Bear mating season has grizzly bears doing what comes naturally, but what may seem odd to hikers in the area of the Skogan Pass, who witnessed the behaviour on Saturday.

Four hikers were making their way down a trail near Wind Valley when they saw a grizzly bear running down the same path. Since they thought it was coming towards them, they pulled out their bear spray and sprayed it when the bear was still 20 metres away from them.

"The maximum distance that bear spray can be propelled is nine to 15 metres," Conservation officer Arian Spiteri said. "So they likely did not hit the bear with the spray. But when the bear saw them it stopped, skirted around them and continued down the trail in the direction that it was heading."

 A few minutes later, the hikers saw another bear running down the same trail in the same direction.

"It was a smaller grizzly," Spiteri said. "It came down the trail quickly and when it saw the hikers it also skirted around them and kept going in the same direction."

The hikers also heard bear vocalizations coming from the woods.

On the same day, in a different area of Kananaskis Country, a man who was hiking alone encountered the same kind of behaviour. A bear was moving quickly down a trail near him and when it saw the man it skirted around him and kept going. The hiker gave the bear plenty of space, Spiteri said.

"Almost immediately, another bear came along, that seemed to be following the first bear," Spiteri said. "In both of these incidents, the bears were likely showing mating behaviour," Spiteri said. "In the first incidence, a larger, male bear could have been chasing the two smaller bears. We are at the tail end of bear mating season, but sometimes they continue mating until August."

Also at that time, young female grizzly bears 110 and105, who are wearing transmitters were both in the general area. A bear warning sign has been posted on the Skogan and Pigeon Mountain trails, she said.

"This type of incident highlights the importance of remaining aware of your surroundings in bear country," Spiteri said. "Wearing earphones or any kind of headset can impede your ability to detect a bear. People should think twice about wearing them when traveling in bear country."

Currently there are bear warning signs posted at the Canmore Nordic Centre due to two sets of black bears with young of the year. Mountain bikers should be particularly aware of what is ahead of them, because they can come upon a bear quickly. Bikers should avoid wearing anything like iPods, she said.

"Some simple rules when hiking are to hike in groups, make lots of noise, particularly in naturally noisy areas like near creeks or rivers, or when it is windy, or when in thick vegetation. Carry bear spray and know how to use it and keep dogs on leash.

"One good thing to do is to watch the free video, "Staying Safe in Bear Country", which is available at Avalanche Video, the library and from WildSmart," Spiteri said.

On Saturday, conservation officers put up a wildlife closure on the Grotto Mountain canyon trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park. The trail is closed past the waterfall intersection at the end of the canyon on the left side, because there is a deer carcass in the area.

Whether the deer was killed by a cougar or a bear, the carcass could attract any kind of carnivore, and so people should stay out of the area, Spiteri said.

If you see a bear, report it by calling 403-591-7755.

Editor's Note: For further information for staying safe in bear country, click here...