Tent Camping in bear country

[fantomas]

Re: Tent Camping in bear country

I suppose that having a weapon is better than nothing, but if it gives you a false sense of security and you proceed with more boldness than if you did not have a weapon, then you might be better off without one.

In general, I think the opposite is true. Once I started carrying, I was MUCH more aware of my surroundings. I'm not going to say it made me any more or less brave, but the last thing I would ever want to have to do is draw my firearm on someone.

As far as camping with a sidearm, the campsites we generally go to here in CT are state parks, which are "gun free zones". I wish I could carry, specifically at the heavily wooded ones that usually have bear sightings, but it is what it is.

[New Englander]

Re: Tent Camping in bear country

You know, it's funny, but growing up on the side of a mountain in the Catskills, I have only come across a black bear twice, and never in the woods. The first time was when I opened the door to my back yard and he was literally sitting I wanna say less than ten feet away just staring at me. And the other one jumped out in front of my car when I was driving down the road.

[Malamute]

Re: Tent Camping in bear country

If you act smart, and not try to cut corners with basic bear safety things, you'll probably be fine. On the other hand, things sometimes don't work out according to script, nobody can guaranteee that any particular bear will act a certain way on any given day. You can follow all the rules and things still go bad. Be smart, be flexible, and pay attention to whats going on around you. Seeing someone with a walkman clamped on or stuffed in their ears just looks like a problem looking for a place to happen in the mountains, if not other places.

Pepper spray can be great stuff, it's probably best for most non-gun people. It has shortcomings, but works fairly well most of the time, and if it isn't too windy or used too far away. It also isn't regulated as much as guns are in parks etc. I tend to thing of it as another layer, not an either/or question. I never go out unarmed, but I'm happy if I dont have to kill a bear, it isn't simply valuing one above a person. The paperwork after shooting a bear can be seriously unpleasant, tho of course not as unpleasnat as being mugged by a bear.

Keep in mind that some places, and/or at some times, areas or campgrounds can be closed to tent camping, depending on bear activity at the time. If you make reservations at a campground, it may be a good idea to be sure it's still open for tent camping before getting there, and have a backup plan if that changes.

There aren't bears behind every tree waiting to jump any unwary person, but on the other hand a persons lifetime of no problems in bear country doesn't mean nothing will ever happen. Don't let it freak you out, nor should you be complacent. Life is uncertain. Enjoy yourself, pay attention to what's going on around you, and have good stories to tell when you get home.




I'm curious where the 900 lb bears are in the lower 48. Not to minimize the potential of a bear to fluff up a scrawny person, but that's a very large bear in Alaska, and much larger than has been seen in the lower 48 in a few generations, if not in a past century, other than in a zoo. 5-600 lbs is a pretty large grizzly for the lower 48.

[teddybear8]

Re: Tent Camping in bear country

I remember one trip to Yosemite, a baby black bear was roaming around the camp site and the rangers set off something that made a loud boom and the bear ran up a tree. Another time, an idiot friend left food out and another friend woke up to an adult bear eating some peanut butter. A loud shriek sent it running.

Store all your food and scented items in a bear canister/locker.
Don't leave any food or anything that smells like food in your vehicle.
Don't leave anything that smells like food out in the open.
If you see a bear, make loud noises to scare them off. It seems bears are more scared of you as much as you are of them... at least from my experiences.

This seems to have worked for me and I've only done tent style camping in areas where reservation is required and bear lockers are provided.