Camping in bear country

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by mdstudey

I can speak from experience that bears don't like beer. They would rather have Pepsi. Had a cooler for each and they only opened one beer and then proceeded to the Pepsi cooler and drank all of it. LOL it was pretty funny.

So, beer it is...or Coke.

[joeuncool]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

We are going camping at Yosemite National Park next weekend. I have read that it is best to put all food and scented products in the bear lockers at the campsite. Can anyone share their experience with me on this? It is obviously much easier to keep food in the trailer as opposed to putting all cold items in an ice chest and putting it in the bear locker and putting all pantry items in a tote and putting that in the bear locker as well. Am I being a little too paranoid? The last thing I want is a black bear trying to get in the trailer.

Hmm, OP posted about black bears, second poster used grizzly and most people ran with it. There are no grizzlies in California - Yosemite.

That being said, just be smart. Food inside the camper is fine. If you have lots of stuff, or that cooler with beer and such, just put it inside the tow vehicle every night. Don't leave trash outside over night. Don't be paranoid. Just be smart, relax and have fun.

If you are lucky you will see a bear while you are there, but I doubt you will.

[dmlranhc]

Many years ago we went to Yosemite and stayed at a campground near the east entrance, and were the only ones there. Had a little Styrofoam cooler. It had one hotdog bun in it and lid was closed. But a bear smelled it and got in the rear of my truck, easily tore apart the Styrofoam just for one little bun. We were quite scared staying in a tent at that time. I am not even sure if tents are allowed anymore, but be sure to secure even the smallest scrap of food in the lockers provided. After getting the bun the bear left, but the truck smelled terrible the next day.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Hmm, OP posted about black bears, second poster used grizzly and most people ran with it. There are no grizzlies in California - Yosemite.

That being said, just be smart. Food inside the camper is fine. If you have lots of stuff, or that cooler with beer and such, just put it inside the tow vehicle every night. Don't leave trash outside over night. Don't be paranoid. Just be smart, relax and have fun.

If you are lucky you will see a bear while you are there, but I doubt you will.

A bear is a bear, Large, Powerful and Fast. There are more persons injured and killed in Alaska every year by black bears than grizzles.

You can bet your life on the siding of your camper. I think it is foolish!

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

We live in the mountains west of Denver. A few weeks ago, a black bear opened (lifted) the garage door on my neighbor's house to get to the garbage. Another nearby neighbor left his garage door open, and the bear opened the door from the garage to the kitchen, and the neighbor walked in on a black bear trashing his kitchen.
We've seen black bears in our "yard" several times, and bear scat is a regular thing in the yard.
Our friends were tent camping (in a remote RV park!!), and a black bear rubbed along the side of his side of the tent and the bear actually pushed him aside as it rubbed on the tent. All their food was stored in the car, so the bear didn't try to get in the tent...or the car.

If you're in grizzly country, they make black bears seem like pets by comparison.

I'm glad you plan to call in advance and get advice. If they provide bear-lockers, they aren't just for tents and PUPs. RVs present little challenge to a determined bear, and if you are in the RV with the grizzly, you're in serious trouble.

Adult grizzlys weigh in at 700 pounds and up...males can weigh up to 1,700 pounds! And they can run 30 MPH. Their front claws are from 2" to 4" long. http://s019.radikal.ru/i600/1203/1a/ec85c34db929.jpg

Here in CO, in our PUP, we put all food in our locked truck overnight. We use the fridge during the day - and for frozen foods overnight - but EVERYTHING else edible is stored inside the truck. As is the trash. We also clean the sinks well before bed.

We have an RV gas grill and a charcoal grill. We move both at least 10 feet from the camper in case the grates draw visitors overnight. These are our bear alarm, and we leave the lids unlatched and the grills on the ground so that a curious bear doesn't need to trash the grill to get it open and investigate.

I suggest that you bring several cans of bear spray...a good investment you may never need to use. https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb...rds=bear+spray

If you don't already have large coolers to hold the contents of your fridge, I like these: https://smile.amazon.com/Igloo-Rolle...er+with+wheels
They are cheap and big, and they hold ice for about 4 days if you keep them out of the sun. There are better coolers, but these are good for the money.

All these precautions will seem silly...until you're visited. If you take the precautions, you probably won't be visited. Enjoy your trip.

X2^^^ I think all those who are poo-pooing the idea of using the bear lockers are probably lazy city dwellers who have never seen what a bear (yes even a black bear) is capable of doing.

With any luck they will survive their first bear experience............If not there is always Darwin's List!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Summer2Go

I've got black bears in my household garbage cans regularly. Try not to put food garbage out til garbage day. They will go where they want if they smell food. I had one get stuck in the can once, tried to back out, so funny. Another one broke through the gate on my deck to get at a high hung bird feeder. If they can do that, they can get into my hybrid for sure!
Here's a baby bear checking out the kayaks.

I'll make sure to dispose of any garbage in the bear proof dumpsters.
Thanks for the tip! And that's a cute pic!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by jtesta1

Just dont use any bacon scented aftershave when hiking in the woods.

Dang, that's my favorite aftershave! I'll keep that in mind.

[Strmfshr101]

so they told you to keep it all in the 5'er? Bear spray is a good idea, but I'll always bring my .45 too!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Jakie-Boy

Good advice all. Most important is to not leave anything outside the trailer, or inside your tow vehicle, that would attract bears by smell or appearance. Bears know what coolers look like, and we have seen numerous examples of bears destroying SUV tailgates to get inside to the coolers in plain view.


Always check with the rangers for latest news.

Nothing in the tow vehicle for sure. I don't want to replace the tailgate anytime soon. Thanks for the advice!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by sasch

Camped in a remote campground in Yellowstone with a hard side TT - bear boxes for the most part were for the tent campers - we were told "leave nothing outside"; garbage, empty beer bottles, dog food, dog dishes, dirty dishes. A wake up visit from the Ranger is not fun at 11:00 PM but better than a beer....

I'll make sure all garbage is out of the area and all food is safe in the trailer.
Thanks!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by mdstudey

I can speak from experience that bears don't like beer. They would rather have Pepsi. Had a cooler for each and they only opened one beer and then proceeded to the Pepsi cooler and drank all of it. LOL it was pretty funny.

Then me and the bears will get along fine. I'm not much of a soda guy, but beer is my friend.

[keith_h]

The black bears in Yosemite, there are no brown bears, are pretty well adapted to finding food in vehicles. If they see anything that looks like a cooler or other food container they will attempt to get to it. If they can smell it, again they will try to get to it. One thing to keep in mind is when the try they usually succeed. We haven't camped in Yosemite for a number of years but the last time we were there a bear pretty much destroyed a neighboring site's BBQ grill trying to get all of the grease licked off. We were also camping up in White Wolf one time with my sister and her husband and the back window of their SUV was broken by a bear who saw their small travel cooler.

We never worried about taking our food out of the refrigerator. If the seals are in decent shape and the drain has water in it no smells should escape. We also never worried about canned or bottled goods that haven't been open. We would not leave our coolers unattended and either put them in the trailer or bear box when we were away. The same for any open food we had. I would also stow our camp stove and grill in the bear box when we were away as they do have bear attracting odors. I wouldn't get too hung up just use some common sense and you shouldn't have any problems. Hope you enjoy your trip.

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by TonyShope

I grew up and frequently camp in bear and wolf country (I am a hunter). Wash all canned/packaged products exteriors with soap and water. Do not ever keep leftovers inside. Put them in a container and in a YETI type cooler in the bear cage. I personally would never stay at a park that has those cages. Reason being it shows they have had problems. Plan your meals from frozen things like meat, veggies etc. Do not keep leftover stuff ever. If you must have your bag of chips unopened etc then raise them from a tree limb (rope) bagged at least 20 ft long and to thin at the end to support animal weight. Leave your external lights on all night yes the bright ones. A proper set up park will leave you far enough away from each other so light should not be a bother. If you have pets that need to potty in the night a leash and bear spray is a must. I am always armed but for the not retired cop I recommend a 357 revolver or a .40 semi on your hip always. Get the permits. A grizzly can tear open with one bat of a paw a solid steel garbage receptacle. Remember their weight. To open a soft shell of a trailer is nothing. If you breed dogs or cats and they are in cycle you are inviting trouble. Be safe & god bless.

Don't keep leftovers...good idea. I'm sure that smells like a buffet to bears. There are bear lockers all over Yosemite park. Remember, a couple decades ago they used to have a feeding area for visitors to feed bears. They created the problem, so now they have to use lockers. I'm looking into bear spray, but always bring my .45 wherever I go. Thanks for the tips!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

I lived in Alaska for 10 years. I have seen the side of cabins, sided with 3/4" plywood, opened up by bears as if it were made of tar paper so they could get in. They then made another hole in the plywood to get out.

Their claws are as long as your fingers and just as large in diameter. Their nose is as sensitive as a dog's. From a standing start they are faster over the first 100 yards than a race horse.

I have seen food cans with holes in it the size of a nickle that a bears tooth made after they bit into it to get what was inside.

When we went hunting in a tent camp we stored the food 100 yards away and usually pulled it off the ground with a rope over a tree limb. We threw every scrap of anything, including cans and bottles, in the fire at night to eliminate any food odor. We then buried it the next day.

I would not put my food in anything but a bear box. I do not want to give them ANY reason at all to decide to get into my camper, because if they decide to do that, you are in DEEP trouble!

Am I afraid of them, not really. Do I respect them and use the utmost caution when anywhere near them, YOU BET!

But that is just me, based on my own personal experiences.

I agree, I don't want to dare the bears to come into the trailer.
Thanks for the advice.

[Strmfshr101]

Thanks for the tips. Luckily only black bears inhabit Yosemite, but they are still a concern. I need to find out how big the bear boxes are so I can bring an appropriate cooler to fit. One time tent camping, our cooler wouldn't fit in the bear box and had to be kept in the suv (covered up of course). Thank you!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

So, beer it is...or Coke.

That's what I'm saying!!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Hmm, OP posted about black bears, second poster used grizzly and most people ran with it. There are no grizzlies in California - Yosemite.

That being said, just be smart. Food inside the camper is fine. If you have lots of stuff, or that cooler with beer and such, just put it inside the tow vehicle every night. Don't leave trash outside over night. Don't be paranoid. Just be smart, relax and have fun.

If you are lucky you will see a bear while you are there, but I doubt you will.

Last time we camped at Yosemite, we saw multiple black bears, some in the middle of the day. They are there and not afraid to roam around in front of people. We had a bear walk all the way around our tent. We could hear him huffing. That was a nervous night and my wife and I didn't get much sleep after that. Luckily we kept everything in the bear box and it left.

[jjuscg]

Doesn't have to be canvas and doesn't have to be a Grizzly.. We were in Alaska at Ft Richardson campground a few years back when a mother black bear with two cubs had to be put down because she broke through the side of a "hard side" travel trailer to get at the FISH BAIT a camper had left in a cooler inside his camper. They weren't home at the time,,

[Celicabob]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

I agree, Grizzlies are not good dinner guests, but luckily there are no grizzlies in Yosemite. We'll be in a large campground, so no boon docking this time.

Sorry but the only bears in this are Grizzlies...

In CA we have Brown bears one size down.
If you are tent camping you must use the bear boxes!
Rangers in CA give you 1 warning then they kick you out @ any time!
FYI: They have not figured out how to open an RV yet.
However do not leave anything in the truck, they will open it like a tin can!
Hope this helps,
Bob

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

X2^^^ I think all those who are poo-pooing the idea of using the bear lockers are probably lazy city dwellers who have never seen what a bear (yes even a black bear) is capable of doing.

With any luck they will survive their first bear experience............If not there is always Darwin's List!

I've seen bears in King's Canyon, south of Yosemite, tear a downed tree to shreds looking for grubs or termites. They are very powerful and not to be trifled with. I agree which is why I wanted to hear all the experienced opinions on the forum.