Trailers, RTT and Bears

jsmoriss

Explorer
I have a Campa trailer on order, and this very subject has been in the back of my mind. We're used to canoe-camping, and setting up the kitchen a good distance from the tent -- and even haul the food barrel a bit farther at night.

Since the fridge, kitchen, and RTT are so close on a trailer, here's what I'm thinking for those problem areas... We can:

- Bring an extra kitchen table to cook away from the trailer.
- Bring an extra ground tent to sleep away from the trailer.
- Bring an air horn and bear spray (we already have the spray, but the horn is a good idea too).

js.
 

milpigjk

New member
I have seen the electric fence idea used. Never saw a bear hit it but there were tracks out side of it.

My brother in law built his rechargeable fence on parts from tractor supply for far less than the one in the previous link and it came with a solar panel to charge it.
 

hugh

Observer
we have lots of wilderness here in manitoba and well over 100,000 lakes and I have been canoe and kayak camping all my life. Bears are a fact of life and here in canada firearms are not an option unless you are a criminal or police officer so that leaves pepper spray or the air horn. What I do is hang my food bag from a high tree branch, at least 12 to 15 feet up and run the rope over to another tree if in a high traffic area or tie it around the "hanging tree" in the more remote spots. The food bag is usually a packsack and soap and toothpaste also goes in it. Bears are not stupid when it comes to food and do learn if enough free stuff from people comes to them. They will even become shape sensitive and can learn that cans contain tasty stuff. Having said this, common sense on the part of the bear and the human usually prevails, if the berry crop is good, etc the bear usually avoids human contact. Given the pressure on your american wilderness sites with more people showing up in what was once the wild animals places this does not always apply.. I'm leaning toward a lockable metal tongue box on my trailer build to house the cooler where perishables will be housed, that way there is nothing to entice a bear from entering my off road trailer with its thin plywood walls.
 

hugh

Observer
True story, several years ago I was camped in a walk in spot near Jasper, Alberta. I had been there for about 4 days, and was camped in a sort of crossroads area where the arriving hikers would walk by and say Hi. Anyway a nice young fellow from Colorado or Montana I think walked in one day, he had all new equipment and was real happy to be camping along the Athabasca River in Jasper National Park. A little while later some of the "locals " came by and told me they had met this guy and when asked about bear protection they told him to pee around his pack and that would be OK. Now the rangers had installed a few football goal post type structures, only these were about 20 feet high and the uprights were clad in metal culvert to stop a bear from climbing them. Well the next day the young fellow walked by looking pretty sad so I asked what was the matter, the reply was someone stole my pack. I sat him down and explained about the bears and he went back and sure enough a bear had dragged his pack into the bush and opened it up for the food inside. And yes I had gone looking for him the prev day but had not found his site.
 
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R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
Bears are a fact of life and here in canada firearms are not an option unless you are a criminal or police officer so that leaves pepper spray or the air horn.

That is not true at all. Canadians are allowed to to carry firearms. It's just much less common, and specific regulations must be met.
 

G-force

Adventurer
Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear.

OK!!?:Wow1:

I live in acountry with few bears, but is this a good idea?

This must be the last thing that comes to mind, i think even after running!! Even though, i know not to . . . . . .
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
OK!!?:Wow1:

I live in acountry with few bears, but is this a good idea?

This must be the last thing that comes to mind, i think even after running!! Even though, i know not to . . . . . .
Bears are not predictable; I would not make one angry...
 

hugh

Observer
That is not true at all. Canadians are allowed to to carry firearms. It's just much less common, and specific regulations must be met.
I stand corrected, we are allowed rifles if you apply for and get a firearms acquistion certificate. Handguns are also allowed if you get a permit. Then I believe you must store them safely at home and they require a permit to take to a firing range and that permit allows transport there and back home. Since I don,t own a handgun and when the FAC came in I got disgusted and gave my old 22 away there may be a bit more to the rules.
 

R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
My understanding (I don't own any guns, but am researching because I might some day, and have hunters in the family) is that we are allowed to own handguns, but must leave them locked up in a gun club. The only way to be able to carry, is with a special permit, which is practically impossible to get unless you can justify a "need". So police and... that's about it.

Long guns are another matter. You need an FAC, and register the gun. Not a huge deal. I believe you are allowed to carry them as long as they are locked. Carrying a gun in the woods out of season is a bit of an issue due to poaching laws, but I do not believe is insurmountable.
 

August

Observer
grizzly_bear_warning_sign.jpg
 

Rot Box

Explorer
Excellent thread! Subscribed :sombrero:

A good friend of mine came face to face with Grizzly's at night in AK a few years back while camping in the back country. Apperantly the bears came out of hibernation a few weeks before the salmon were making their run--so they were very hungry and irritatable. Only one of them approached him and his friend, but I still remember our conversation the next day after they drove forever just to get cell phone service. His voice was almost completely gone from screaming and yelling and they said the huge Brown bear was so close that it was taking swings at them.

He told me they made a triangle over 100 yards apart so that their 4x4 and food (that was sealed off and locked in a cooler) was all seperate and away from them, but the bears still found them as they are not dumb. I'll have to see if I can get him to tell his story here because I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of details :coffee: I just remember the sound of his voice as he told me they was sure that they were going to die that day :Wow1:

Fast forward to last year while camping near Cooke City MT. a camper no more than 1/2 mile away was drug by a Grizzly from his tent by his head. Luckly there were campers near by that scared the bear away and he was flown to the hospital in Cody... I talked to one of the people that was there at the Miner's Saloon later that day--she was telling me about the initial scream and how he saw the bear on top of the dude--needless to say I didn't sleep well the next night :eatchicke

The danger is real. Bear attacks don't happen too often but when they do I can't imagine what I would even do in the situation. Black Bears typically mind their own business if you don't bother them, but the big Brown bears make me really uncomfortable when they are close :Wow1:

Although I don't anticipate anything like that and I would NEVER want to harm any animal I still feel a little more confortable knowing that I have the air horns, bear sized pepper spray and a tactical 870.
 
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