Backcountry camping. Do you worry about black bears?

[jarrettd]

We are heading to Colorado for archery elk this year. This will my my first Elk hunt ever. I know there are no G-bears where we plan to go, but there are black bears. Do you guys worry about hanging your food away from the campsite when hunting CO?

 

[Hoodie]

Not a Colorado dude, but a black bear is a black bear. I hang my food and take the usual recommended bear precautions.

I've had to deal with running off a bear stealing my food (which was hung in the most secure way possible). It's a pain in the ass. Hanging food doesn't take long and it also alleviates any worries about other animals that steal food like marmots, mice, raccoons, etc.

Aside from you having a run-in, you've also got to worry about coming back to a wrecked camp if you leave food in the tent while you hunt for the day. It's worth the peace of mind for me.

 

[bsnedeker]

For your first elk hunt ever do you want to be worried about it all night, or do you want to take 10 extra minutes to hang your food and sleep soundly?

I always hang my food 100 yards or more from camp. None of my hunting buddies bother and they've never had problems but why risk it?

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[pfred8]

Quick tip, get a ursack bag. It’s much quicker than tying up your food high somewhere, just attach it to a tree.

 

[Titan_Bow]

You don't have to worry about bears. Just be smart, don't eat snickers bars in your sleeping bag, and hang your food up and out of the way. Biggest thing you can do to protect yourself is to buy a bear tag however.

 

[hoyt-guy]

The times I've hunted out west in bear country I've never had a problem when keeping a clean camp. I agree with bsnedeker , take the extra time & hang your food away from camp. The sound sleep is def worth it IMO.

 

[Moserkr]

Its good practice to act like your in griz country and take precautions. That being said I rarely hang food in black bear country, even in areas where they are known to raid camps along hiking trails. Im with @Titan_Bow buy a bear tag and they wont bug you.

My other thought when hunting solo is Id rather have them go after my food than me. Although extremely rare, black bears have done the same things as griz like pull people from tents or attack while you are sleeping - highly predatory. So I leave my food at the base of a rock or tree, slightly hidden, 20’ away from my tent at an angle for a clean shot.

 

[wapitibob]

no

 

[slick]

no

2nd.

 

[TheGDog]

If you don't hang your food away from the tent, there's a good chance of getting woke-up at 3am by the smell of "The Funk" outside your tent. You might not hear or see ANYTHING around your tent either when you unzip with flashlight and pistol and scan 360. Very unnerving when trying to get back to sleep. Play it safe. Hang that food.

 

[Jskaanland]

I snore so loud, I'm pretty sure any bear thinks I'm a giant boar and stays away. The only times I do are when I know bears are fairly habituated to raiding camps. Usually in areas that I'm just backpacking in.

 

[Dos Perros]

Hanging food is no guarantee I won't get scared at some point in the night, especially if I'm by myself.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I agree that if you're unsure just hang it and be done with it. The time/effort/convenience traded is small.

 

[rideold]

Hunting or just backpacking....any time of the year in CO I'd hang the food and any other attractants (lip balm, toothpaste, etc) up in the trees. That said, I don't really ever think much about bears at night. I'm more worried about stumbling upon one during the day or a dusk while busting through brush or still hunting along wet meadows etc.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Yes, always hang that food. Beyond black bears, I've had chipmunks naw through my tent and dry bag to get to peanut butter sandwiches.

They might still be able to do that if it's hung up but it's never happened to me. Plus, your tent is more likely to stay intact!

 

[Clarkdale17]

Haven't had an issue with black bears in camp when hunting but have had multiple issues with them at the trailheads. Hung all the extra food in a tree I thought was impossible for a bear to get to, but sure enough came back and he had gotten everything. Have had them open up coolers sitting in the bed of the truck and melt all the ice in them as well.

I just toss my extra food in a tree when camping so they won't tear up my tarp. Don't spend a ton of time making it hard to get. Haven't had an issue in the woods yet.

 

[Mt Al]

IMHO, bring some cord and some bags and hang your food. Just peace of mind if nothing else. I had a camp where we had to haul up water - none nearby fit for human consumption and so foul that filtering was a pain, so we brought up water while scouting pre-season.

Of course, come back the night before the season and all our water containers, plastic bottles/milk-jug-like-containers, were trashed and strewn about with black bear sized bite marks on everything. Made for a long night going down to the closest moving water to fill up. Could have avoided that!

 

[TheGDog]

IMHO, bring some cord and some bags and hang your food. Just peace of mind if nothing else. I had a camp where we had to haul up water - none nearby fit for human consumption and so foul that filtering was a pain, so we brought up water while scouting pre-season.

Of course, come back the night before the season and all our water containers, plastic bottles/milk-jug-like-containers, were trashed and strewn about with black bear sized bite marks on everything. Made for a long night going down to the closest moving water to fill up. Could have avoided that!

Hmmph... I've routinely pre-hiked-in and stashed Crystal Geyser 1Gal bottles. Never had them messed with. But I always wrap them in a cheapie camo throw blanket for a couple bucks from Wally World. You might comeback and notice where rodents have gnawed at the blanket for nesting material, but that's about it.

Ya definitely gotta stuff them in to places where they won't be seen though. Either that or bury them shallow, wrapped in the blanket or something else. I also put a piece of blue painter's tape with my email address written on it. The hope being that if some other dude really needed that water some day, they'd at least email me to let me know it's been taken. Whenever I go back in I never trust they'll be there still and as a result I end up having like twice the water I need, so just leave some for the next time.

 

[Molon Labe]

Be careful on your first elk hunt. Bears are very sneaky...they can be as quiet as a mouse. Any noise around camp could be a bear...even just a slight rustling of the wind could be a bear. If you have a partner make sure to wake him up immediately with every noise you hear outside the tent. He will appreciate it. Best way to wake a partner up is shake them and yell bear. It will most likely scare the bear away by yelling "bear".

I've done this dozens and dozens of times and its always scared the bear away from our camp. The bears have never stuck around when i finally peak out of the tent. All the different hunting partners i have had over the years have been pretty thankful...because it was usually the last time they hunted with me. Must have been scared off by all the bears in camp i figure.

In all seriousness...as far as hanging food and your original question.
Do what makes you feel comfortable.
I dont ever hang food...but probably should to be on the safe side.
I just keep a very clean camp and dont have food that is not sealed and all used packaging/garbage is in sealed ziplocs.

 

[neil.hansford]

If you're truck camping, just leave it in the truck. If backpack hunting, I always hang it. Not only for safety reasons, but if you come back to camp after day 1 of hunting to find your tent destroyed and/or all of your food gone, your hunt is likely done or at the very least cut short. That'd be a big disappointment, especially of you traveled from out of state.

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[Smada962]

No. Food storage sure, but from a general safety standpoint, not even a tiny bit. Now grizzlies are a totally different story.