Camping in bear country

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks for the tips. I'm sure we'll have a great time!

[Celicabob]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

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.

I've never camped back east where they have black bears, but in the west if you want your car, truck turned into a tuna can leave food in it!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Celicabob

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

There are no brown bears (grizzlies) in the Yosemite area. Haven't been for almost a hundred years. The black bears are not always actually black in appearance, but are still black bears non the less.
I would bet they can open up a trailer as easy as a car. I think the car is easier to peek into though so they get into those more often.


Even though I'm not tent camping, I figure we'll be putting all our food in the bear box anyways.

[Dano1955]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

There are no brown bears (grizzlies) in the Yosemite area. Haven't been for almost a hundred years. The black bears are not always actually black in appearance, but are still black bears non the less.
I would bet they can open up a trailer as easy as a car. I think the car is easier to peek into though so they get into those more often.


Even though I'm not tent camping, I figure we'll be putting all our food in the bear box anyways.

I beg to differ. Google is your friend:

How many grizzly bears are in Yellowstone National Park?
The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) population within the Yellowstone ecosystem is estimated to be approximately 280-610 bears. The current estimate of the black bear (Ursus americanus) population is 500-650 bears.


ooops sorry, saw "Yellowstone" where you said "Yosemite" my bad......

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Dano1955

I beg to differ. Google is your friend:

How many grizzly bears are in Yellowstone National Park?
The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) population within the Yellowstone ecosystem is estimated to be approximately 280-610 bears. The current estimate of the black bear (Ursus americanus) population is 500-650 bears.


ooops sorry, saw "Yellowstone" where you said "Yosemite" my bad......

Yeah, Yellowstone is a different story altogether! Lots of bad boys up there like grizzlies, wolves, buffalo, and moose. I would be a lot more careful up there.

[Jmkjr72]

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm
Food may be stored out of sight in hard-sided trailers and RVs, as long as windows, doors, and vents are closed when you're not there. Food may not be stored in pop-up or tent trailers, or other soft-sided campers

So unless you are going to sleep air tight use the lockers

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Jmkjr72

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm
Food may be stored out of sight in hard-sided trailers and RVs, as long as windows, doors, and vents are closed when you're not there. Food may not be stored in pop-up or tent trailers, or other soft-sided campers

So unless you are going to sleep air tight use the lockers

It says everything has to be closed when you're not there, but I suppose it's just as important when you are there and sleeping.
I'm thinking all pantry food and dog food will go into the bear locker and all the fridge/freezer stuff will stay put. All garbage disposed of and no late night snacks.

[Jakieboy]

Last time we camped in Yosemite with our two young daughters, we were very aware of what to do to prevent bear intrusions. Never had a ;problem with bears entering our area. However, two large deer came sniffing around at dinner time, and my daughters wanted to go pet the lovely creatures. Fortunately, a Park Ranger was nearby and warned us immediately not to let our girls approach the deer. She explained that more people are killed or injured by encounters with deer than with bears in all the National Parks in the country.

[keith_h]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

I would bet they can open up a trailer as easy as a car. I think the car is easier to peek into though so they get into those more often.

I'm sure they can too. My understanding is the bears long ago learned that vehicles are mobile larders and what type of containers typically hold food. They will look in the windows even if they don't smell anything and if it looks like a food container smash a window and search.

We used to live just east of Merced and would camp up in Yosemite or Sequoia/Kings Canyon a couple of times a month and never had any bear problems. This includes when we still tent camped eons ago. We would just use the bear box and be sure the kids didn't eat in the tent or in later years not leave food lying around. While we have seen bears in the campgrounds we have never been bothered. The thing to keep in mind is they are looking for an easy meal. If it isn't easy they move on.

[Dano1955]

You can always run your open frame genny from dusk to dawn. Will keep those pesky bears (and neighbors) away, LOL.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by CNYCamper

We camp in NY Adirondack parks having black bear populations and only one of the parks we go to even has bear boxes at each site. Big thing for us is to take our garbage up to the dump station early each evening right after supper. We also bring a cooler for iced beer and water. We keep the cooler covered with a tarp so bears won't recognize it as a potential food source. Also cover our grill. This was advice from a ranger - idea is to give a bear no reason to even check out your site.
We have a couple small dogs. We never feed the dogs outside - bears love dog food, but will generally shy away from anything that barks.

Bears don't know what coolers look like, but they do know the "Smell" of food and beverage items and they just track it to the source..."Cooler."

[keith_h]

Originally Posted by Jakie-Boy

Last time we camped in Yosemite with our two young daughters, we were very aware of what to do to prevent bear intrusions. Never had a ;problem with bears entering our area. However, two large deer came sniffing around at dinner time, and my daughters wanted to go pet the lovely creatures. Fortunately, a Park Ranger was nearby and warned us immediately not to let our girls approach the deer. She explained that more people are killed or injured by encounters with deer than with bears in all the National Parks in the country.

When our girls were 6 months and 3 years old we were camping up in Tuolumne Meadows Campground a week or so before it closed for the season. There was one other camper besides us. Boy was that nice but back to the subject. We still tent camped then and it was a cold morning so we put the girls in the car to warm up while we fixed breakfast and got the campfire going. All of sudden we saw the car bouncing up and down and DD1 jumping around in the front seat. When we went over the see what was wrong she had the biggest smile and was point to and talking about the "camels" walking across the road from the car. Of course it was deer who come down after the tourist leave. We have a few pictures and our memories but this was one of those moments I wish I could have had on video.

[TheWolfPaq82]

When brother and I tent in the Wilderness areas of Montana, all food is bagged and hoisted up a tree, as high as we can get it. We burn most of the packaging. Any can foods...we place the empty can in the campfire and burn all the remaining stuff out of it, then place in garbage bag...that we also hang in a tree.

[Wolverine 1945]

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.

One of the things I remember being told @ the Platte River National Park in Michigan was not to burn paper plates that have been use to eat off of !!!

[Summer2Go]

Why because they still have a food smell in the ashes? ....the smoke creates a food smell signal?
-and bears here climb trees, not too high, but I have broken limbs on my Granny Smith apple tree to prove it.

[Celicabob]

If you would like to see Grizzles, not brown bears, in a safe location check out;

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
201 S Canyon St,
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
grizzlydiscoveryctr.org




(800) 257-2570

We were there about 3 years ago & it is great!
Watched a "juvenal" , so they said, break a 12-14" tree in half.
He was after branches to eat, (above his reach 10-12' up).
On the hind legs he stood approx. 8'
Only took him less than 5 minutes...

Amazing the power.
Just an FYI

</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>

[seagrace]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

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!

Your advice is good, but keep in mind that bears behave very differently, and how/if you survive an attack depends on knowing what kind of bear it is.

[BGKirkham]

Originally Posted by Celicabob

If you would like to see Grizzles, not brown bears, in a safe location check out;

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
201 S Canyon St,
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
grizzlydiscoveryctr.org




(800) 257-2570

We were there about 3 years ago & it is great!
Watched a "juvenal" , so they said, break a 12-14" tree in half.
He was after branches to eat, (above his reach 10-12' up).
On the hind legs he stood approx. 8'
Only took him less than 5 minutes...

Amazing the power.
Just an FYI

</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>

Grizzlies are brown bears, specifically and scientifically, they are called the North American Brown Bear.

[jimmoore13]

Confession: I missed the fact that grizzlies don't inhabit Yosemite. Black bears are smaller and a bit less dangerous. Perhaps you feel confident encountering one inside your RV.

Opinion: If a campground provides bear lockers, as Bill Engvall would say, here's your sign! The park didn't spend $500+/site to install those for giggles.

If you have a fairly large, secure RV, terrific. You might get lucky...as many have reported here. Then again, maybe not. Others have reported bears invading their vehicles...as far as I can tell, their capped pickup beds. Why wouldn't a bear be equally able to rip open the RV door? Have you examined the "lockset" on your RV door? How about an open window?

As for the practice of locking food in the car when camping with a PUP, a PUP is just a tent, so there is no shelter from a bear in a PUP other than ensuring that the "attractions" are not in the tent with you. I have yet to encounter a bear locker at a CO campground, but virtually every campground and wilderness area has numerous signs warning of bears. If there was a bear locker, I'd use it rather than my truck. Our only alternative is to lock food in the CAB of our 4-door pickup, and to move grills well away from the camper.

My "food kit" is:
A) Two large Igloo coolers. One for food and one for drinks. The food goes in the truck and the drinks stay outside (no room in the truck). A bear might investigate the drink cooler. So be it. There's nothing I can do to protect it. I keep it away from the PUP in what will be shade in the AM.
B) Two flip-lid tubs for dry-goods...from bread to cans. Cooking oils, coffee, dog food, seasonings, chips, and everything go in these two tubs, and they never get unloaded into camper cabinets. They sit on counter space I dedicated to the purpose in our HW-PUP. In our old, smaller (10') PUP, we put them on what was intended to be the "sofa."
C) Trash in the front passenger seat...trash can on the seat with the active trash bag, and older trash bag on the passenger floor.
This will get us through 4 days of camping meals when boondocking. We only use the freezer for continuous food storage, and the fridge is used for convenience during the day but emptied at night.

To fit the tubs and food cooler into the back seat area of the truck, I must move the front seats forward far enough that there is no room in the cab for the second cooler. My truck bed is open...no cap...just an aluminum truck bed tool box that serves as my "trunk."

Could a bear trash my truck attempting to open the passenger doors? No doubt. Would I rather have the bear attack my truck than attack my PUP? Also no doubt. Meanwhile, my deductible for collision and comprehensive on the truck is $500.

Despite regular encounters with bears (and coyotes and mountain lions) in our neighborhood, I've yet to see any of these "in the wild". But what matters most is my wife's (and any guests') safety in my RV. The inconvenience of moving food is trivial in comparison to what could happen if a bear entered the PUP and we couldn't get out easily.

I'll also add that it's a LONG way to the ground from the beds in a high-wall PUP. The emergency exits (zippers that disconnect the tent end from the main body) are accessible enough, but my wife is only 5' tall. It's about a 5' drop from the bed to the ground on level terrain. Last weekend, on uneven terrain, the drop was closer to 6'. I'm 68 and my wife is a bit younger. She'd be lucky to escape without serious injury...from the drop alone.

Bear lockers = here's your sign.
Good luck in the past is no guarantee of good luck in the future. But preparation and reasonable precautions increase your odds. Again, my opinion.

[Strmfshr101]

Everyone makes good points here. I will be cautious and use the bear locker. I appreciate all the tips and experiences you have all shared. Happy Camping!