A New City man is lucky to be alive after a close encounter with a black bear earlier this week.

Darren Loso was hiking in Sterling Forest on Wednesday morning when he says he was approached by the bear. He says his survival instincts kicked in and he started waving his knife and a stick he was carrying. He was able to scare the bear off.

Wildlife officials say people should not hike alone. If a bear is nearby, officials say hikers should make noises to scare it away. If that doesn't work, people should either back away slowly or stand their ground and make themselves look as big as possible, using a stick or a coat.