Overlanding with bears?

[MidOH]

Blow back of bear spray is no problem. As a human, you understand why your eyes and nose are burning, the bear doesn't.

There's places you can visit wild grizz catching salmon. They have no interest in you. Bears are as individual as we are.

 

[KAIONE]

I'm not from North America so I'm not so familiar with the behaviour of bears. When I was cycling camping there were signs to report bears because that would be unusual in the areas I was in.

Is there a time when bears are more active?
Are they a problem if I leave my car and go for a hike during the day?
Will they try and break into a vehicle (eg RV) while you are sleeping in it and food is in the refrigerator?

My $.02 in answers to your questions:

It all depends on where you are, what type of bears are around and what you have in your vehicle. Bears are active 7-10 mo’s out of the year depending on the location.
Most hibernate in winter if they can.
They’ll try to break into anything and everything if their hungry. There’s tons of stories good and bad out there about them. If you understand the basic principals of how they work, there’s a lot you can do like everyone on this thread is saying. It’s the .01% of the time that you can’t plan for that can get dicey, especially places with big brown bears. Good luck!

 

[PapaDave]

Bears….they’ll even come through a partially locked window, carefully open your fridge, eat all your meat plus your wife’s famous snickerdoodles. Bears….

 

[OTH Overland]

Overlanding with Bears? We have a large old German Shepard, she takes up so much room in the rig, and the shedding is horrible. Can't imagine how much of a pain it would be if we brought a bear instead! Would need the giant size bag of Pruina Bear Kibble, not to mention based on @PapaDave 's phots above, would need an extra large Trasharoo to carry out all the plastic baggies of droppings.. Think we will stay with the dog for now... lol

 

[MMc]

Overlanding with Bears? We have a large old German Shepard, she takes up so much room in the rig, and the shedding is horrible. Can't imagine how much of a pain it would be if we brought a bear instead! Would need the giant size bag of Pruina Bear Kibble, not to mention based on @PapaDave 's phots above, would need an extra large Trasharoo to carry out all the plastic baggies of droppings.. Think we will stay with the dog for now... lol

FOR THE WIN!!!!!

 

[Bullpine]

Keep a clean camp. Don’t eat where you sleep especially in a ground based tent and don’t keep snacks other food or toothpaste in your tent. If you have spilled food in or on your tent in the past the odor will remain detectable to bears for a looooooong time. Consider replacing your tent. If you have a campfire do not dump grease or oil into the fire and don’t burn food scraps. Coolers absorb and keep odors from anything stored in them even canned and bottled drinks. Clean your cooking equipment. Food should be stored in bear proof canister or hoisted into a tree at least 15 feet on the air and 8-10 feet out from the trunk. (A line run between 2 trees accomplishes this). Women’s hygiene items should be bagged and hoisted as well. Be aware that bears can and will appear at any time nearly anywhere. They are very food motivated and although they can appear goofy in their actions (especially black bears) they will do whatever it takes to access food. Including maiming or killing humans. In grizzly country if you happen across dead carcasses (sometimes partially buried). Leave the area in a high sense of awareness preferably in a down wind direction. If you encounter cubs of either species. Same thing as carcasses. Gtfo right now . Carry bear spray and know how to use it (mind your wind direction if you need to deploy it). If you are reasonably trained with firearms they are a viable option if of a suitable caliber and with appropriate ammunition. Be aware a bear will get the jump on you and close distance so fast your head will spin. Grizzly bears especially can absorb a lot of rounds especially from a handgun regardless of caliber with little effect. Lived hunted played and worked in high density grizzly and black bear country for 40 years. Encountered many of each species. A female bicyclist was killed by a grizzly bear while camping overnight IN A TOWN very close to me because she didn’t use common sense and had not heeded basic information regarding bears. Food in the tent. No need to be paranoid but take bears seriously and use your head.

 

[ZombieCat]

Keep a clean camp. Don’t eat where you sleep especially in a ground based tent and don’t keep snacks other food or toothpaste in your tent. If you have spilled food in or on your tent in the past the odor will remain detectable to bears for a looooooong time. Consider replacing your tent. If you have a campfire do not dump grease or oil into the fire and don’t burn food scraps. Coolers absorb and keep odors from anything stored in them even canned and bottled drinks. Clean your cooking equipment. Food should be stored in bear proof canister or hoisted into a tree at least 15 feet on the air and 8-10 feet out from the trunk. (A line run between 2 trees accomplishes this). Women’s hygiene items should be bagged and hoisted as well. Be aware that bears can and will appear at any time nearly anywhere. They are very food motivated and although they can appear goofy in their actions (especially black bears) they will do whatever it takes to access food. Including maiming or killing humans. In grizzly country if you happen across dead carcasses (sometimes partially buried). Leave the area in a high sense of awareness preferably in a down wind direction. If you encounter cubs of either species. Same thing as carcasses. Gtfo right now . Carry bear spray and know how to use it (mind your wind direction if you need to deploy it). If you are reasonably trained with firearms they are a viable option if of a suitable caliber and with appropriate ammunition. Be aware a bear will get the jump on you and close distance so fast your head will spin. Grizzly bears especially can absorb a lot of rounds especially from a handgun regardless of caliber with little effect. Lived hunted played and worked in high density grizzly and black bear country for 40 years. Encountered many of each species. A female bicyclist was killed by a grizzly bear while camping overnight IN A TOWN very close to me because she didn’t use common sense and had not heeded basic information regarding bears. Food in the tent. No need to be paranoid but take bears seriously and use your head.

An excellent summary regarding bear safety! Thank you!
Depending on your type of tent, a good soaking in white vinegar & water, followed by a thorough rinsing and air drying, may remove food odors. This was the ONLY thing that removed the stench of wildfire smoke from my backpacking tent. However, it may be difficult to accomplish with very large and/or canvas tents.

 

[Dunnage Garage]

Overlanding with Bears? We have a large old German Shepard, she takes up so much room in the rig, and the shedding is horrible. Can't imagine how much of a pain it would be if we brought a bear instead! Would need the giant size bag of Pruina Bear Kibble, not to mention based on @PapaDave 's phots above, would need an extra large Trasharoo to carry out all the plastic baggies of droppings.. Think we will stay with the dog for now... lol

Yep, you win!!! not sure what, but you win!

 

[BroncoTrail]

cook in one place, store your food in another, sleep in another

This really is the best advice. Also include chapstick, toothpaste, deoderant, soap, etc. It all smells tasty to bears.

1. Don't attract a bear with smells in the first place.
2. Bear Spray and/or Glock 20 10mm.
3. Poop your pants.
4. At this point you're either thanking God, even if you don't believe in God.... or you're being eaten alive.

 

[AggieOE]

This really is the best advice. Also include chapstick, toothpaste, deoderant, soap, etc. It all smells tasty to bears.

1. Don't attract a bear with smells in the first place.
2. Bear Spray and/or Glock 20 10mm.
3. Poop your pants.
4. At this point you're either thanking God, even if you don't believe in God.... or you're being eaten alive.

Right on. We've been told by many camp hosts and rangers that ANYTHING with an added smell will attract bears.

Somewhat relevant story: We took our RTT on our 4Runner to Sequoia NP (Potwisha Campground) and after arrival and setting up, a ranger came over to welcome us and asked what we were sleeping in. After pointing up, her demeanor changed. "Oh! Soft sides?" with a grim face. Then she gave us the lay of the land with a list of what to do and what not to do regarding bears. Activity had apparently been high. She told us that while cooking, they may sneak up right behind you and grab something off your plate with a downplayed comparison to raccoons. So we expected to ONLY see small black bears at most. Still, I've never slept so lightly.
We woke up, skipped breakfast (as it was 14-deg) and headed for warmer weather to thaw our frozen tent and toes. As we exited the campground entrance, 30-ft from where we slept, we found this huge guy on the other side of the road...


The picture doesn't do justice to the size of this thing compared to our car.

 

[FishFam_logs]

Only encounter was up near Slickrock, specifically the Union Lake camp ground. Before we even started setup the camp host was over talking to me about a couple friendly bears. They had become so common they knew when it was dinner time and would wait till their food was cooked just right.

Sure enough they would stroll through the camp sites and literally pick what they wanted for dinner and pay the campers a visit. Camp Host walked with them warning people and trying to herd them out. Strangest thing. They were a couple good 2-300lb bears, not huge but just outside cuddling Was a light night of sleeping.

Full disclosure. I have never carried bear spray, guns or other deterrents. I don't hang food in a tree but will use bear boxes when available (rarely where we go). Been camping for 30yrs, closest I've come to a bear was the zoo. But now I just jinxed it...

Deer have always been our issue. Yosemite, Sequoia, Stanislaus, Mendocino. Doesn't matter they always give us a fright.

 

[rtexpeditions]

I looked at this post a while back. I have a question.

I'm planning to spend some time in Oregon, Idaho, and Alberta.
Is there anybody in that area who trains people to use bear spray in an environment that does not involve actual bears? and maybe placebo spray. I'm more concerned with other family members.

I'm planning on doing some bike riding and hiking as well as overlanding in that region next year, about this time of year.

 

[scubasteve2002]

On a past overland trip to Colorado, we had a bear try getting into our cooler. We left the coolers outside the Jeeps overnight. I have seen anti bear food vaults, and understand the idea. My question is, do we need to empty our refrigerators that are in the vehicles too?

Hiking, backpacking, and car camping in bear country for quite a few years now. The reason bears, and what I should say is these are specific bears, get and break into cars is they have had human food before. They smell it and yearn for it! They will do anything they can to get to that scent. (Breaking into cars, houses, tents, coolers....etc.) This behavior unfortunately leads to bears being killed because they will encounter people and be aggressive instead of skittish. Now living in Colorado it has been very annoying seeing people not read up on bear safety (I'm glad you are reaching out though!) and causing these bears to learn a behavior that is not natural for them. This then harms every other visitor to bear country. The examples above like Sequioa are great reminders of what happens when it gets out of control and humans do not do their part.

Now for the things to do!

- Cook a decent distance away from camp (we try to cook about 200-300 feet from camp when backpacking, car camping we cook right next to the car)
- When done cooking ensure camp is cleaned and no food scraps, fat drippings (Beverage cans are great for storage), or anything human related (anything that goes in or on a human) is packed away in a trash bag in the car. Water containers and tables can be kept out as long as you didn't splatter the sides of everything with food.
- Coolers should stay in the car if possible. If not then ensure it is bear rated and you understand how it is bear rated. (Yeti coolers are only bear rated if you use the pad locks on them) If you are backpacking try and use a Bear Vault and not a bear hanging system. Yes the bear hang works but small bears will still climb and know how to pull the strings down. Bears are extremely astute and figure stuff out over time. Best story I read was the bears in Yosemite after they introduced and mandated the use of Bear Vaults, the bears over the year associated the canisters with struggle and if they saw them in camp they would just walk away.
- Know where you are camping and understand what animals you will/could encounter.

For backup if all else above has failed and the bear is very aggressive we have bear spray and one other device that is last resort. But the best thing you can do is keep a clean camp and do not have anything scented outside in the open.

 

[scubasteve2002]

I looked at this post a while back. I have a question.

I'm planning to spend some time in Oregon, Idaho, and Alberta.
Is there anybody in that area who trains people to use bear spray in an environment that does not involve actual bears? and maybe placebo spray. I'm more concerned with other family members.

I'm planning on doing some bike riding and hiking as well as overlanding in that region next year, about this time of year.

I don't know about training. But you can get some training spray to practice with. Cabela's is a big outdoor store for hunting in the states. Unsure about Canada. Here is a link for the inert spray: Frontiersman Practice Bear Spray | Cabela's (cabelas.com) This spray is one time use so ensure the family is paying attention.

I highly recommend getting this inert spray to practice. Parks Canada has done a great job in showing how to use it and has a video on YouTube: How to Use Bear Spray - Banff National Park - YouTube REI Version: What to do in a Bear Encounter (And How to Avoid One) || REI - YouTube

Price shop around for bear spray too or look for other tourists who bought some and are trying to sell at a lower price before they get back on a plane. We do that a lot if we are flying somewhere since you can't fly with bear spray. Unfortunately most shops will gouge you on pricing and elevate the price a lot. Also if you don't plan on being in bear country much but only have a few hikes try and rent it for the days you are doing the hikes.


Funny story with some learning:

In Alaska we were on a remote island that was only accessible by boat with help not coming for a while. We unloaded and were about to start the trail that was known to have bears. While I was filling out the permit form my wife was next to this big family waiting on me. Well the dad was showing how to use the spray and accidentally triggered the spray. This sent off a huge cloud of the spray! Unfortunately my wife was in the plume and had a cough and red eye for a week after this happening. It is some serious stuff so ensure you are not facing the bear when the wind is blowing in your face.

This is pretty condensed but I hope this helps in the search for what you are looking for.

 

[MidOH]

Backpacking, we've all switched to keeping our food in our tents with us.

If the bear can stand between you and your food, then your food is fair game. Because why do people abandon their food? That's the bears moral mentality.

If your food is on you, the bear sees that as "your food". The bear has to actively decide to be a problem bear. Which is rare.

If our food is so addictive to bears........maybe it's time to also analyze how addictive it is to us.

 

[MMc]

As a backpacker in California I can say we all have not switched back to food in our tent. We use bear containers as per the rules in State and National parks. I have watched bears go through cars vans and tents for an apple or a bag of chips. You do you MidOH, I'll watch for a far!

 

[scubasteve2002]

Backpacking, we've all switched to keeping our food in our tents with us.

If the bear can stand between you and your food, then your food is fair game. Because why do people abandon their food? That's the bears moral mentality.

If your food is on you, the bear sees that as "your food". The bear has to actively decide to be a problem bear. Which is rare.

If our food is so addictive to bears........maybe it's time to also analyze how addictive it is to us.

Yeah, I do not ever see switching back to putting food in the tent. Definitely not worth the risk of a late night wake up call to a bear trying to snuggle up with you.

 

[ZombieCat]

Backpacking, we've all switched to keeping our food in our tents with us.

If the bear can stand between you and your food, then your food is fair game. Because why do people abandon their food? That's the bears moral mentality.

If your food is on you, the bear sees that as "your food". The bear has to actively decide to be a problem bear. Which is rare.

If our food is so addictive to bears........maybe it's time to also analyze how addictive it is to us.

Except that’s not how it works…
Bears, particularly grizzlies, are apex predators and will take food from a weaker opponent - other bears, wolves, coyotes and yes, humans. I’m no match for a hungry, grumpy 800 lbs grizzly with 3” claws. Keeping food properly stored, as @MMc states, will prevent the bear from getting it. They do not get their “reward” and lose interest, preventing food habituation.
In places where proper storage is required (Montana, California, Wyoming, etc.), you can be ticketed if rangers observe you breaking the rules. Insult on top of injury if your tent has been ripped to shreds, your vehicle windows busted, and/or you were injured. Is this government overreach? In July 2023, Glacier National Park had to euthanize a bear due to aggressive food conditioning, the first time in nearly 15 years. All brought on by some imbeciles who failed to secure food in the campground. As an aside, many tent campers were inconvenienced when they were forced to move out of the campground due to the threat of this now aggressive animal. An ounce of prevention may save your life, not to mention the bear’s life. Be safe!

 

[MOAK]

We’ve been camping in bear country forever and have never had even the slightest of encounters. Keeping your campsite anally retentivley clean is the most important thing one can do. Not just cleaning up after a meal, but keeping everything cleaned up & orderly as you go. Example- Want some cheese & crackers? Go to the vehicle, open tail gate, open drawer, pull out the sealed & smell proof tote, remove crackers, put everything away, immediately. Slide fridge out, open fridge, remove cheese, close fridge, slide it back, close up tailgate. Anal retentive behavior? Yes, but we’ve never had a bear visit our camp. The other major thing? Keep food prep simple & quick, then clean up and put everything away, asap. Another major thing? No greasy foods, especially bacon. Bears can smell that stuff from miles away. Even when we are not in bear country we operate our camp in the same manner, that way we don’t even think about having to change any bad camp habits. I’ve seen folks out there whose campsites look like a small tornado came through. Stuff scattered everywhere. They may as well just put a sign out that says- Bears Welcome Here.

 

[MidOH]

Are you guys insinuating that you're not the food? I was talking about black bears.

Good luck to yall in grizz land.

And it doesn't matter how clean your camp site is. They have a foot long nose, and I can smell your Cheetoz from here. They can smell bugs a foot under ground.