Grizzly electric fence?

[darcytribe]

This fall will be my first hunt in the Cowboy State and in griz-country. I'll be bowhunting and later gun hunting if I cannot fill my tag with a stick and string. I will be hunting with a buddy. We will be hunting "bear aware", will avoid mommies with little ones and bears on a kill, head on a swivel when an animal goes down and we'll will have protection. From what I can gather the concentrations of silverbacks are higher the closer you get to Yellowstone but they are also present practically the length of the Wind River and Wyoming Ranges.

We've been discussing whether or not to pack a portable electric bear fence to sleep in at night. For those of you experienced in hunting around them, do you think this is warranted and wise, or a not really necessary? Maybe in certain areas it is warranted but not in others? Also, I've seen some advice on this forum to not hike on established trails in the dark. Is that a thing? Do any of you make noise when hiking and hunting in griz country? Any other experienced tips for some newbies to hunting alongside these sometimes-temperamental peak predators would be appreciated? Thanks!

 

[Antares]

I hunt around a lot of bears and I have a portable fence. That said, I would not take a fence just for sleeping.

I use a fence for two things:

- If I'm leaving camp set up, I like to have a fence around it so I don't come back to a ripped up tent and all my snacks gone. If you're packing camp with you every day, then this problem goes away.

- If I can't retrieve and entire animal in one trip (e.g., elk), then I'll put the meat I have to leave up a tree and put the fence around the base. Alternatively, if there's no convenient trees, I'll leave meat on the ground (on a pile of cut brush for air flow), and definitely put the fence around it.

So if it were me, I wouldn't bother with a fence if I could keep camp and all the meat with me all the time. And for reference, my experience is with dense concentrations of Alaska coastal brown bears; no idea how my experience relates to lower 48 grizzlies.

 

[Beendare]

I backpacked into an area within 15 miles of Yellowstone and we had grizzly tracks walking right past my E Fence 2 out of 3 nights. It looked to be a big bear too.

Now, was it my snoring that kept them out...or the Electric tape- I dunno- Grin

Fence tip- the little tent stake ground rods are worthless....make yourself a good ground rod...and have a fence tester with you. Most of the problems are due to not having a good ground and you won't know without the tester- unless you want to get zapped.

 

[Kyle C]

Fence not necessary in my opinion. Sleep is very important though, so if it helps you sleep better then take it. Hang food on the downhill side of camp, and keep the tent clean of food. If you end up killing an elk and spend the night be sure to leave the bloody clothes down by your meat and hopefully have another set to get into.

If you're going in with stock though I think it's worth it to throw one in, and use it mostly for keeping around meat if you kill.

 

[darcytribe]

I backpacked into an area within 15 miles of Yellowstone and we had grizzly tracks walking right past my E Fence 2 out of 3 nights. It looked to be a big bear too.

Now, was it my snoring that kept them out...or the Electric tape- I dunno- Grin

Fence tip- the little tent stake ground rods are worthless....make yourself a good ground rod...and have a fence tester with you. Most of the problems are due to not having a good ground and you won't know without the tester- unless you want to get zapped.

Thanks Beendare- Is there a fence tester you would recommend?

 

[Beendare]

Cheap and light fence testers at the places that sell the Tape and chargers

 

[Deadfall]

They work fantastic. Especially if your camp is in same spot for extended time.

 

[Indian Summer]

Look to agricultural stores for fence supplies. I think like a rancher trying to contain cattle. I have used Gallagher portable fencers. Those stores sell the fence posts ground rods and all.

 

[Legend]

This fall will be my first hunt in the Cowboy State and in griz-country. I'll be bowhunting and later gun hunting if I cannot fill my tag with a stick and string. I will be hunting with a buddy. We will be hunting "bear aware", will avoid mommies with little ones and bears on a kill, head on a swivel when an animal goes down and we'll will have protection. From what I can gather the concentrations of silverbacks are higher the closer you get to Yellowstone but they are also present practically the length of the Wind River and Wyoming Ranges.

We've been discussing whether or not to pack a portable electric bear fence to sleep in at night. For those of you experienced in hunting around them, do you think this is warranted and wise, or a not really necessary? Maybe in certain areas it is warranted but not in others? Also, I've seen some advice on this forum to not hike on established trails in the dark. Is that a thing? Do any of you make noise when hiking and hunting in griz country? Any other experienced tips for some newbies to hunting alongside these sometimes-temperamental peak predators would be appreciated? Thanks!

If you choose to run a fence in the west make sure you have an alternating hot/ground wire design. Most are not and unless you set you tent on a wetland the fence is not adequate.

 

[darcytribe]

Yes that seems to be the consensus on the info I’ve found online.

 

[mntnguide]

https://bearwatchsystems.com/en-us/collections/fence-systems Newer company but seems to have pretty good kits. Comes with everything you need including tester. I had my camp torn up by a Sow and 3 cubs last fall, plain and simple, if they really want in, no fence will stop them. Ive heard grizzlies hit the fence, growl, then go try another spot. A lot depends on time of year, in the summer, i dont bring my fence at all cause bears arent looking for that extra meal. The moment snow hits the ground, their entire behavior changes and makes them much less predictable. If you are in thick bear country, the fence will help you with peace of mind, and sleep is important, especially after multiple days where you are worried about every stick breaking at night

 

[Deadfall]

We just run a single wire around camp at knee height. Never had a bear penetrative it long as it was working. Had em hit it. Had em sit and contemplate it. Had try dig under. They won't jump it.
That's at 7000 volts.

Forest service has some requirements for keeping food in camp.

Has to be 7 wire with alternating hots. Think it has to be 52 or 56 inches high.

 

[DustyCogs]

Like others have said fences are great for keeping bears from poking around your camp. I've watched a bear run through one to get to some moose quarters.

Nice thing to have but you still need to have a clean camp and good bear management.

 

[Antares]

This is the most common portable fence controller that I see used. They work fine, somewhere in the mid-7kV range. I use two strands of wire (both hot; one at fox nose height and one at bear nose height) and a good ground. If needed, I can double the size of my enclosure by going to a single wire.

 

[darcytribe]

This is the most common portable fence controller that I see used. They work fine, somewhere in the mid-7kV range. I use two strands of wire (both hot; one at fox nose height and one at bear nose height) and a good ground. If needed, I can double the size of my enclosure by going to a single wire.

View attachment 722807

Is that the unit that uses 2 AA batteries? The Joules seems lower than most, but it gets good reviews. What do you use for your ground if you are using this in the western US? Also, where did you get those clips?

 

[TaperPin]

I wish I still had the link to a historical collection of grizzly encounters - it was interesting reading 100s of encounters, not just human fatalities. Reading the same things over and over and over that are generally condensed in some bear attack book or pamphlet was really an eye opener.

I didn’t expect young males to cause so much trouble - testing boundaries like human teenagers do. The aggressive ones get taken out of the gene pool quickly, but until they do, these seem to be the ones that follow you for no reason, get in your face for no reason, are mad at the world and want to take it out on you. Bear books seem to leave that out.

Everybody should know food in camp is a no no, but there are a few fatalities at night not attributed to a dirty camp. Bear books seem to leave that out as well.

As a hunter the biggest thing that hit home is how many guys were attacked walking around a blind bend in the trail, or coming around a tree into close proximity. In rattlesnake country I don’t walk closer than 2’ from brush, and keep hands out of rocks and places that can’t be seen. In bear country I choose paths that are less likely to result in blind corners or surprises, on trail or off. It’s hard since being sneaky is what it is, but the more you avoid the better.

As you’re traveling on game trails, or even maintained hiking trails, I tend to think it’s good practice to pay attention to bear tracks simply to have a better idea of what is living in your area. It’s a good idea to stop by a forest service office and ask if there have been any bear issues in the drainage you’re hunting. By the end of he summer if a bear has been causing problems, they will have heard about it.

Having a buddy seems like a really good idea, but there are many stories of the friend not being much help once the pepper spray runs out. Most of my friends are terrible pistol shots - I’d probably get shot in the process. Lol

A few weeks back I had the flu and would moan and groan at times while sleeping - one of our dogs heard me, and saw something moving under the blanket so he bit my arm. I have a completely new appreciation what it is like to wake up to the feeling of teeth biting down. LMAO

 

[Antares]

Is that the unit that uses 2 AA batteries? The Joules seems lower than most, but it gets good reviews. What do you use for your ground if you are using this in the western US? Also, where did you get those clips?

Yes. It uses two AA batteries. My grounding rod is overkill, but a good ground is critical. I think it's 1/2" aluminum round stock. I use carbon arrows for fence poles (w/ take-down inserts so I can make them shorter for packing).

Link to the clips:
https://eaglesafety.net/products/brands/eagle-safety/bear-fence-insulator-clips?v=472

 

[Dos Perros]

@ahcraig87 and @Pmiller45 had a bear hit a fence in the middle of the night last year, and in a spot I wouldn't say has crazy high concentrations of bears. If I had one, I'd bring it. If I didn't bring it, I'd sleep like shit.

When in grizz country the best sleep I get is in thick timber where I'm able to drag dead fall around me pretty tight, or otherwise sleep in a place I'm confident I would hear a bear coming.

My other buddy had a bear circle his car camp tent in the night this May (no fence), he saw the tracks the next morning.

 

[buffybr]

I've hunted elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats in grizzly country near or adjacent to Yellowstone Park since 1978. The years that I used my horses to pack my camps into the backcountry, I didn't use an electric fence, but I did use an electric fence some years when I camped at the end of a road.

One area where we camped at the end of a road for several years, I used an electric fence around a small section of a meadow mainly to keep my horses in at night. That was the only camp where I had an encounter with a grizzly.

One morning I found grizzly tracks in the fresh snow. His tracks showed that he had walked up to the fence which shocked him as he made an abrupt right turn and ran away.

 

[darcytribe]

Thanks so much for the info and sharing your experiences. I’m putting together a lightweight set up for our trip this fall.