Electric Bear Fence for Tent

[treillw]

@AKDoc & @AK Troutbum

Would either of you (or anyone else for that matter) think you could build the kit better than EBG provides on your own?

Part of the reason I've been waiting for so long to buy one was because I was planning on buying their energizer and my own parts to make one that might be a poundish lighter. I forget how much lighter I was thinking I could make it. Was going to use carbon arrows spliced together for stakes and attach guy lines using fly line backing.

Thanks again!

 

[Elk97]

I'm not familiar with these fence kits so this might not be possible. When I was a commercial beekeeper we would build electric fences around our bee yards when we had them up in the mountains of western WA for the fireweed bloom. They were powered with a 12v RV battery but the principle is the same. Instead of a ground rod driven into the ground we layed 2' wide chicken wire on the ground (connected to the ground terminal) outside the fence so the bears would be standing on it. We also wire tied pieces of bacon onto the fence wire so they'd get a jolt through their tongue when they licked it. Lots of straight trails through the brush leading away from the fence covered in bear sh@t, and never had a bear get into a yard. Not sure if there is something light weight that could be used instead of the chicken wire, but it really increases the shock.

 

[AK Troutbum]

@AKDoc & @AK Troutbum

Would either of you (or anyone else for that matter) think you could build the kit better than EBG provides on your own?

Part of the reason I've been waiting for so long to buy one was because I was planning on buying their energizer and my own parts to make one that might be a poundish lighter. I forget how much lighter I was thinking I could make it. Was going to use carbon arrows spliced together for stakes and attach guy lines using fly line backing.

Thanks again!

I thought about this also, and actually did a little work putting together carbon fiber arrows to use as the 4 corner posts. My main objective was to make a taller fence so the top strand of wire would be closer to a bears face as it’s standing on all fours. Kodiak has some pretty big bears, like as tall as me while standing on all four legs. I once watched a bear fishing, about 30 yards from me, and that bear was literally as tall as me, like if we were face to face, we would be looking eye to eye (for reference, I’m 5’8”). I used two arrows, spliced together with a sleeve, for each post, and made a decent enough fence that is taller, but it still requires everything else to make it stable. So in the end it’s not really any lighter than the factory fence.
Here’s the absolute bare minimum that you need to make this fence, and this does not include any guidelines or stakes, that are required to make the fence more bomber/storm worthy.

Here is the four poles with the plastic hooks for the wire. So basically 3 oz. per pole. I don’t think you could shave much weight from that and still have a sturdy enough fence.

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[treillw]

I go back and forth between thinking a fence will be a good idea and then thinking it will just be a heavy, expensive, useless security blanket.

I'm hunting blackbears and have never seen a griz in the area, but they 110% are around there.

I've come across a dozen sets of tracks in a day already. One of them has to be a griz.

Even so, not many people get their tent and theirselves ripped apart in the middle of the night that you hear about.

Thoughts?

 

[AK Troutbum]

I go back and forth between thinking a fence will be a good idea and then thinking it will just be a heavy, expensive, useless security blanket.

I'm hunting blackbears and have never seen a griz in the area, but they 110% are around there.

I've come across a dozen sets of tracks in a day already. One of them has to be a griz.

Even so, not many people get their tent and theirselves ripped apart in the middle of the night that you hear about.

Thoughts?

I do about 99% of all my hunting, and camping in AK, and although I’m always in areas with bears, both brown and black, I pretty much only use a fence on Kodiak. I haves used them in other parts of the state, but that was only because I have them, and wt. wasn’t a consideration.


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[AKBorn]

I go back and forth between thinking a fence will be a good idea and then thinking it will just be a heavy, expensive, useless security blanket.

I'm hunting blackbears and have never seen a griz in the area, but they 110% are around there.

I've come across a dozen sets of tracks in a day already. One of them has to be a griz.

Even so, not many people get their tent and theirselves ripped apart in the middle of the night that you hear about.

Thoughts?

You are in a much better position to answer this question than we are. If you will sleep better at night with a bear fence than you will without one, I would say the approximate 2.6 pounds of weight are well worth it. It sucks to sleep poorly on remote hunts, it drains your energy and affects your outlook and ability to hunt long and hard.

 

[treillw]

Any recommendations for a fence tester?

 

[AK Troutbum]

Any recommendations for a fence tester?

I used my hand once on purpose, and I’ve used it a few more times since then, but never on purpose.


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[rayporter]

one test involves liquid?

 

[treillw]

haha I've just heard a few people say that an actual fence tester is nice to make sure you're grounded properly and getting maximum output.

 

[treillw]

one test involves liquid?

The Mythbusters have disproved that, if I recall correctly.

 

[Voyageur]

I have a small Gallagher tester for my next trip, and am thinking it will work fine.

 

[AKBorn]

Any recommendations for a fence tester?

I'm not as brave as AK Troutbum, so I bought a cheap one from Tractor Supply. Less than $10 I think.

I've been fortunate not to accidentally test the fence thus far, altho I probably just jinxed myself...

 

[AKBorn]

Bleach. Dilute bleach and spray it on rocks, ground surface, and or camping gear. It's far less troublesome, less expensive, and equally as effective.

Haven't seen any studies that support the "equally as effective" part of your post - can you share a reference or share where you got that info?

 

[treillw]

Spraying bleach on everything seems problematic.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’ve also heard Pine-Sol works if you sprinkle a perimeter around camp, but I’ve never tried it.


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[FishfinderAK]

A small bottle of house hold ammonia squirted around the perimeter of camp has worked so far.

 

[treillw]

I always make a urine fence.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I always make a urine fence.

I usually try and do the same, in combination with the electric fence.


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[treillw]

My wife and I were camping at the edge of the Bob Marshall. This creepy dog that looked like it was part wolf came walking up to us in the morning. The previous night I had made my "perimeter fence" as best I could. The dog came walking towards us until it reached the line I had drawn. It stopped, sniffed, peed on the tree which I started at, and turned and walked away like somebody was calling it's name.

Kinda crazy.