Most wildlife problems on long trails are food problems. Bears that get food become a problem for the next hundred hikers, not just for you.
- Bears. Cook and store away from the tent. Make noise on blind, brushy trail. If you see a bear, do not run. Give it the trail. Carry the can or hang the bag the land unit requires — not the method you prefer.
- Mountain lions. Rare. Do not run. Stand, look large. Fight if it is a real attack. This is a footnote, not a personality.
- Rattlesnakes. Look before you sit, step, and reach. Give them the trail. They want the same thing you want: not this conversation.
- Rodents. Shelters and popular camps. Hang or canister even where bears are not the story. They will eat a strap, a filter, and a night of food.