
presence.
· Look for any signs of bear
activity such as tracks,
droppings and digging, that
indicate bears may be in the
area.
· Be especially cautious if your
visibility or hearing is
obstructed by dense bush or
running streams.
Always supervise small
·
children in any area bears
inhabit.
· Avoid areas of bear food
sources such as berry patches
and carcass remains.
· Dispose of dishwater away
from your campsite and do
not bury any fish remains.
Remember …
· Please take the time to report
all bear incidents and
observations to a park or
conservation officer promptly.
· The surest protection against
injury or damage to your
property is prevention.
· Never feed bears or leave food
for a bear – you will invite
trouble for yourself, as well as
for the next campers. Bears
that have been fed lose their
natural fear for humans. When
bears start to associate their
food with humans, they
become a nuisance. Bears
usually have to be destroyed
when this occurs. Don't let
yourself be the cause of a
bear's destruction.
· It is unlawful to feed bears on
park land.
If you see a bear in your
community, or if you have an
aggressive encounter with a
bear, contact your local
Ministry of Environment
office or call the TIP line,
24-hours a day, at
1-800-667-7561 or from your
SaskTel cell Phone at #5555.

Cougars once ranged across the
prairies but were displaced to
more remote mountain regions as
settlement advanced. Over the
past two decades they have been
expanding their range eastward
and are recolonizing much of
their former range. There are
recent confirmed reports from as
far east as Missouri and
Tennessee.
In Saskatchewan, cougars are a
natural part of the landscape,
especially in the Cypress Hills
region. These animals are a sign of
healthy ecosystems and sightings
often go unreported.
While your chances of seeing a
cougar are slim, people need to
be aware of their existence.
Although attacks on humans are
rare, you need to practice caution
and safety when outdoors in
cougar country.
If you encounter a cougar
· Make sure it knows you are
not potential prey – do not
run. Stand up, make yourself
look big, shout loudly and
throw something to distract
the animal. Back away to a
safe distance and maintain
eye contact.
saskatchewan.ca/environment
Sharing the
Landscape
with Cougars
· If a cougar does make
contact, fight back, use any
weapon that you can and
don't give up. Never play
dead with a cougar. After
the animal has left, keep
watching for it until you
reach safety.
· Cougars may view children
as prey targets due to their
small size and quick
movements. In the event of a
cougar encounter, pick up
your children immediately.
Living in cougar country
If you live in cougar country, here
are a few guidelines to follow:
· Do not feed wildlife. Feeding
wildlife can attract animals
that may be prey for cougars,
thus attracting cougars to
your yard.
· Avoid feeding pets outside.
Pet food can attract cougars
to your yard. When possible,
keep pets indoors at night,
as pets make easy prey for
cougars.
· Deer are prime prey for
cougars and they will follow
deer that hang around or
live in a yardsite. Try to make
your yard as deer proof as
possible.
· Dense vegetation makes
great hiding places for
cougars. Remove vegetation
that could be a hiding place,
making your yard less
friendly for cougars.
· Enclose the base around
porches or decks and keep
out-buildings closed –
cougars will make use of
such spaces to den or cache
food.
· Outdoor lighting and
motion-sensitive lighting is a
deterrent. Lights also make
approaching cougars more
visible.
· Keep a close eye on your
children when they are
playing outside. Bring
children in before dusk when
cougars begin to hunt. Teach
them what to do if they
encounter a cougar.
Cougars and livestock
· There have been few
confirmed cases of livestock
killed by cougars in
Saskatchewan. However,
landowners have the right in
Saskatchewan to kill any
predator, including cougars,
on their own land if they feel
that such an animal is posing
a threat to their family,
property or livestock.
· Landowners may also
designate this authority to an
immediate family member,
employee or to a licensed
trapper.
· If a cougar is taken under this
authority, the local
conservation officer must be
notified and will determine
how best to dispose of the
carcass.
· Assistance may also be
available from predator
control specialists on
contract to Saskatchewan
Crop Insurance Corporation
at 1-888-935-0000.
Cougar facts
· Cougars are the most evasive
and secretive of all wildlife
species in Saskatchewan and
generally travel in low light
conditions to move or stalk
their prey.
· Cougars are the largest feline
of three native cat species to
Saskatchewan, the others
being bobcat and lynx.
· The cougar's primary prey is
deer. However, they are
known to prey on livestock
and pets. It will also feed on
elk, rabbits, beaver,
porcupines, raccoons and
grouse.
· Cougars have large home
ranges and males can travel
over 50 kilometres in one day.
· Cougars will generally give
birth to two or three kittens.
· During late spring and
summer, one to two-year old
cougars become
independent of their
mothers. While attempting to
find a home range, these
young cougars may roam
widely in search of
unoccupied territory. This is
when cougars are most likely
to conflict with humans.
If you see a cougar, or if you
have an aggressive encounter
with a cougar on your
property, contact your local
Ministry of Environment office
or call the TIP line, 24-hours a
day, at 1-800-667-7561 or
from your SaskTel cell Phone
at #5555.

Wolves are common in the
forested parts of Saskatchewan,
especially where there is little
human activity to interfere with
them. They are well adapted to a
wide range of habitats from
grasslands to meadows to aspen
parkland and boreal forest,
wherever large prey animals are
found.
In nature, wolves help to keep
other animals from becoming too
numerous. This, in turn, helps to
ensure that wildlife habitat
remains healthy and plentiful.
Wolves are more successful killing
large animals that are less fit,
injured or inexperienced. This
helps future generations of prey
remain strong, healthy and better
able to withstand predators,
disease and injury.
Wolves occasionally attack
people. There has only been one
documented fatal wolf attack in
North America. In recent decades
the huge increase in human use
of wilderness for recreation and
industry has brought more
people into contact with wolves.
Our frequent use of wilderness
and habit of leaving behind food
scraps and related garbage has
become an attraction for wolves
and other predators that has led
them to “habituate” to humans.
saskatchewan.ca/environment
Wolves in
Saskatchewan
Wolves can compete with people
for some kinds of large animals
that we hunt and they also
sometimes kill livestock.
Avoiding wolf encounters
· Stay away from known den or
kill sites and areas where
wolves have frequently been
seen or have become
habituated to humans.
· Be observant; watch for fresh
tracks and droppings. Listen
for howling. Avoid travel
through such areas at night
and travel in pairs or groups
where an encounter might be
likely.
· Make frequent noise to warn
wolves of your presence. This
will give them time to move
away.
· Keep all locations of
permanent or temporary
human occupancy free of
accessible garbage. This
includes campsites and picnic
areas.
· Keep your campsite clean.
Cook and store food away
from sleeping areas.
· Dogs may attract wolves and
instigate aggressive
behaviour. Keep dogs on a
leash when hiking or walking
in areas where wolves may be
present.
· Never feed wolves or try to
attract them for a better view.
A wolf is a large predator and
is capable of taking down
prey much larger than a
human. Wolves must be
treated with respect.
If a wolf approaches
· Whenever you encounter a
wolf, do not run or turn your
back on it and do not
approach or chase it.
· Face the wolf, stand tall, raise
your arms to increase your
stature and keep your eyes on
it. Wolves, like dogs, do not
like to be stared at. This will
help to discourage a possible
encounter.
· Look for an open area if
necessary, and move to it.
Wolves like to use
concealment to approach.
· Where more than one wolf is
involved in an encounter, the
person should decide which
wolf is the dominant risk-taker
and focus attention and
response mainly on that wolf.
The others will take signals
from that wolf. In these cases
it is better to have protection
for your back in the form of a
tree or some other large
obstacle.
· If you encounter a wolf and
your dog is present, bring
your dog in close and restrain
it if possible. This will prevent
the dog from potentially
falling victim to a wolf attack.
It is very likely that the wolf
has been attracted by your
dog and will be less likely to
approach closer when the two
of you are together. Making
noise will further discourage a
wolf.
· If a wolf attacks, fight back
aggressively.
· Report any unusually bold or
aggressive behaviour by
wolves to a conservation
officer as soon as possible.
Protecting your livestock
· Changes in grazing patterns
and herd temperament may
suggest wolves or other
predators are in the area.
· Young livestock are more
vulnerable to attack, so
producers need to be
especially vigilant in the
spring.
· Keeping livestock confined in
pens or corrals at night will
help to prevent predator
attacks.
· Guard dogs may help protect
against wolves. Select larger
breeds and use more than one
dog.
· If you suspect livestock has
been attacked or killed by
wolves or other predators,
preserve the scene and call a
conservation officer. Do not
move a carcass until a
conservation officer has
investigated. Once an
investigation is complete,
bury the carcass to prevent
scavenging.
· Livestock producers can also
request the assistance of a
predator control specialist by
contacting Saskatchewan
Crop Insurance at
1-888-935-0000.
Wolf facts
· Wolf families live together in
packs comprised of a
dominant male and female,
their pups from recent years
and other related, but
subordinate adults. All of the
adults help look after the
young. Packs range in size
from two to 20 wolves.
· Wolves usually hunt and kill
other animals for food, but will
also scavenge on carrion.
Wolves are well adapted to
killing large mammals.
· Wolves in packs depend
heavily on deer, elk, moose
and caribou for food, while
those hunting alone or in pairs
are more likely to prey upon
fawns or moose and elk
calves, beaver and other small
game, including snowshoe
hare, woodchuck, porcupine,
waterfowl, grouse, lynx, fish
and mice.
· Habituated wolves are still
wild and still capable of killing
large animals. However, they
take more risks around people
than other wild wolves. To get
at human garbage, wolves will
let themselves be seen in
broad daylight; they will travel
dangerously close to people,
and even approach them.
Wolf behaviour
· A wolf that will take risks
around a person will use
observation and 'testing' to
read someone it encounters.
Testing may include moving
about to observe from
different locations,
approaching at a slow walk, or
a couple of bounds toward
the person.
· If the wolf barks it is alarmed
and probably wants distance
put between itself and the
person, but it may also be
protecting something.
· A wolf with ears flattened and
lips drawn into a snarl is either
cornered or very aggressive
and is warning of an attack.
· A wolf that canters off, and
stops to look back is putting
distance between it and you
and is not a threat.
If you see a wolf in your
community, or if you have an
aggressive encounter with a
wolf, contact your local
Ministry of Environment
office or call the TIP line,
24-hours a day, at
1-800-667-7561 or from your
SaskTel cell Phone at #5555.