Camping in Black Bear Country - Bear Locker or not?

[Iwritecode]

My dogs have chased more than a few raccoons off our seasonal site. Not much seems to scare them away when they smell food.

[ppine]

My dogs are in charge of camp security. They let me know when we have company. They have chased bears out of camp several times.

[K_M_H]

Originally Posted by ppine

My dogs are in charge of camp security. They let me know when we have company. They have chased bears out of camp several times.

I'm sure our Catahoula would do a great job of providing camp security. She's on top of telling us that there's someone outside 1/4 mile away. The only problem is that she's still a puppy and has absolutely no fear of anything. Our cat can attest to that - he has no desire to be her friend, but she's so persistent that he's clawed up her muzzle a couple of times. I'd be worried about her trying to chase a bear down and getting mauled.

[mnoland30]

When a dog gets in trouble, they tend to run back to their owner. Our Chow went after a herd of javelina (coyote killers) and was chased back. She ran directly to my wife. Fortunately, her voice was enough to spook them.

The more bears are hunted, the more they fear humans. I spent a week with a Game & Fish biologist in AZ who spent his career studying black bears. He said once a bear loses its fear of humans it will die, either from hunters or Game & Fish. That said, the first bear I ever saw in the wild, was in my tent where we cooked our steaks that evening. Fortunately, we were sleeping in the camper shell on the truck. When I yelled at it, it stood up and growled. When I fired my rifle into the ground next to it, it left. For five minutes. I thought about that bear ripping into someone else's tent the next night, and when he came back, I shot him. Camping tip: Don't leave your guns locked in the front of the truck, and your keys in the tent, unless you have a spare key.

You can usually tell if an area has bear issues by the bear proof trash cans. If they have a bear locker, it is probably for a good reason.

Years ago I was surprised to learn that black bears come in brown, cinnamon, and blonde, as well as black.

[ppine]

Learn the ways of bears. They are smart. Do not press them. Avoid eye contact at close range. Give them a way out.

Campground bears habituated to humans are different. You usually need to stand up to them.

I have had a lot of bear encounters, well over 100. In Alaska I saw them every day. People like to talk about guns and little else, when they should be learning about bear behavior.

[phrench]

Almost all of our camping is in black bear country. My wife won't camp in anything other than a hard side camper because of this. She also has a preference to avoid campsites around the periphery of the campground, assuming that those campsites would be targeted first. That being said, I have seen them all through campgrounds before. I don't doubt that a determined bear could get into my trailer pretty easily if it wanted. We figure the hard sides give us time to make some noise and scare it off, or get to the bear spray. We never carried bear spray (for 25 years) until we did some hiking in Grizzly country. Now that we have it, we take it with us for peace of mind. We do keep our food in the trailer, but try to never cook inside. While at the sites we usually store or grill in a plastic tub in our vehicle. We have only used lockers when tenting or in Grizzly country.

[phrench]

...and I have caught raccoons eating out of my 120 lb Newfoundland dog's dish while she slept in the campsite

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mnoland30

You can usually tell if an area has bear issues by the bear proof trash cans. If they have a bear locker, it is probably for a good reason.

Not to mention the usual signs warning of bears in the area and warning about leaving food an garbage unsecured.


When I was young did a lot of back-country hiking/camping our food was stored up on a rope suspended between two trees. We also ran heavy twine around the campsite with "rattle cans" (empty tin cans with small rocks in them) attached. Anything coming into the campsite at night was "announced" and everyone started shouting.


If one is really concerned about bears tearing up their camper/campsite, they do make portable electric fence systems that don't take much time to set up.



https://smile.amazon.com/Udap-BEF-Sh...s%2C128&sr=8-2

Just remember, they are for BEARS, not for repelling unruly children

[llibdliw]

Originally Posted by NJKris

If you have a portable grill, I would definitely keep that in the bear locker. I would consider putting any dry goods in there as well. Heck, even I can smell food through the plastic bins we use for dry goods. I have a freakish sense of smell though.

Don’t have to go camping to have bear problems around where I live. They are everywhere here.

Hey NJKris, hope I'm not prying but your Avatar is missing...
Just wondering...

Wild Bill

[ppine]

Prior to the Craigheads research in Yellowstone and the elimination of dumps in NPs bears were frequent visitors in National Parks. That was in the 1970s. They also figured out the importance of bear proof trash cans and bear lockers.

Seeing bears was common. Now they are much less common. I can remember visits from 4 different bears in one night in the 1970s in places like Crater Lake.

[jbflag21ds]

Don't forget, it's not just food to worry about. Empty wrappers, deodorant, toothpaste, etc are all new smells for the bear and they will want to investigate/eat.

[Tombsy]

Originally Posted by phrench

...and I have caught raccoons eating out of my 120 lb Newfoundland dog's dish while she slept in the campsite

My Newfs nemesis were the magpies, one would pull her tail and another would get the food from her dish. Lol

[lwbfl]

I've heard many people say "wish I'd have gotten that bear locker". Never heard anyone say "wish I didn't have a bear locker".

[Oaklevel]

The joys of living in black bear country..........

https://wset.com/news/local/car-inte...ashely-mcgowin

Even ate the boys homework.........

Not good to mess with Momma Bear.

Last year one attacked one my brother-in -laws calves ..... that bear is no more.

[Tabasco_Joe]

Should be no problem to call the park shortly before the trip and ask questions.
I've always had good response from PA state park workers.
Usually the state traps problem bears and moves them upstate.
Second time they cause problems, they get euthanized.


Here is a PA bear to help you remember what you are looking for.

[K_M_H]

Originally Posted by Tabasco_Joe

Should be no problem to call the park shortly before the trip and ask questions.
I've always had good response from PA state park workers.
Usually the state traps problem bears and moves them upstate.
Second time they cause problems, they get euthanized.


Here is a PA bear to help you remember what you are looking for.

They're beautiful creatures from afar off. I had a close encounter of the furred kind in (what is now according to Google Maps) Hickory Hills when I was around 10 with one of them. We were both rounding the same corner of the same building. Fortunately, the bear was as surprised as I was and we ended up going off in opposite directions. That could have ended very badly. It's a good reminder though, that you're in their home.

[Chuck_S]

I grew up around bears and don't consider them a problem or special danger.

Common Black Bear Myths

Myth: A bear standing on its hind legs is about to charge or attack.

Fact: A bear stands on its hind legs to get a better view and smell of the surroundings. This is not an aggressive posture, just a way to determine who or what gained its interest.

Myth: Bears are dangerous predators.

Fact: Although classified as carnivores, black bears are omnivores, and opportunistic feeders. This means that they eat both plants and animals. Over 80% of their diets consist of vegetation, fruit, and nuts. The remainder includes mostly insects and larva, carrion, fish, and occasionally small mammals.

Myth: One of the most dangerous encounters is getting between a mother black bear and her cubs.

Fact: Because black bears can tree their cubs, it is rare for them to injure a person in that situation. Black bear cubs are great at climbing and will be sent up a tree if the mother bear feels nervous about a situation. The mother bear will either run off to lead the danger away or stay close by until the perceived threat passes. Just like with any young animals you never want to try to get near them. If you see a mother bear and cubs give them some space, retreat slowly, and do not scream or yell.

Myth: Bears are unpredictable.

Fact: Bears use body language and vocalizations to show their intentions. Learning about bear behavior can be beneficial to people who travel in bear country. The website www.bear.org has a terrific video on interpreting behaviors in bears called “Nervous Behavior”.

Myth: Bears have poor eyesight.

Fact: Bears see in color and have good vision similar to humans.

Myth: Shooting or relocating a bear that has been attracted to your property because of a food source will solve the problem.

Fact: Removing a bear and not the attractant will only create a newly available habitat niche so another bear can move right back in, resulting in the same issues creating a vicious cycle of killing.

(from the Virginia DWR site linked above.)

-- Chuck

[Tabasco_Joe]

Originally Posted by K_M_H

They're beautiful creatures from afar off. I had a close encounter of the furred kind in (what is now according to Google Maps) Hickory Hills when I was around 10 with one of them. We were both rounding the same corner of the same building. Fortunately, the bear was as surprised as I was and we ended up going off in opposite directions. That could have ended very badly. It's a good reminder though, that you're in their home.

I was flyfishing on a central PA stream a couple years ago. Wading in the stream that was about 15 feet wide. Got my fly stuck and uttered a curse word. A few feet away from the stream, a small cub stood up. He had been covered by tall ferns. He looked at me and I could see the terror in his eyes. Little guy put it in high gear and left posthaste. Never saw momma bear, but I just couldn't fish comfortably, so I moved a mile downstream. I can just imagine the little guy telling mom how he just escaped the pale monster.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Tabasco_Joe

I was flyfishing on a central PA stream a couple years ago. Wading in the stream that was about 15 feet wide. Got my fly stuck and uttered a curse word. A few feet away from the stream, a small cub stood up. He had been covered by tall ferns. He looked at me and I could see the terror in his eyes. Little guy put it in high gear and left posthaste. Never saw momma bear, but I just couldn't fish comfortably, so I moved a mile downstream. I can just imagine the little guy telling mom how he just escaped the pale monster.

Mama Bear probably told the cub she didn't want it using the kind of language it heard from you

[ppine]

Bear encounters are often a surprise. Make noise when you travel in the bush, especially in brushy low visibility country. Get in the habit of looking around once in awhile if you are focused on an activity like fishing. I like to sing and let them know I am coming.
\
Some black bears were pesky and followed us around. They would leave after awhile and always show up on our 6, behind us. Some black bears are predatory on humans. The big coastal brownies were less common and did not follow us. There are more problems with black bears in Alaska than any other kind.