Wildlife Watching

Watch Wildlife Safely

1. This seems obvious, but the animals on the BTNF are wild. Wild animals are unpredictable and can be defensive, especially when they’re hungry (like bears coming out of or going into hibernation) or have babies.
2. The general recommendation is that you stay 25 yards from most wildlife and 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves, but these are minimums. Even if you’re 150 yards from a moose, if it’s snuffing or pawing the ground, you’re too close. If an animal is reacting to your presence, move farther away. (Not sure what 25 or 100 yards look like? 1 yard = one adult stride.)
3. Never, ever, EVER feed wildlife. This hurts animals in several  ways: 1. Human food is bad for the teeth and digestive systems of many species. 2. Animals dependent upon handouts can lose their ability to find their own natural food and then die when winter comes and no one feeds them. 3. Feeding animals can make them lose their fear of humans, which can make them easy targets for hunters. 4. Fed animals will start associating humans with food and coming into populated areas. With some species, like squirrels, this is merely a nuisance, with other species, like bears and mountain lions, this can be dangerous, and, to prevent humans from being hurt, wildlife managers either relocate or kill these animals. There is truth to the saying, “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

Professional skier Lynsey Dyer and BTNF wildlife biologist Jason Wilmot talk about why it’s important for backcountry skiers to respect winter wildlife closures.