Bear Fence?

[Ag111]

Heading to AK in a couple weeks for caribou. Not sure whether to drop the dough on a bear fence for our camp of 4.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I don't know where you're hunting, but I would say that in most cases a bear fence is probably unnecessary. I own two and always use one on Kodiak, but rarely use one anywhere else in the state (however, there are a few exceptions to that rule).

 

[Ag111]

We will be north of Tok, 40 mile area

 

[AK Troutbum]

I wouldn’t worry about taking a fence, just take some PineSol and spread around camp and or your game.


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[OXN939]

Pee fence worked well for us last year. Actually had a grizzly come by and check it out from a distance. I'm with Troutbum- will take one on Kodiak or maybe in areas with higher bear density by the coast, but for central AK, not necessary.

 

[Nick Muche]

I’ll be hunting in the same general area this fall. Last year we saw at least one grizzly per day. Not bringing a fence.

 

[Nick Muche]

I should also clarify that my partner and I have two permits each and plan to use them whereas last year we had none. So naturally we will see no grizzlies this fall.

 

[AKBorn]

I hunt the 40 Mile herd about 2 out of every 3 years. We always take an extra gear load, so I always bring a bear fence, don't always set it up.

My opinion - a bear fence (or a pee fence, or Pine Sol) is best suited for deterring a nuisance bear; I don't feel that it will stop a bear intent on doing harm. I have added a .44 Magnum revolver in a chest holster to my gear this year. I was becoming a little too complacent about not having my rifle nearby when in camp, and complacency is a bad thing in the wilderness. Time to refresh my awareness level to where it was in the early years...

Good luck on your hunt, remember to post pics and a story when you get back!

 

[Kevin Dill]

Going for moose for 14 days. Last year we saw 4 grizzlies on day one, and the area seemed polluted with bears. No incidents.

A few years back my partner killed a huge bull (moose) with his longbow. We did a great job of butchering and packing. It was beautiful meat. We hadn't seen a bear at all that year. The first night after all the butchering and packing, a grizzly got to the meat cache and tore up every last bag of meat. Raked... chewed... crapped.... dirty enough to make you sick. We reclaimed what pieces we could find and were going to haul the contaminated remains out for dog food. Nope. The bear came back and nailed it again. We flew out with one partial bag of meat.

I'll be bringing a fence and using it.

 

[Trial153]

We built a new fence, it will be making future trips with us.

 

[kiddogy]

when hunting in bear country ,one needs only to bring a fat, slow hunting pard

 

[Ag111]

Great feedback guys, much appreciated. Im an Alaska Newb so not much experience with bears.

 

[diamond10x]

Going for moose for 14 days. Last year we saw 4 grizzlies on day one, and the area seemed polluted with bears. No incidents.

A few years back my partner killed a huge bull (moose) with his longbow. We did a great job of butchering and packing. It was beautiful meat. We hadn't seen a bear at all that year. The first night after all the butchering and packing, a grizzly got to the meat cache and tore up every last bag of meat. Raked... chewed... crapped.... dirty enough to make you sick. We reclaimed what pieces we could find and were going to haul the contaminated remains out for dog food. Nope. The bear came back and nailed it again. We flew out with one partial bag of meat.

I'll be bringing a fence and using it.

When you say you’re bringing the fence, are you intending it for your meat cache or tent? Or both?

 

[Chugaglug]

we've always taken two fences, one for meat/cook area and one for tents. fence has protected meat once. provides some peace of mind but I wouldn't say they are necessary. the setups we have are pretty damn packable/light. in open tundra I think you can get away without one more than brushy moose country.

 

[Kevin Dill]

When you say you’re bringing the fence, are you intending it for your meat cache or tent? Or both?

Meat protection. Campsite use if indicated by persistent bear activity. I've only ever had a fence around my camp once.

I wouldn't say they are necessary.

No argument at all. But then again neither is a firearm or pepper spray....until that bear comes along. Having experienced a major depredation event, I consider a fence a highly desirable option.

 

[AKBorn]

Great feedback guys, much appreciated. Im an Alaska Newb so not much experience with bears.

If you don't have much experience with bears - why not take one. Several of the guys who have posted saying you don't need one, are Alaska residents with lots of days in the field. It does typically take a few to several bear sightings to get more accustomed to them being around.

I set mine up every year the first few years; if nothing else, it gave us a feeling of comfort and allowed us to sleep better. I don't set it up every year now, but I still take it every year and decide based on the campsite.

You will very likely see grizzlies on a hunt in 40 Mile country. In 2017, on our fly-in day we saw a very large grizzly, dragging another dead grizzly that it had probably killed. That gets your attention in a hurry, and we were glad that our campsite was about 15 miles further as the crow flies. That same year, we ran a pretty large grizzly off the ridge we were camped on. The bear was only about 500 yards from camp, and we were going to be there another 7-8 days and night, so I decided it was better to have a chat with him in broad daylight, in the open. We probably saw 7-8 bears on our 10-day hunt, and we see bears every year.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I don’t bother, I have one, it usually doesn’t make the cut unless we’re boating or rafting.

 

[Jackal7]

Well, we are going into the Brooks Range on August 31st for caribou. All of us are newbies. We bought a UDAP 45X45 fence. Allocated weight for it. I will send a report when i get back. Testing it this weekend and trying to get one of my kids to be the guinea pig. They want cash money first before touching it.

 

[MYP009]

i am taking the same 45X45 UDAP fence into the 40 mile area next week. if nothing else for peace of mind as we dont deal with many bears in Tx. as for touching the fence to test it, wear some thick shoes and use the back of your hand. it wasn't bad at all when i tried it a few days ago.

 

[MYP009]

for the guys who don't take a bear fence how do you store your meat to prevent bears from getting into it? are the trees tall enough to hang the meat?