Black Bear Country precautions?

J

jaymeister99

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Sep 14, 2010
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Ive been camping and hiking in bear country a few times, but still consider myself a novice to the bear precautions.

Besides keeping all the smelly stuff hung up in a bear bag is there anything else anybody does?
 
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You'll get a loooonnnnggg list of helpful suggestions so I'll add only one unusual one: I have had very good luck keeping them off food, etc. with paradichlorobenzene mothballs. You just need to keep the food in the scent resistant bags REI and a few others sell. [I have a couple bear resistant containers as well.]

DancesWithKnives
 
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jaymeister99 said:
Ive been camping and hiking in bear country a few times, but still consider myself a novice to the bear precautions.

Besides keeping all the smelly stuff hung up in a bear bag is there anything else anybody does?
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We have plenty of black bears up here. Best thing you can do is get some sent proof packages for food. Make sure to clean your cook wear very well so your not leaving scents behind. I backpack a lot, so I use the packages the food come in to eat out of, and then fold them up, and stuff them in a sent proof bag when done. If your fishing, clean your fish well away from your camp. It's mainly about precaution really. 99% of the time you won't have a problem. Accidentally running into a mother bear/bear kill would be your major concern really. Be LOUD. If you're on the trail with someone..... talk, wear bells, just generally be noisy. Most black bears will know where you are MILES before you even see them.

You can call the forrest service ahead of time an get a report on bear activity in the area. They also have some good tips for that area as well.

Bear mace is one of your best repellents. Of course a .44 mag isn't bad either. ;)

Edited to add: smelly stuff hung up in a tree rarely does anything to deter them. Black bears are very resilient at gaining access to food that is hung. It is also a sight indicator for them. If they cant smell it, it's like a hanging dinner bell for those bears that have been introduced to the hanging bear bag. Just my experience of course.
 
I live in the Rockies. In my experience there is no such thing as a smell proof container to a black bear. Their olfactory nerves are like 7 times more sensitive than the best blood hound. The only way to keep them out of your camp is to keep food out of your camp. Most of the time, people just drag their coolers away from camp and for sure don't want a single morsel in your tent. Also, keep in mind what time of year you are in their woods. In the fall when they are fattening up for winter, you may run into more problems. Also in spring when they are waking up.
 
I forgot to mention the cooking, I always cook away from my tent. I'll have to get some scent proof bags. I want to get some bear repellent, but cant get it here in NY!

Anybody sleep outside their tents. Like "under the stars" or under a tarp? Just curious about it in bear country.
 
As thirdeye mentioned, I don't have 100% faith in the scent resistant bags. That's why I try to back them up with a few mothballs and/or a bear resistant container.

DancesWithKnives
 
jaymeister99 said:
I forgot to mention the cooking, I always cook away from my tent. I'll have to get some scent proof bags. I want to get some bear repellent, but cant get it here in NY!

Anybody sleep outside their tents. Like "under the stars" or under a tarp? Just curious about it in bear country.
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I have. I have also used a O.R. bivy on a two week trip in the Canadian Rockies. I was with 3 other guys so I didn't really worry about it all that much.

As another member mentioned there is no such thing as "sent proof", but precaution is still your best defense. If a hungry black bear is intent on getting to some food, he will try.
 
If you are using the little bear resistant containers, do you leave these on the ground? I would assume you would put your smellies in the scent resistant bags then into the containers far away from where you sleep. Correct?
 
thirdeye said:
I live in the Rockies. In my experience there is no such thing as a smell proof container to a black bear. Their olfactory nerves are like 7 times more sensitive than the best blood hound. The only way to keep them out of your camp is to keep food out of your camp. Most of the time, people just drag their coolers away from camp and for sure don't want a single morsel in your tent. Also, keep in mind what time of year you are in their woods. In the fall when they are fattening up for winter, you may run into more problems. Also in spring when they are waking up.
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X2. Bring a nylon roap or paracord and HANG YOUR FOOD in a tree away from your camp.
 
I leave the hard containers on the ground---away from a creek or river. I sometimes put a piece of thin plastic over them, held down be a few stones. I toss a few mothballs on top of the plastic and the bears don't even investigate it. The mothballs often deter smaller varmints as well.

If I am using a flexible bear resistant container (Ursack), I periodically hang it. If the food is in a scent resistant bag inside the Ursack, I sometimes put a larger plastic bag around the Ursack and toss a couple mothballs in the larger bag.

I have spent a lot of time on wilderness rivers in AK and Northern Canada (and backpacked a lot in the US) and have not yet been beaten on a bear setup.

DancesWithKnives
 
jaymeister99 said:
If you are using the little bear resistant containers, do you leave these on the ground? I would assume you would put your smellies in the scent resistant bags then into the containers far away from where you sleep. Correct?
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Black bears are really bad anywhere people camp or backpack a lot here in the southeast, because there are always the idiots that don't secure their food, so bears associate people with food and trash. I see bears pretty much every single trip during warm months, including day hikes.

I always leave my canister on the ground about 100' away from camp with some rocks piled around it. I have found it kicked around in the morning before, but they can't get into the containers. The material is too strong for them to smash and they can't get their jaws around it to bite it.

Keep in mind that hanging is not very effective if the bears are used to humans. The ones up in north GA are so bad they they will untie or shred your rope because they know that it means that food is on the other end. Bear containers are the only completely effective thing I have seen.
 
jaymeister99 said:
Anybody sleep outside their tents. Like "under the stars" or under a tarp? Just curious about it in bear country.
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do you really think a paper thin sheet of material is gonna protect you from a bear? Black bears don't attack people for the sake of attacking them. The reason people are attacked in there sleep is because they brought food, or something that smells like it to bed with them, not because a bear saw them because they weren't hidden by a tent.

The single best thing you can do is put All of your food, food trash, chapstic, lotion, sunscreen, etc. into a bearproof canister left on the ground, away from your camp. I like the mothball idea, I'll have to check it out.

Black Bears don't attack people, they scavenge for food. People die when a bear has to open them up to get the food in there pocket.
Also remember that black bears will usually scare off when introduced with loud and confusing stimulus. Of course if you happen upon a momma and her babies, then all you can do is pray she kills you quickly.
 
stingray4540 said:
do you really think a paper thin sheet of material is gonna protect you from a bear?
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Nope, just interested in people going out without a tent.

From what Ive read I would think the most likely reason people get attacked aside from food on or near them (and simply being stupid), would be suprising a bear at close range.

I would think it would be a heck of a lot easier to startle a bear if you wake up face to face with one rather than on the other side of your tent!
 
jaymeister99 said:
Nope, just interested in people going out without a tent.

From what Ive read I would think the most likely reason people get attacked aside from food on or near them (and simply being stupid), would be suprising a bear at close range.

I would think it would be a heck of a lot easier to startle a bear if you wake up face to face with one rather than on the other side of your tent!
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Yeah, I suppose that's a possibility, but I've never heard of an incident like this happening. I've slept tent-less before and never worried about it, and almost all of my camping and backpacking is in bear country.

I suppose my tune might change if I had an unfriendly encounter with a bear, but for the last 26 years of camping in bear country I have never had a problem with them, and I've only ever actually seen one once. I have found fresh droppings near our camp in the morning, but they didn't even disturb out bear can. We've also arrived at camps that had just been ravaged the night before, and nothing...

I've had more issues with raccoons over the years than I've ever had with bears. If you follow the guidelines set by major parks that have really bad bear problems, then you should be fine just about anywhere. The second paragraph of my first post is Yosemite's backcountry guidelines.
 
Apx 80% of documented Black Bear attacks involve the presence of a cub or cubs. That suggests that a major tip is to leave the area if you see cubs - preferable going down wind from the cubs.
 
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hanging your food is #1. i've had a couple run ins with black bears and they are more or less more scared of you then you are of them
 
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