Camping in bear country

[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.

[Dano1955]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

The last thing I want is a black bear trying to get in the trailer.

No the last thing you want is a GRIZZLY Bear GETTING into the trailer. With the Griz, remember the words of Yoda....

Do or do not, there is no try.... If they want in the best built RV in the world won't keep them out.

On that note though, I've camped in my RV in Yellowstone with no problems keeping food in cupboards and fridge, but only in campsites (public areas only). No boondocking.

[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.

[bikendan]

We camped in our hybrid TT, in Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Tetons and Yosemite.
All the Rangers said that food in the fridge and freezer was fine.
But put opened non-refridgerated food in the bear box.

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Dano1955

No the last thing you want is a GRIZZLY Bear GETTING into the trailer. With the Griz, remember the words of Yoda....

Do or do not, there is no try.... If they want in the best built RV in the world won't keep them out.

On that note though, I've camped in my RV in Yellowstone with no problems keeping food in cupboards and fridge, but only in campsites (public areas only). No boondocking.

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.

[Jmkjr72]

In the bear world tents and soft side pop ups are soft she'll tacos and hard side campers are crunchy tacos. BEst bet is to fallow what the local ranger says

[Strmfshr101]

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.

I'll make sure to dispose of trash quickly. Thanks for that tip. We also bring a cooler with beer and water. Do you leave it outside? We usually bring ours in the trailer at night. I never though about the grill! Ours attaches to the outside of the trailer so We'll have to take it off and put it on the picnic table and cover it up or something. We will keep the dog food in the bear locker for sure.
Thanks for the tips!

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by bikendan

We camped in our hybrid TT, in Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Tetons and Yosemite.
All the Rangers said that food in the fridge and freezer was fine.
But put opened non-refridgerated food in the bear box.

I like that idea. At least you can still get to use the fridge that way. What about canned food? I'm assuming that can stay in the cupboard?

[Strmfshr101]

Originally Posted by Jmkjr72

In the bear world tents and soft side pop ups are soft she'll tacos and hard side campers are crunchy tacos. BEst bet is to fallow what the local ranger says

Thanks, I'll call and ask the ranger station before heading out.

[CNYCamper]

Originally Posted by Strmfshr101

We also bring a cooler with beer and water. Do you leave it outside? We usually bring ours in the trailer at night. I never though about the grill! Ours attaches to the outside of the trailer so We'll have to take it off and put it on the picnic table and cover it up or something.

One trip I forgot to bring a cover for the cooler (old grill cover) so brought the cooler inside at night. Otherwise leave out covered depending. I always ask the rangers for advice when checking in. Bear incidents are EXTREMELY rare.

[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.

[jtesta1]

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

[DrLewie]

We've camped in griz country between Teton and Yellowstone NPs several times. Once a ranger came by to tell us there was a bear in the campground and to check that all food and trash was inside our fiver. He also suggested that we avoid walking to the restrooms during the night. BTW, we also carry bear spray when we're in bear country. Better safe than sorry.

[Jakieboy]

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.

[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....

[mdstudey]

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.

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.

[m35a2]

Don't be Grizzly Man!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tFWOje0Pc0

[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.

[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.

[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.