Bear Attacks by Stephen Herrero & JEFF FAIR

Author:Stephen Herrero & JEFF FAIR
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493034574
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2018-01-23T05:00:00+00:00

DO’S AND DON’TS FOR BACKCOUNTRY CAMPSITE LOCATION IN BEAR COUNTRY:

DON’T

1.Camp near a bear trail or seasonal feeding ground.

2.Cook near your tent.

3.Camp in places where food or garbage has been left.

4.Camp where bear sign (droppings, tracks, etc.) exists.

DO

1.Locate your cook area at least 100 yards downwind of your tent.

2.Camp where trees allow for proper food storage, at least 100 yards downwind of camp—or, if there are no trees, store food well away from camp in ABS cylinders or in double or triple airtight plastic bags.

3.Camp near a possible escape tree in grizzly country—or camp in the open, well away from any cover for bears.

4.Leave packs outside with their flaps open.

The irony of this type of situation is that the people to blame are seldom injured. Is the bear to blame? It is doing nothing more than following a foraging strategy that, before the introduction of human recreational use of its habitat, was successful for many generations of ancestors. Despite this, the bear will ultimately have to be killed if it persists in its new role of campsite scavenger.

For these reasons I recommend total cleanliness when camping in bear country. When backpacking, cook downwind and well away from where you will sleep. Plan your meal quantities so that what is cooked is eaten. If you must store leftovers, place them in your food cache. Wash your dishes and pots thoroughly, and if significant amounts of food particles remain in the dishwater, hike several hundred yards before emptying the dishwater. Burning is all right for small bits of combustible leftovers and garbage, but make sure that combustion is complete.

With the emphasis today on low-impact camping, one dimension of which is doing without a fire, you may have to forgo burning garbage. Without a fire, all leftovers should go into sealed plastic bags and join your food cache. Garbage should not be buried in the backcountry. A thin layer of soil only partly masks its odor, and bears and other scavengers will dig it up. “Pack it in, pack it out” is the right policy. Odor and previous experience get bears foraging for human food and garbage. You can do little, if anything, about the bear’s previous experience, but you can control the odor of your foods. For the backpacker, there are many dried foods available that offer a reasonably balanced diet and low odor.

After cooking is the time not only for dishwashing but also for washing yourself, to remove any lingering food odors, or even the odor of insect repellents or cosmetics. I know of no incidents where it is clear that bears have been attracted by such chemicals, but some of them are highly odorous, and this could possibly elicit a bear’s curiosity. After cooking you should also change your clothes if you think they are odor-impregnated.

Even in stormy weather try to avoid cooking in your tent. If you do a lot of winter camping and cook inside your tent, consider having both a summer tent and a winter tent. I do,

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