Why You’ll Never Outrun A Charging Bear

Thirteen Yards in One Second? Who can beat that? Not a human. Not today's fat tourists, that's for sure. But that's what the average bear can do once he gets up to full speed. That speed translates to about 26.59 miles per hour.

A bear might look big and fat but remember, that's solid muscle coming at you. Well, except for that one FAT bear here in Wyoming.

Other than that big guy, yeah bears are really fast. According to an article in Outdoor Life, these big guys can cover a lot of ground in a very short amount of time. So, even if it looks far away it can but upon you in seconds. By the time you turn around to run, it's too late.

In the video below you can watch a bear in Yellowstone chase down his meal. The video might give the impression that he can't move all that fast, but think about what he's chasing and have a look at how fast he catches up to his meal.

From the article in Outdoor life: Bears will sometimes charge extremely fast. In a piece I did last year talking about a sow grizzly that charged my buddy Nick and me, we calculated that she covered 13 yards in less than a second. Bears, whether they are black or brown, are extremely fast and powerful animals, much more than we often realize or give them credit for.

That gives you just enough time to mumble "Lord save me," as you pull out your bear spray and hope it does something.

The best advice of playing dead usually is the way to go. Fact is, if he wants you, he's probably going to get you.

Then again, bringing a much slower friend along for the hike works well. All you have to be is faster than them.