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UTAH COUNTY -- A bear sighting at a popular Utah hiking spot has the Division of Wildlife Resources issuing a warning days before a busy camping weekend.
Before last weekend, the wildest animal brothers Travis and Wyatt Davis had seen was their dog. But while they were hiking Sunday with their dad near Bridal Veil Falls, they spotted a bear.
"That was our first bear that we saw," Wyatt said.
The bear ambled over the path the boys had hiked just a few moments before.
"We yelled at the people to get back from the bear so he wouldn't spot them and attack them," Travis said.
"We had to stay far back," Wyatt added.
As people watched, DWR officers were called to the area to keep an eye on the situation.
"The division is concerned, obviously, because it's a highly used recreation area," said DWR spokesman Scott Root.
The bear left the area without any problem. Officers returned with hounds the next day and determined the bear had gone even farther up the mountain and away from the canyon.
Bear-sighting reports have been down this year. Due to the wet weather, there's plenty of vegetation and berries at higher altitudes for bears to eat. Still, the DWR wants people to be prepared.
"You don't want to run away from a bear. Hold your ground, raise your arms to appear bigger and make a lot of noise, which I joke will come naturally," Root said.
If you're a safe distance and the bear isn't behaving aggressively, the DWR says consider yourself lucky to see one. That's exactly how Travis and Wyatt are looking at their experience Sunday.
For more information on staying safe around bears, CLICK HERE.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
