Protecting yourself from Polar Bears

Polar Bears are widespread in the Arctic and increasingly, as the ice melts, sailors are venturing into their territory. In recent years there have been some very high profile tragedies occurring on land based expeditions most notably in Svlabard and it is wise to be prepared when visiting their domain. I have put this summary together from the point of view of a European travelling to Greenland as that has been our recent experience but it would be very helpful if those with experience in Svalbard, Canada and other regions that are the domain of polar bears could add their comments.

Everyone wants to see a polar bear in the wild but none of us want to become their lunch so it is important to keep your distance and not take unnecessary risks. When we sail into frozen coastlines the ice is usually at its minimum. Given that sea ice is the favoured hunting ground for polar bears those that bears that we encounter are likely to be quite hungry and my guess a human is just as tempting as a seal to a starving bear.

There are lots of tactics used to keep bears at bay and I list below a few of the most popular:

When camping set trip wires around the perimeter of the camp site to give early warning. Commonly a non-stretch dynamo fishing line is strung at various heights between firmly guyed pole. The line is attached to a trigger that fires either a compressed air alarm or, more commonly, a blank shotgun cartridge. Some cartridges can be bought which send screaming devices and flares off into the sky. The latter will obviously give those in tents an idea of where the intruder maybe rather than just being awakened by a single gunshot in the middle of the night. Please be aware that Polar Bears used to loud bangs emanating from glacial ice and disintegrating icebergs so the noise is not a deterrent but a warning. Trip wire triggers and kits can be bought from: www.icebearalarm.com The trip wire itself is best deployed and stored on a simple fishing reel - it is after all just fishing line.

Food storage when camping. I have never seen it recommended elsewhere but I suggest food and other smelly accoutrements should be stored in back packer’s bear barrels as used in on the John Muir Trail etc. These have transformed bear behaviour in these regions and are light weight and impossible to violate by a bear unless they are carrying the dime required to open them. They can be bought from REI and other backpackers stores inNorth America.

Flares most boats have flares on board and it’s a simple precaution to carry these in dinghy and when ashore too. They might warn off a curious bear. I don 't know whether the new generation LED flares influence bear behaviour but at least they could be used to attract attention when a bear has destroyed your dinghy whilst ashore!

Pepper spray. This might deter a bear but you would have to be so close to use it effectively most people wouldn’t want to rely on it. It is, of course, illegal in many countries and I suspect it is difficult to persuade airlines to carry it around the world.

Keeping out of their way has to be the most sensible precaution and always remember that these creatures can swim and charge at awesome speed so don’t rely on running away as a defence. They can climb on and off icebergs with ease so a yacht tender or kayak would not give protection and a yacht with an open transom could, feasibly, be very inviting. Having said all that I am not aware of anyone being attacked either on a yacht or in a tender but maybe others may know of some such instances? When ashore avoid areas where bears may be lurking behind cover.

Most recommend going splitting the shore party between two tenders and storing them several hundred yards apart such that if a bear decides to trash your RIB you can still get back to your yacht by kayak.

When going ashore take radio, flares and a satellite phone in case disaster strikes.

Firearms

I hope nobody reading this wants to deliberately shoot polar bears and if you do please remember that it is strictly illegal to kill a bear in all jurisdictions. So, if you kill a bear in self defence then it must be reported immediately to the Authorities and it will almost certainly become a crime scene. Like them or loathe them firearms have to be discussed as they do provide the ultimate dependable defence against Polar Bears so I devote the remainder of this article to a discussion about some of the practicalities of getting guns too and from the Arctic and their use.

Shotgun, Hand gun or rifle? If choosing a shotgun go for a pump action one so that you can re-load quickly. Choose cartridges that fire a single slug rather that pellets as the latter will not have the energy to stop a bear in its tracks. Hand guns (illegal in the UK) are widely regarded as being too inaccurate and are, mostly, not powerful enough. I do know some carry a Magnum pistol which can be mounted with a stock to make them legal but I understand you have to be a very accomplished shot to use this effectively in a panic situation. We opted for a rifle as we found it far more accurate than a slug shooting shotgun.

Choice of calibre? If you are going to carry a gun take one that will do the job and not just annoy an already angry predator. If taking rifle most would recommend a minimum calibre of .308. We chose a .375 which seems to have awesome power.

How much ammunition? Most rifles and pump action shotguns can be pre-loaded with 4 or 5 rounds which means you have more than one bite at the cherry. Our rifle has a magazine of 5 rounds and the bolt action means that we can fire off 5 rounds very quickly.

Get trained. The coroner’s report into the Svalbard schoolboy death made it quite clear that those responsible for using the gun MUST know how to use it. The firearm on that occasion was a Wolrd War 2 Mauser with an unusual safety catch which, when partially switched off, allows unfired bullets to be expelled from the breach. Thus all rounds from the magazine were ejected without being shot. It was only when the other guy, who knew how to use it, had picked up the bullets and re-loaded that the bear was finally despatched . By then one boy was dead and others injured. For our training we chose a local gun range (Minsterly Ranges) that ran courses for zoo keepers dealing with escaped large predators. As novices our trainer started us off with silenced .22’s before working up to the more powerful guns required. He let us take our time and take aim (in order to demonstrate these guns phenomenal accuracy) before moving onto yelling at us to simulate the panic of a bear attack. Under stress out pin point accuracy became, literally, hit and miss! He taught us to load the magazine and then to empty the breach so that the guns was safe and yet could be immediately loaded by pulling the bolt. He advised us not to use the safety catch to avoid the troubles that happened on Svalbard. I know of one commercial outfit that in the UK that runs spoke Polar Bear protection courses. Their website is:

Get everyone trained. It seems common sense to make sure everyone knows how and when to use any weapon that is carried.

Protecting the weapon. Firing mechanisms can freeze up if covered in snow and then they are useless. A way to protect the bolt and trigger is to stitch velcro onto an old inner tube and warp it around the bolt an trigger. This is sufficient to keep snow out and can be ripped off very quickly in an emergency. Over the barrel stretch the the cut off finger of a marigold rubber glove. I am told that this has not impact on accuracy but it keeps ice and debris out of the barrel. As we we want to preserve our gun for re-sale once south of 60N we keep our gun in a waterproof Pelican case when on board and in the dinghy to avoid corrosion. The case, though lockable for airline use, can very quickly be undone and the gun should always be in perfect condition. Obviously the case is far too heavy to carry around on shore although it has got wheels!


When in camp try and plan how you would deal with an intruder so that you don’t end up shooting each other.

If a bear is looking aggressive and continuing to approach despite all efforts to dissuade it with flares etc then consider firing warning shots but make sure you have rounds left in the magazine in case of attack. I know one person who carries a pump action shotgun specially extended to accommodate 6 rounds. The first two fire blanks and the last four are live rounds.

Try and work out beforehand under what circumstance you would squeeze the trigger so that your response, if the worst happens, becomes second nature. Shoot too soon and you have killed a magnificent predator and you will face certain prosecution.Shoot too late and you are your companions will be lunch. A lot will depend on your competence and confidence but 25 metres would be the minimum range that I would shoot at if a bear was charging. To put that into context if a bear is charging at full speed then at 25 metres he is just 2 seconds away! Aim for the chest which presents the biggest target and use lead tipped bullets which expand as they pierce the flesh causing massive damage to the internal organs. Now you see why you must choose a weapon with sufficient power to stop the predator in it’s tracks.

Always carry the gun. We were so elated when we arrived in Scoresby Sound that we went ashore leaving the weapon on board. We wandered around for an hour or so not really worrying about the fact that we were no longer at the top of the food chain. The next day we went ashore to the village of Ittottorqoromitt (where everyone beyond the outskirts carries a gun) to be told that2 Polar Bears had been seen roaming the same are of beach we had visited the day before. There is no point in having a gun if it is locked up in tis case half a mile away! We didn’t make the same mistake again.

Legalities

I write this from a UK perspective and have no knowledge of what happens in other jurisdictions but would welcome these gaps in knowledge being filled in.

In the UK you must possess a shot gun licence to legally own an ordinary shotgun but I understand a full firearms licence is required to possess either a pump action shot gun or a rifle. To obtain such a license you must have a reason to use it and our local Constabulary (Dyfedd Powys) was very very happy to accept polar bear protection as a reason to own a weapon. The UK Police are only concerned about the gun when it is in the UK. Allow at least 6 months to obtain a firearms licence and currently the fee for a 5 year license is £85. You will need 2 character referees and you will be visited by the Police who will inspect your storage arrangements. The Police will specify where you can use your rifle and how much ammunition you can possess. We are allowed 20 rounds and when in the UK are restricted to shooting on a rifle range.

It surprised us how easy it is to fly with a rifle although we did fall foul of airport security at one point. To fly with a gun it must be in an airline approved locked container. In our case we used a Pelican Case. The ammunition must be in a separate hard and locked container. We were not aware of this as the airline didn’t mention it but airport security confiscated our ammunition. You must pre-warn the airline of your intention to fly with a firearm. In our case we presented ourselves at the check in in Manchester Airport and the Police were summoned to officiate. Two armed police inspected our case and the gun. They then took it off us and said that we would have to collect it at the red customs channel at our destination. What actually happened is that they delivered it to airport security who rejected it because we had also put the ammunition in the Pelican case thus breaching unpublished airport security rules. Se were summoned to return to security and had to open the Pelican case again so that they could confiscate the ammunition. After that we encountered no problem.

Before flying into Iceland with the gun se sought out the chief firearms officer for Iceland at the police station at Kopnavagur. He was very helpful and much more relaxed than his British counterparts. His only requirement was that we must possess a European Firearms License which is a separate license available free of charge once the UK licence has been issued. Allow time for this additional paperwork.

On arrival at Keflavik Airport we presented ourselves at the red channel only to find our gun going round and round on the conveyor belt. Icelandic Customs were not remotely interested in the fact we had brought a gun into the country and we were able to replenish our ammunition at a Reykjavik gunshot with minimal formalities.

Although officially it is illegal to import guns into Greenland the police were not in the slightest bit interested in ours and it would have been thought negligent to not be carrying a gun.

We have been investigating what happens when we get to Canada and have had mixed reports. It is certainly illegal to take a gun ashore in the National Parks of north Labrador but on Baffin Island and other parts of Labrador firearms are considered highly desirable. We have heard one report of a gun being confiscated on arrival as it was deemed illegal south of 60N. It seems that this gun had been bought in Greenland and the owner had no license. Hopefully we will get a clearer idea of what we can and can’t do before we leave Greenland for Baffin and Labrador.

In Svalbard it is a requirement that anyone venturing into the back country must be appropriately protected.

I have no idea what the legal position is in other parts of the Arctic.

Hiring or Buying?

We chose to buy a firearm as we knew we would be undertaking an extensive cruise of Greenland starting and finishing in different ports making hiring impossible. It is possible to hire weapons in many Arctic countries. In East Greenland Nanu Travel will hire out guns. I have heard that guns can also be hired in Svalbard and Tromso, If hiring it is essential that you become familiar with the operation of the weapon you have bought as there are big differences between the various weapons. It is possible that some countries may require a certificate of competence or other evidence of licensing so it would seem to be a good plan to request some kind of certification from whoever does your weapons training in your. In the UK I know Chris Pannell of www.wentworth-sporting.com will provide such certification.