Bears do not need time to get on Green.
When he went to the country of Kananaskis country to reach the links earlier this month, Calgary Jewson’s golf did not imagine that he would share the nine from behind with a black bear.
“We were very grateful for our partner to be the bear in the last hole,” he said. “It was like a small tribute to play golf in the mountains.”
As an open space of 600 acres within the strongly forced Kananaskis Valley, it is not surprising that animals like bears feel attracted to the course.
“One of the things that people sometimes forget is what these golf courses for all types of wildlife is incredible,” said Darren Robinson, the general manager of the field for a long time.
In his almost three decades of life and working in the course, Robinson has seen everything from alces and alces to Pumas and Coyotes in Green.
In addition, more than his fair part of Bears.
“There have been days last summer in which I literally saw, since in the club, five different bears,” he said. “Some blacks, some Grizzlies, some young people, some parents. It is beautiful.”
‘Automatic Bear Par’
Golf at a wildlife access point requires special considerations.
“Maintaining a safe distance is first of all we encourage,” Robinson said.
The objective is to minimize and prevent interactions of human life as much as possible.
With that in mind, the golfers are welcome to bend the rules in the name of security.
“If someone needs to collect a hole where there is a bear nearby, and simply give a couple, that’s great,” Robinson said. “Gather your ball and go to the next hole.”
It is called an “automatic” or “bear birdie”, Robinson said.
“We are happy to give people the opportunity to take whatever they want in that particular hole just to maintain that safe proximity,” he said.
“And who doesn’t like to get a couple?”
Detecting a bear in Green could be the fate of a golfer, but Lawson was not looking to take shortcuts.
“You can really increase your score if you are a kind of new golfer,” he said. “But for us, we had a lot of time, so we could enjoy the bear, soaking in the afternoon and then we could end the course.”
What brings bears to the street?
Alberta Parks has issued a bear warning for the country of Kananaskis country, as of May 8, due to “multiple Grizzly and black bears that frequent the area.”
With scarce food at this time of year, spring brings the bears of the areas developed.
In places like the course, they are looking for vegetation such as grass and dandelion, said Nick de Ruyter, director of the Wildsmart program of the Biosphere Institute.
“The golf courses are very pleasant and green. There is a lot of green grass and there is not much other food,” he said.
Jerome Gignac was playing golf in Coquitlam, BC, when a bear was interested in his new golf bag.
This increase in spring bear’s activity goes beyond the golf course and is applicable in other popular destinations such as trails and urban centers.
“This time of the year, during the spring, we all share the funds of the Valley together,” said De Ruyter, a Canmore resident. “There is snow high, all available food is low and all our recreation is low in the valley.”
In the summer, the bears will probably not frequent the course.
“July, August is the season of berries, and that normally focuses,” said De Ruyter. “And then they will probably move away from golf courses in places like that.”
Buffaloberries, a basic element of the typical bear diet, grow in areas with human distraction where more sunlight reaches them because the trees have been clear.
“That can be around golf courses, around camps, trails, diurnal use areas, picnic areas, playgrounds, parks,” De Ruyter said. “And then we still see them near those areas, but for a different reason.”
These berries grow around the green instead of it, so the bears will probably remain away from the street and will remain on the outskirts of the course in search of food.
“We may not see them in the middle of the golf course as much as we see now, but there is the possibility that you still see them,” said Ruyter.
Be aware of the bear
Seeing a bear anywhere can be a magical moment, but it is important to always exercise caution, said of Ruyter.
“Each group and ideally all people should carry spray of bears,” said Ruyter, who releases weekly bears reports for the Bow Valley area.
The Kananaskis country’s golf course does not require the golfers to bring bears spray, but employees make sure they provide safety tips and information on the activity of the bear in the area, as well as contact information for the services of application of fish and wild life of Alberta.
Sitting in a golf cart at a significant distance from the bear, Lawson said he felt at ease sharing the field with the animal, even without spray.
“It is a long walk in the 18 holes, so if you are pushing, it may bring bear spray. But ultimately, if you are in a golf cart, you are quite sure if you are 100 yards away,” he said.
There must still be harmful interactions with Bears in the Kananaskis field in recent history, and golfers have a role to play to keep it that way.
“What is not fair is to start scaring the bears with their bear’s spray because you are playing golf,” said Ruyter.
The policy of “Bear Par” of the course helps to avoid scenarios like that, but according to Ruyter, the most likely problem arises when it comes to bears is food.
“Chips, hot dogs and hamburgers … That is many more calories than some grass for them,” said Ruyter. “They will choose human food on natural foods all the time.”
It is likely that bears that are conditioned for human foods see humans as a source of food, which can create serious problems for both sides.
“Golf fields will intentionally insert in the hope that golf cars come with open food,” said Ruyter. “They will try to grab the food, and then, if they continue that, they will become even more bold and then begin to take out food from the hands of people.”
“Those bears will be trapped and will probably be killed or relocated,” said De Ruyter.
As the saying goes, “a fed bear is a dead bear.”
Avoiding the human-wildlife conflict is the best mental for Lawson the next time it looks at K-Country.
“The mountains are so beautiful, but this is technically their home,” Lawson said. “So all we can do is really be sure and make sure we are prepared before leaving.”
