Camping is fun for plenty of people, but it also brings a lot of dangers when staying in the woods.

In some areas of Pennsylvania, it’s more common to find black bears than in other places, so it’s important to know what to do when you come across one. When you see a black bear, it’s best to avoid it overall, walk the other way and most importantly don’t antagonize it. Usually the bear shouldn’t notice you and keep doing what it was doing. If it does notice you though, try and make yourself seem big by yelling and putting your hands above your head to make yourself seem larger and like a threat. When camping, it’s also important to keep your trash bag in a place any bears will have difficulty reaching to assure the bears don’t look for food in trash.

Another type of dangerous wildlife is ticks. Ticks are tiny parasites that feed on your blood, and can even sometimes spread diseases. It’s important to wear bug spray and tick repellent to prevent them and any other bugs. You should also wear lighter clothing to make it easier to spot them on you. Finally, have someone check your hair and check your own body after walking through heavy shrubbery.

Raccoons aren’t necessarily dangerous, but you should learn to prevent them coming to your campsite for the safety of others and the raccoons. You should always put away food that is sitting out and make sure it’s in a place a raccoon can’t get it, like in a cooler or back pack. Like bears, raccoons like to rummage through trash as well, so it’s important to keep it in a place neither animal can get it. If you’re really concerned about raccoons, you can always purchase repelanta for then.

Overall, make sure to clean up after yourself and make sure the site is still appropriate to camp at and for animals to walk around at once you left.