Another Camping in Bear Country Post...

[trogers861]

Good Morning All,
Headed out on my first solo backpack deer hunt in country with black bears (though not high densities). I am not concerned about 'safety' per se--I always carry my pistol with me when hunting--regardless of where I am. More of wanting to understand food storage etiquette. I have experience backpack camping in areas of CA where you would be hard pressed to find a bear and also experience car camping where bears are abundant and you have to lock up anything that looks or smells to be edible. So I have never had to worry about securing food on a backpacking trip.

My question is regarding to food cooking and storage. I have read a lot of threads and I know there isn't a definitive answer--but what do you all do for cooking and food storage?

I am going to be using my SO cimarron and was planning on cooking in my tent which goes against everything I grew up learning about being in bear country. What are your thoughts? We are supposed to have a mix of rain and snow--so want to be under shelter ideally for cooking dinner.

Second--storage. Do I really need to hang my food--or simply placing it under a tarp, away from my tent?

Third--trash. I was always taught to keep anything that was in contact with food outside and away from the tent. Where do you all store food wrappers and such? Suppose I could burn everything in my stove each night before bed.

Fourth--toiletries and such. Again, growing up camping--was taught to keep anything scented out of the tent, chapstick, toothpaste, etc. I realize many of you will laugh at this--and I am assuming this is more in relation to habituated bears in car camping areas--but what precautions do you all take in regard to these types of toiletries and such?

Last question--if I am lucky enough to get a deer down--in this scenario, do you guys hang your game bags high off the ground out of bears reach, or do you just hang them low in a tree?

Anyways--any feedback is appreciated. Trying to get prepared as much as I can in advance so I have less to 'figure out' on the mountain.

 

[Marble]

Ive lived in one of the highest bear density counties in the US my entire life.

#1, Black bears are not aggressive and are very skittish. It's rare to have an issue.

#2 I don't cook in my tent with the exception of heating water. This for safety and just preference. It's got to be damn cold outside for me to cook only in my tent.

#3 Anything I beleive would attract a bear is placed in a bag and hung on a tree limb too thin for them to walk out on.


Just wear ear plugs at night and anything going bump in the night won't bother you.

Concentrate more on killing a buck!! Good luck!

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[t_carlson]

It depends on the time of year for me. Summer and early fall I will cook/eat outside of my tent and hang food.

 

[trogers861]

Ive lived in one of the highest bear density counties in the US my entire life.

#1, Black bears are not aggressive and are very skittish. It's rare to have an issue.

#2 I don't cook in my tent with the exception of heating water. This for safety and just preference. It's got to be damn cold outside for me to cook only in my tent.

#3 Anything I beleive would attract a bear is placed in a bag and hung on a tree limb too thin for them to walk out on.


Just wear ear plugs at night and anything going bump in the night won't bother you.

Concentrate more on killing a buck!! Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply. So in inclement weather--do you set up a tarp outside of your tent to cook/prep food? I'll have a glassing tarp with me, so this is possible.

This is one of those posts where I already know the answers--I am just hoping someone will convince me otherwise! haha

 

[long hunter]

They like fig newtons, just throw a bunch out away from your camp. 😉 but actually sounds like you have it figured out, have a good hunt.

 

[EdP]

I backpack hunt the same section of national forest where a few years ago 17 miles of the AT was closed to overnight camping due to bears. They were getting poorly hung food bags and at times coming into the trail shelters after food while hikers were in the shelters. The forest service installed bear boxes for food storage and the trail was eventually re-opened. I don't know what was done about the individual bears but the actions taken have prevented further trail closings. Trailhead postings recommend bearproof storage containers or proper hanging.

I don't camp at those shelter locations but they are only a few miles from where I camp. My food goes in a bearproof container that I put partially in the ground and cover with leaves about 50 yds from my camp. I cook and eat under a tarp in front of a campfire. My food related trash goes into the fire. I pack my lunch and breakfast for the day in a ziplock so I only have one thing to pull out in the early morning darkness. The biggest PITA in my mind is toothpaste, it being the last thing used before turning in. I solved that problem by finding unscented toothpaste. It turns out that there are people that cannot abide scent in their toothpaste and, although difficult to find, it is available. I don't worry about chapstick, soap, or deodorant.

So far there has been zero bear activity at my camp site. I don't know if it is because of my precautions, luck, topography, or something else, but that's what I do.

 

[trogers861]

I backpack hunt the same section of national forest where a few years ago 17 miles of the AT was closed to overnight camping due to bears. They were getting poorly hung food bags and at times coming into the trail shelters after food while hikers were in the shelters. The forest service installed bear boxes for food storage and the trail was eventually re-opened. I don't know what was done about the individual bears but the actions taken have prevented further trail closings. Trailhead postings recommend bearproof storage containers or proper hanging.

I don't camp at those shelter locations but they are only a few miles from where I camp. My food goes in a bearproof container that I put partially in the ground and cover with leaves about 50 yds from my camp. I cook and eat under a tarp in front of a campfire. My food related trash goes into the fire. I pack my lunch and breakfast for the day in a ziplock so I only have one thing to pull out in the early morning darkness. The biggest PITA in my mind is toothpaste, it being the last thing used before turning in. I solved that problem by finding unscented toothpaste. It turns out that there are people that cannot abide scent in their toothpaste and, although difficult to find, it is available. I don't worry about chapstick, soap, or deodorant.

So far there has been zero bear activity at my camp site. I don't know if it is because of my precautions, luck, topography, or something else, but that's what I do.

Thanks Edp. You nailed what I was thinking. Cook under tarp by fire--and toothpaste is a PITA.

Will check out the unscented toothpaste.

 

[Marble]

Thanks for the reply. So in inclement weather--do you set up a tarp outside of your tent to cook/prep food? I'll have a glassing tarp with me, so this is possible.

This is one of those posts where I already know the answers--I am just hoping someone will convince me otherwise! haha

I have a vestibule on either side of my tent, big enough to boil water for coffee and rehydrating food.

To be honest, if it's raining, I will not stay camping in the backcountry. It's miserable. Snow is ok.

Unless you have a hot tent, it's difficult to get stuff dry once its wet. And whatever it touches gets wet too. And so on...

At the truck we set up an EZup.

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[aaronoto]

1 - Depends on what you mean by "cook." My "cooking" in the backcountry is just boiling water for coffee, broth, or dehydrated meals. No issue with doing that in a tent for me as it's not going to stink anything up, but I prefer to do it outside from a safety standpoint.

2 - I like to hang whenever I can, especially if not above treeline. You're bigger concern is going to be rodents over bears, hanging will take care of both issues though. I like to use a PVC dry bag for food storage as well, it'll help keep any scent locked in there. If I can't hang, I'll usually stash well away from camp.

3 - I have a big ziplock bag I keep trash in. That gets stashed in the dry bag with the food and hung as well.

4 - Easy, just don't pack toothpaste and brush with water.

 

[Dalen88]

i hunt in heavy populated g bear county and have never cooked away from the tent or hung my food, its in the tent with me. we have seen bears multiple times grizzles 300 yards from camp right before bed and never been bothered.

 

[Margoot]

I have camped quite a bit in Pennsylvania and there are lots of bears. They will absolutely come into a campground and go after your food when people are around. One trip to Poe Paddy State Park a bear raided half a dozen campsites at dawn. It didn’t bother my food since it was locked in the tow vehicle. The bear even slashed into a screened in awning where people had left their cooler. This is just one of my many many run ins with the furry fellows