Parking at Trailhead in Montana

[tntrker]

I will be on an 11 day archey elk in Montana Sept and parking on a US Forest service rd trailhead. My last elk hunt I brought a chest freezer and had planned on that again this time. I was told, not officially, that the bed of my truck had to be covered with the freezer back there due to bears. I have not found any regulations on that and just looking for advice. UNLESS I misunderstood the conversation and they were refering to theives not bears...

 

[bsnedeker]

There is no such regulation that I have ever heard of. You park at trailheads at your own risk. If it was a campground or something they might have some rules, but not for just a general parking area for a trailhead.

If you want to be absolutely certain I would call up the FS office in the area you're planning. Then you will know for sure.

 

[TL406]

If there is food or meat in the cooler, it needs to be padlocked or inside an enclosed vehicle according the the forest service rules in the grizzly spots I hunt. If it’s empty while you’re out hunting, I *think* you’d be fine just leaving it exposed. I’ve had big cheap coolers that can’t be padlocked and just ran a ratchet strap around it and cinched it down. Not convinced it’s fully legal but I’d be shocked if a bear got in it.

 

[406RoadToad]

I’d be much more worried about thieves! There’s so much unnatural human activity around trail heads in hunting season that it tends to keep the bears away.

 

[tntrker]

If there is food or meat in the cooler, it needs to be padlocked or inside an enclosed vehicle according the the forest service rules in the grizzly spots I hunt. If it’s empty while you’re out hunting, I *think* you’d be fine just leaving it exposed. I’ve had big cheap coolers that can’t be padlocked and just ran a ratchet strap around it and cinched it down. Not convinced it’s fully legal but I’d be shocked if a bear got in it.

I had planned on it being thoughly cleaned with bleach just to ensure no scent, but it would be empty. Just planning for a drive back to SC with meat.

 

[downthepipe]

Spray paint “empty” on it. Nobody would want to steal it, and FS won’t mess with you.

 

[Dos Perros]

I’d be much more worried about thieves! There’s so much unnatural human activity around trail heads in hunting season that it tends to keep the bears away.

I think the human activity attracts the bears.

 

[DmichaelD]

We had a cooler with just some snacks in it that was on the back rack of our truck last year in Montana. When we came out, there was a note giving us a warning. What I understood was it either needed to be locked or locked in the bed (we had a cap). Then again we also had a note a few days later that there was a wounded grizzly in the area

 

[Tradchef]

The cooler as said above just needs to bear locked in a bear resistant container/cooler

 

[Thisisdenny]

Here are a few links worth reading over…

USFS regulations:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5337736.pdf

Interagency grizzly bear committee website:

Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) - ID, MT, WY, WA

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee supports recovery and delisting, conservation of grizzly bears through policy, management, research and communication.

igbconline.org

List of approved “bear resistant” containers:

https://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/220120_Certified_Products_List.pdf

 

[WI75]

We received a written warning from FS several years ago for this very thing. It was a brand new freezer. They said it did not matter. They also said no freezer is certified bear proof so straps or anything else would not work. We had to immediately remedy. We put it in truck with cap. If we could not of done that we would of had to find a way to legally dispose of. They were friendly enough but were not messing around.

 

[S.Clancy]

If it's empty there should be no problem. It's called a "food storage order" and meant to keep bears from being conditioned to steal and eat stuff from humans. That behavior can result in dead bears AND dead humans. If there is stuff in the freezer you'll need a topper or trailer.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Stop asking. Park your rig. Go hunt.

 

[tntrker]

We received a written warning from FS several years ago for this very thing. It was a brand new freezer. They said it did not matter. They also said no freezer is certified bear proof so straps or anything else would not work. We had to immediately remedy. We put it in truck with cap. If we could not of done that we would of had to find a way to legally dispose of. They were friendly enough but were not messing around.

was it empty when you received the warning?

 

[WI75]

Yes. Completely empty. They said they had no way of knowing if it ever had food in it.

 

[406flyfish]

Just put the cooler in the cab so you don’t have to deal with thieves are any FS LEO.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I just throw my 120 quart coolers in the back seat of the truck to avoid any issues. Fold that back seats up if you have a crew cab and throw it in there. I was also informed that a "soft" cover over the box is not sufficient and won't be considered proper storage.

 

[black dawg]

Seems funny that they would be ok with it if it were inside a topper........

 

[Thisisdenny]

I agree that while car camping the best/easiest way to comply is just to put everything inside the cab of the vehicle, close it up, and lock it.

 

[11boo]

Wish I had the pics of my friends truck cap that was trashed by a black bear out here. Couldn’t get the tailgate open, but he ripped the cap door off, pulled the cooler out and ate a bunch of food. Washed it down with several cold beers too.