Black Bear Camping Questions

I often carry a bear-resistant food container with the scent-proof plastic liner bags REI sells. I have also had good results with paradichlorobenzene mothballs. You just have to make certain that your food is in scent-proof bags or the mothballs will stink it up.

I carry a lightweight 357 in black bear country and a Mossberg 590 with Dixie hardcast slugs in brown bear areas (backed up by a heavy revolver, where legal).

DancesWithKnives
 
beanbag said:
Over the years I've seen plenty of bears mountain biking in Jersey and hiking in Harriman and the Catskills.
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Dammit, not only are they terrorizing people stealing their picnics baskets and stuff. They are also riding bicycles and causing erosion of our trail systems :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy: I bet they are riding those stupid little trick bikes and coughing up plenty of attitude as well!
 
hang your food according to bear protocol and keep a clean camp and you should have no problems

when hiking in black bear country I don't carry pepper spray, when hiking in grizzly country I always carry pepper spray

while it's true that 99.9% encounters with black bears ends up w/ the bear running off, there is always that 0.1% that could be dicey- I've experienced numerous grizzly and black bear encounters and the one and only bad experience I've had, was w/ a black bear. It wasn't until years later that I learned about a rather rare (but well documented) behavior (almost always w/ large, male black bears)- it's a predatory behavior where they are basically sizing you up for a meal- it's typically not fast or aggressive; rather it's slow, methodical and calculating and can be very unnerving. In my case I was setting up camp at high mountain lake where I noticed a large black bear. I hollered, bang pots, etc to no avail- the bear kept advancing around the lake- slowly. I wasn't concerned, I took it up a notch w/ the noise, thinking he would run off- no such luck. I started packing up with the intention of leaving the lake all to him, he advanced close enough I started pitching rocks- this didn't stop him advancing (slowly mind you). With my pack on I left the lake, he followed- now I am concerned. Every once in awhile I'd stop, yell, pitch a few rocks- all to no avail. Eventually (probably close to a mile) he quit following, I'll admit that night wasn't the most comfortable one I've had in the backcountry- every broken twig and any other noise found me fully awake!

I share that story not to frighten anyone, just so you know if you encounter that behavior, you'll recognize it for what it is. It's rare fortunately, but every once in awhile it does happen- knock on wood not to me again :)
 
kgd said:
Dammit, not only are they terrorizing people stealing their picnics baskets and stuff. They are also riding bicycles and causing erosion of our trail systems :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy: I bet they are riding those stupid little trick bikes and coughing up plenty of attitude as well!
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I think they usually ride fixies, don't they?
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A bear is still a big-ass wild animal. You're absolutely right, at campsites they're waaaaay more brazen and that's not good. Yosemite is full of black bears and I only had issues when camping in group camp sites.

You're taking great precautions. If you're still concerned, here are a few things that I do. I always cook a long way from my tent/shelter [down wind], I always hang all my food or other odoriferous items, and I may even be cautious of the clothes I wear to bed - i.e. did I cook dinner in these clothes?

There was a random black bear attack this summer in BC - some poor dude, was asleep in his lean-to when a black bear attacked. His buddy in a nearby tent was the person who saved the day. Not sure if this guy had food in his tent or what the situation was, but he got pretty banged-up.
 
mtwarden said:
hang your food according to bear protocol and keep a clean camp and you should have no problems

when hiking in black bear country I don't carry pepper spray, when hiking in grizzly country I always carry pepper spray

while it's true that 99.9% encounters with black bears ends up w/ the bear running off, there is always that 0.1% that could be dicey- I've experienced numerous grizzly and black bear encounters and the one and only bad experience I've had, was w/ a black bear. It wasn't until years later that I learned about a rather rare (but well documented) behavior (almost always w/ large, male black bears)- it's a predatory behavior where they are basically sizing you up for a meal- it's typically not fast or aggressive; rather it's slow, methodical and calculating and can be very unnerving. In my case I was setting up camp at high mountain lake where I noticed a large black bear. I hollered, bang pots, etc to no avail- the bear kept advancing around the lake- slowly. I wasn't concerned, I took it up a notch w/ the noise, thinking he would run off- no such luck. I started packing up with the intention of leaving the lake all to him, he advanced close enough I started pitching rocks- this didn't stop him advancing (slowly mind you). With my pack on I left the lake, he followed- now I am concerned. Every once in awhile I'd stop, yell, pitch a few rocks- all to no avail. Eventually (probably close to a mile) he quit following, I'll admit that night wasn't the most comfortable one I've had in the backcountry- every broken twig and any other noise found me fully awake!

I share that story not to frighten anyone, just so you know if you encounter that behavior, you'll recognize it for what it is. It's rare fortunately, but every once in awhile it does happen- knock on wood not to me again :)
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Great story mtwarden! Had a similar experience near Yosemite this summer. A black bear kept coming back to my camp - terrible nights sleep. Rocks, branches, noise, and a 250 lumen light did nothing to scare him away for good.
 
kgd said:
Dammit, not only are they terrorizing people stealing their picnics baskets and stuff. They are also riding bicycles and causing erosion of our trail systems :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy: I bet they are riding those stupid little trick bikes and coughing up plenty of attitude as well!
Click to expand...

It's important to avoid offending bears by using the correct pronunciation: It's "pic-a-nic basket"!;)

DancesWithKnives
 
Interesting idea mentioned in the book LIGHTEN UP.

http://www.amazon.com/Lighten-Up-Co...acking/dp/0762737344/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

In the book it sort of makes the case for stopping at a scenic place on the trail and having dinner before making camp and getting up early, hitting the trail and eating breakfast later on, in part to spare your night camp from food cooking smells.

Being a coffee addict I still have to make coffee but I have sort of gone to just eating some snacks in the morning instead of cooking anything. I haven't tried the dinner on the trail before camp but it sounds like a good idea.
 
During the salmon runs on Alaska rivers, several outfitters suggested the same thing: Beach the raft/canoe and cook dinner, then float/paddle another half hour to a camp spot. It would be even easier in the North because of the long daylight hours.

I have not tried it, mostly because I tend to stop for two days at any good spot so I'm going to have to cook there at some point.

DancesWithKnives
 
I have started traveling to and hiking in areas where black bears live, and where regulations require food hanging. Rather than be troubled with lines and trees, I just bought one of these gizmos.

http://www.bareboxer.com/

I got the Contender. Based on my research, it's the best bang for the buck and one of the better-sized bear canisters for weekend trips.

prd.jpg


I also carry Counter Assault spray. Again, based on research, the spray is more effective than a gun when it comes to a bear charge. Of course, I have these "just in case" loads too, though the spray is going to be my first "go to" defense. Doubt I'd even have time to get to a handgun.

bear-loads.jpg


ETA:

I posted this picture elsewhere today. You might find its information valuable.

attachment.php
 
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Guyon said:
I have started traveling to and hiking in areas where black bears live, and where regulations require food hanging. Rather than be troubled with lines and trees, I just bought one of these gizmos.

http://www.bareboxer.com/

I got the Contender. Based on my research, it's the best bang for the buck and one of the better-sized bear canisters for weekend trips.

prd.jpg
Click to expand...

That's odd. Those look like the Garcia containers that I have.

They are very effective. I have one we used as a long term cache for food one trip and you can still see all the teeth marks all around the margin where something with large canines tried to get in. They didn't succeed.

Bears in the northeast are typically afraid of humans. The ones to be worried about are the ones that have associated people with food. They are often the dangerous ones. While blacks are smaller and more timid they also kill more people in Alaska and country wide (I believe) than browns. I almost never camp at campsites so the bears do have my camp area on a food loop that they travel. I believe that makes me safer than staying at campgrounds where bears usually know that food can be left out. Even strongly monitored camp areas eventually seem to attract bears. I personally have only seen bears feeding at dumpsters and have never seen a bear while camping. I have evidence of bears but never seen the bears while camping or hiking for that matter.

Either hang (properly) or place your food in a container away from your sleep area. Don't keep anything in your tent that could attract bears. Not just food, don't keep toothpaste, deodorant, snacks, etc in your tent. Personally I don't even wash with scented soap when going out. I don't want to do anything that makes the bear think I'm edible. Especially when I am using the hammock to sleep in. I don't want any bear coming by thinking I'm a freaking pinata. :D

KR
 
Ive been hiking and camping in the Catskills for the past 35 years, I'm in the Katterskill and Plattkill cloves alot and often see black bears Ive never had any problems at all
 
kgd said:
Dammit, not only are they terrorizing people stealing their picnics baskets and stuff. They are also riding bicycles and causing erosion of our trail systems :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy: I bet they are riding those stupid little trick bikes and coughing up plenty of attitude as well!
Click to expand...

I sense a little incredulity in your post KGD, but trust me, the bears of NY/NJ are quite talented. I know what I saw.
 
mtwarden said:
hang your food according to bear protocol and keep a clean camp and you should have no problems

when hiking in black bear country I don't carry pepper spray, when hiking in grizzly country I always carry pepper spray

while it's true that 99.9% encounters with black bears ends up w/ the bear running off, there is always that 0.1% that could be dicey- I've experienced numerous grizzly and black bear encounters and the one and only bad experience I've had, was w/ a black bear. It wasn't until years later that I learned about a rather rare (but well documented) behavior (almost always w/ large, male black bears)- it's a predatory behavior where they are basically sizing you up for a meal- it's typically not fast or aggressive; rather it's slow, methodical and calculating and can be very unnerving. In my case I was setting up camp at high mountain lake where I noticed a large black bear. I hollered, bang pots, etc to no avail- the bear kept advancing around the lake- slowly. I wasn't concerned, I took it up a notch w/ the noise, thinking he would run off- no such luck. I started packing up with the intention of leaving the lake all to him, he advanced close enough I started pitching rocks- this didn't stop him advancing (slowly mind you). With my pack on I left the lake, he followed- now I am concerned. Every once in awhile I'd stop, yell, pitch a few rocks- all to no avail. Eventually (probably close to a mile) he quit following, I'll admit that night wasn't the most comfortable one I've had in the backcountry- every broken twig and any other noise found me fully awake!

I share that story not to frighten anyone, just so you know if you encounter that behavior, you'll recognize it for what it is. It's rare fortunately, but every once in awhile it does happen- knock on wood not to me again :)
Click to expand...

My wife and I had a somewhat similar experience - we were hiking around a lake that had a moderate amount of use, when we encountered a bear on the trail. We did the noise thing while backing up slowly, but the bear slowly followed us with his nose high, seemingly sniffing. He followed us only for a hundred feet or so, and then turned down toward the lake, where there was a fisherman.

We found out later that the bear had found a cooler full of food on the shore (a boater claiming a lunch spot, presumably), ate it, then went to the next human on the shore - a fisherman who promptly tossed the bear his stringer of trout and skedaddled. The bear then proceeded along about a fourth of the lakeshore, checking out hikers (us and several others, none of whom had trout or other smelly food) and fishermen (who mostly threw him their fish and took off). One fisherman had two dogs with him, an Akita and a large black lab mix, who went nuts barking and lunging at the bear, which eventually made the bear retreat back into the woods.

FWIW, it took my wife and I an hour to hike around the lake to where we encountered the bear, and only 20 minutes to return!
 
No, no... you don't need a bear canister or anything...

Just put all your food in your tent and sleep with a pistol in your hand.

You'll have a quiet nights sleep and be able to carry your 150lb rucksack easily the next day.

;)
 
Knowledge, preparation and respect are your best protection against a bear attack, more so than any firearm or knife. Do your research on the topic and make sure you're fully informed.

As for right now, I suggest not eating in your tent or within your campsite. They're for the "most part" more interested in eating your food than in eating you, they're mostly scavengers and opportunistic predators.
 
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