Bear care

[Troy Carroll]

Considering this is food related I thought this might be the best spot for it. What kind of precautions does everybody take when dealing with food storage in bear territory. Obviously you aren't going g to put your cooler or fridge in a bear bag up in a tree, and dispersed campsites aren't known for having bear boxes. What are some of the ways you all make food storage "bear safe"?

 

[pcstockton]

in the rig.

 

['52Chevy]

in the rig.

I've heard that doesn't necessarily stop them either.

 

[MMc]

I have watched Bears open many cars, one of the best was a 80's style Cadi. the bear popped that big old trunk and hoped right in. It the 90's the bears were opening mini vans even when they empty in Mineral king. they were conditioned to food in mini vans at the time. We drove the mini van onto a big blue tarp and wrapped it with rope, it also kept the marmots from eating the rubber. Back packed for a week and came back, the van was fine unlike others.

 

[Ragman]

I normally keep the food in the vehicle or up in a tree when I am not around the vehicle. When traveling in dicey country I also try to limit cooking where I am camping for the night and minimize very smelly foods as much as possible. I have experienced bears but never had an issue with one in camp. My brother got careless one time in the Boundary Waters and left a cooler of meat on the ground-they spent the night floating in their canoe watching the black bears feast on their steaks!

 

[mirinda]

Same for me too, I keep the food in the vehicle.

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1
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[Sea Diamond]

My dad always told me to keep a big bear spear and a bucket of rocks near by...years later I always thought it was good advice. Especially growing up in British Columbia

 

[Roger M.]

Living in B.C., I camp in a lot of bear country. For me, it's less about how to stop a bear from getting into my car or my cooler, and more about keeping the bear out of my camp altogether.
For that, I use a Bearwatch electric fence, and I know lots of other backwoods campers here in B.C. who do the same.
I quickly string my portable electric fence up around my campsite, and don't ever worry about bears around my food or my tent (although I still always keep a can of bear spray on a carabiner on my belt, 100% of the time ... electric fence or no electric fence!)

Bearwatch Systems - Electric Bear Fences - Portable and Lightweight

Portable and lightweight electric bear fences designed for camping - Feel safer and sleep better in bear country with a layer of electric deterrence against wildlife.

bearwatchsystems.com

 

[Sea Diamond]

Living in B.C., I camp in a lot of bear country. For me, it's less about how to stop a bear from getting into my car or my cooler, and more about keeping the bear out of my camp altogether.
For that, I use a Bearwatch electric fence, and I know lots of other backwoods campers here in B.C. who do the same.
I quickly string my portable electric fence up around my campsite, and don't ever worry about bears around my food or my tent (although I still always keep a can of bear spray on a carabiner on my belt, 100% of the time ... electric fence or no electric fence!)

Bearwatch Systems - Electric Bear Fences - Portable and Lightweight

Portable and lightweight electric bear fences designed for camping - Feel safer and sleep better in bear country with a layer of electric deterrence against wildlife.

bearwatchsystems.com

Very interesting...although I am surprised to learn it will deter a bear. I see you're on the island and I know the high population of black bear there...so your review should be highly regarded.

With social media and what I’ve seen on it I must say I give the buggers way more respect. Although rocks will prevail for me. Quite honestly...to end my days in a battle with a beast would be an honorable way to meet my maker at this stage of my life ;-)

 

[Roger M.]

Very interesting...although I am surprised to learn it will deter a bear. I see you're on the island and I know the high population of black bear there...so your review should be highly regarded.

With social media and what I’ve seen on it I must say I give the buggers way more respect. Although rocks will prevail for me. Quite honestly...to end my days in a battle with a beast would be an honorable way to meet my maker at this stage of my life ;-)

I hear you, it can seem a bit odd to put up a lightweight fence as a deterrence for a bear ... and even with that electric fence I still always have the bear spray clipped onto my belt.
I guess if your time is up, going in a knock-down-drag-out with a bear is an honourable way to go!

Seriously though, these portable electric fences put out around 8000 volts at .5 joules, and they put that juice directly into the bears nose ... as it's a completely unknown experience for the bear, it activates their "fear and flight" response, which is exactly what you want to protect you and the other folks in your camp.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Im

Very interesting...although I am surprised to learn it will deter a bear. I see you're on the island and I know the high population of black bear there...so your review should be highly regarded.

With social media and what I’ve seen on it I must say I give the buggers way more respect. Although rocks will prevail for me. Quite honestly...to end my days in a battle with a beast would be an honorable way to meet my maker at this stage of my life ;-)
View attachment 280294

I'm no bear expert. I've never even seen a grizzly live and in progress, though I do get black bears in my back yard regularly.

As I understand it there's a difference between black bears and Grizzlies, in that a black bear is more like a grazing cow, and a grizzly tends to stake out an area as thier own and attack you if they find you in thier area?

While there were only 100 or so black bears in my state 50 years ago. There are about 4500 now, so I imagine sightings will be more and more prevalent.

Actually a guy in another town just shot and killed a mamma black bear and orphaned her 4 cubs, ostensibly because she went after his chickens. I know a whole region that will not be buying eggs or chicken from that guy - everyone is in an uproar mad at him. And I dont blame them. My Beagle will scare off a black bear if it isnt cornered, and black bears hate the sound of bells. Not to mention the guy had bird feeders out and should have taken every precaution to keep the bear away from his chickens in the first place by taking down the bird feeders and maybe putting up an electric fence as @Roger M. Mentioned.

I've seen video of a black bear ripping the door off a car as casually as I release the screw top off of a High Life, so I'm concerned that keeping food in the vehicle may not be best idea - although that's how I have always ever car-camped. I know about bear barrels but have never needed one, now considering one...

So I'm watching this thread

 

[ZombieCat]

While black bears are not as aggressive as brown/grizzly bears, they can still be dangerous:

Black bear killed California woman in her home

Patrice Miller, 71, died in a "mauling or a swipe in a bite to the neck," the local sheriff said.

www.newsweek.com

In June 2023, a man in Arizona was killed by a predatory black bear. Predatory black bears are rare, but any bear can be dangerous if startled, protecting cubs, or pursuing/guarding food.
As previously suggested, cook away from your sleeping area and be meticulous in cleanup. Dispose of dishwater far away from camp and don’t pour out drinks or other food liquids on the ground in camp (beer, anyone?). Never leave trash, food or any “smelly” stuff unsecured if not in use. Keep your food locked in your vehicle; I’d further recommend securing these items in a sealed box or cooler to lessen the transmission of odors. I added 1/4” weatherstripping to my Plano box where I keep unrefrigerated food.
This website has a list of IGBC bear resistant products, to include coolers and storage containers. Note that most require additional padlocks to meet the “resistant” standard.

Bear Resistant Products - Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee

You can check to see if products you are thinking of purchasing or that you already own is one of the products that are on the List of Bear-Resistant Products.

igbconline.org

 

[Sea Diamond]

While black bears are not as aggressive as brown/grizzly bears, they can still be dangerous

Have you ever eaten a pine cone...well neither have I. Just wanted to date myself and add something important to this thread...

During my time spent in the bush I've had many encounters with the smelly beast...the only time things would get outta hand was in the early spring before food started to show. And almost always it was the mangy looking two year old blacks that were the most unpredictable.

Take this as a warning ;-)

 

[Sea Diamond]

Looks like I messed that up...reply is in the quote

 

[MidOH]

Big lunches. No dinners in big bear country. So food smells are 80 miles away.

No worries in black bear country, or anywhere else.

Keep a can of bear spray handy.

 

[mep1811]

Trash and food in the vehicle. I spray ammonia around the vehicle doors and trailer doors.

 

[genocache]

I keep a bear barrel with 3 days of food in case a bear gets my daily food. Usually I camp in the desert and the rodents are a bigger problem. When bikepacking I used a bear hang, didn't cook near where we slept or hung the food. Remember things like lip balm, deodorant smell mighty tasty to bears, not to mention the french fry your 5yo dropped between the seats.

 

[cug]

any “smelly” stuff

The most smelly thing in the camp after a few days out is me. There is no way I can prevent smells on my body, even sweet smells, like when brushing teeth or such. We do keep non-dry food in the vehicle itself, while we sleep in the truckbed camper (AluCab). The camper is softsided when the bed is set up, so we can't do much about that part, but on the other hand, there isn't much you can do to really deter a determined bear, be that an aggressive black or or a Grizzly. Sure, our Zarges box and the trash canister are bear safe, but there is still enough "smelly stuff" around that isn't in bear safe containers and we can't pack that way anyways. We try to keep stuff away from our sleeping area, but that's prety much it. Oh, and we cook miles away from our sleeping area when in bear country. Which can just as well mean we sleep where somebody else cooked a few hours ago ... There is no REALLY safe place in bear country, other than staying out of it.

So, if there are bear boxes, we use them, if it looks fishy with prints or sightings or warnings from rangers, we put our smelly stuff in the Zarges and the bear container and put them away from the camp. Otherwise it's just stuff in the front of the truck, while we are in the camper.

 

[grubworm]

i just post this outside our camper door where they can see it....

 

[genocache]

Unfortunately the bears (and that weird guy you went to high school with) are thinking;