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Has a bear ever gotten your food?
- Thread starter Philtrum
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Are we finished with the goat thread already!?
There are bears out there? 
In well over 100 BWCA trips since 1966 I have only even seen a bear less than 10 times. Only once did I have a problem. I took 6 Jr high kids from church one summer and after driving all night we went in, took a couple of short portages and found a camp site on an island. Everyone was pretty tired so we through all the food in a little extra pup tent we had and went to bed as soon as it got dark. Shortly after that I heard what I thought was one of the kids getting into the food tent, but then realized it was something ripping open the food tent. Got up, shined a light and yelled and a bear took off with a bag of candy. Chased him, got the candy back after he dropped it and hung the food for the night. In the morning there was a bag of bread missing that had been hanging off the bottom of the pack.
The next evening about supper time this bear wanders into camp, climbs a tree like a monkey and starts chewing on the rope that was tied between two trees and had our food hanging off of. Obviously he had done this before. We yelled and threw stuff at him until he got down and left. We then cut down our food, packed up quick and moved to the mainland and didn't have any more problems.
We left a note at the camp site saying there was a bear living on the island living off of campers food. But alas, a couple of nights later as we were out fishing we heard people banging on pots and screaming.
I usually put my food under a tarp and pile pots and pans or whatever will make noise on top of it. Any other bear I have seen just ran any and never came back. The most food I ever lost was to a beaver but that's another story.
The next evening about supper time this bear wanders into camp, climbs a tree like a monkey and starts chewing on the rope that was tied between two trees and had our food hanging off of. Obviously he had done this before. We yelled and threw stuff at him until he got down and left. We then cut down our food, packed up quick and moved to the mainland and didn't have any more problems.
We left a note at the camp site saying there was a bear living on the island living off of campers food. But alas, a couple of nights later as we were out fishing we heard people banging on pots and screaming.
I usually put my food under a tarp and pile pots and pans or whatever will make noise on top of it. Any other bear I have seen just ran any and never came back. The most food I ever lost was to a beaver but that's another story.
no
I sleep with the food in the vestibule of my tent and have never had a problem. There was this one instance in Temagami of a poke on the head I got through my tent, but think it was most likely a moose.
Yes . We had a party of 10 and had just made camp at Duo Lakes at the headwaters of the Snake in the Yukon. Per arctic protocol our cooking and food storage and sleeping area was separated from each other by 1/4 mile. There are no trees on the tundra
Woke next morning to Griz eating bagels. Lost maybe a dozen . I figure the problem was that everyone making this trip(at the time maybe 100 paddlers a year) made first camp at the same place
We weren't using barrels
Woke next morning to Griz eating bagels. Lost maybe a dozen . I figure the problem was that everyone making this trip(at the time maybe 100 paddlers a year) made first camp at the same place
We weren't using barrels
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Disappointment Lake, BWCA, Sept. 2010
We're getting ready for a delicious first-night dinner of pita bread pizzas. While the toppings are rehydrating, I head down the shore to find a spot to stash the food pack, leaving Steve in camp. A few minutes later I hear Steve vocalizing with some intensity, though not very loud. I listen a moment and turn around to see what's up. As I approach the campsite I see Steve standing where he is in the picture below, and a small black bear standing where the daypack is.
The bear is about two feet tall and four feet long, with a black snout. It looks like a burly Newfoundland and I want to just sit and watch it. OK, to tell the truth I want to pet it. But my training kicks in and I raise my arms and yell at it to make it go away. It backs up a few steps and stops, looking our way with its head cocked the way a dog does when spoken to. I have a sense that it's thinking, "Hey, you talkin' to me?"
This picture isn't "our" bear, but it might as well have been from its expression. (Thanks to Jim Stroner and the North American Bear Center in Ely for permission to use it.)
I move toward it, again waving and yelling, and it turns and lopes away toward the woods, but stops at the edge of the campsite. It looks back at me over its right shoulder as if to say, "Are you serious? Do we really have to do this?" I call to Steve to get the camera and a second or two later raise the ante by going into crazy-man mode. I charge the bear, waving wildly and yelling at it in a higher-pitched voice. The poor thing turns and bolts into the woods and we never see sign of it again. Note the location of the camera in the picture above. It stayed there safe and sound.
We're getting ready for a delicious first-night dinner of pita bread pizzas. While the toppings are rehydrating, I head down the shore to find a spot to stash the food pack, leaving Steve in camp. A few minutes later I hear Steve vocalizing with some intensity, though not very loud. I listen a moment and turn around to see what's up. As I approach the campsite I see Steve standing where he is in the picture below, and a small black bear standing where the daypack is.
The bear is about two feet tall and four feet long, with a black snout. It looks like a burly Newfoundland and I want to just sit and watch it. OK, to tell the truth I want to pet it. But my training kicks in and I raise my arms and yell at it to make it go away. It backs up a few steps and stops, looking our way with its head cocked the way a dog does when spoken to. I have a sense that it's thinking, "Hey, you talkin' to me?"
This picture isn't "our" bear, but it might as well have been from its expression. (Thanks to Jim Stroner and the North American Bear Center in Ely for permission to use it.)
I move toward it, again waving and yelling, and it turns and lopes away toward the woods, but stops at the edge of the campsite. It looks back at me over its right shoulder as if to say, "Are you serious? Do we really have to do this?" I call to Steve to get the camera and a second or two later raise the ante by going into crazy-man mode. I charge the bear, waving wildly and yelling at it in a higher-pitched voice. The poor thing turns and bolts into the woods and we never see sign of it again. Note the location of the camera in the picture above. It stayed there safe and sound.
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Later that evening we talked with a couple guys out fishing. They were camped on the big island in the south part of the lake and they're hungry. That afternoon they'd left their open food pack out and their partly-prepared lunch was in their "gear tent" while they went out fishing. They got back to find a mama with three cubs digging into their food pack and enjoying their lunch. Of course, the bears had made their own entrance to the tent. They shooed the bears away with some difficulty, having lost only about half their food. I had to bite my tongue to keep from complimenting them on setting a welcoming table for bears.
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Guest
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I have had my food gotten into 3 times on canoe trips. Once by a red squirrel that got to my bear bag on a small branch I didn't notice, and twice by unleashed domesticated predators on the ground. Never even seen a bear while tripping.
Turtle
Turtle
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I have only seen bear on a handful of occasions while tripping, usually the arse end heading into the woods away from me.
I have had squirrels, chipmunks and even mice raid my food, chewing into hung dry bags or gnawing away at the lid of a screw top gasket seal bucket left on the ground.
Since I began using a blue barrel I have had zero such rodent issues regarding food storage. I think the shape of the barrel lip and curves precludes them getting a toothy grip and gnawing their way towards dinner. In bear areas I take the barrel some distance from camp, lock the ring with a pin and tie it to a tree, but in non-bear areas I just leave it conveniently in camp.
BTW – A hungry squirrel can make short work of a dry bag or pack.
Strange noises woke me up in the dead of night at the campsite shown below. As you can see from the pic, I was well prepared for the Ursus Americanus. However, upon leaving my tent, I soon discovered that I was being attacked by hundreds of toads, ranging in size from miniscule to very large. I must have been in their migration path or something, as they leapt onto and under the fly of my tent. It was actually more disturbing than a bear encounter. I regretted not having my attack cat with me that night!
Now I know why squirrel hunting is so darn popular in some places.
We've seen and heard lots of wildlife, but never any bears. Just (un)lucky I guess. Rodents are pesky. They'll never give up. Since using the barrel we've had no problems. I've either stashed it away from site or kept it in our tent vestibule. I keep it pretty clean; no spills or mess. I'm rethinking our garbage though. I'll hang it on a tree and forget about it. It's often attracting mice and squirrels. Mind you, they investigate everything, even nonfood stuff. Once found a mouse in the bottom of a gear bag in the morning. Maybe he'd been getting shelter from the storm. It had been a wild and stormy night. He was cute, and I set him free. Racoons are the worst. They come around at night and don't take no for an answer. Since using the barrel we've had no visits from them.
The rodents just keep coming. I have to keep reminding anyone I trip with to keep food close, don't just put it down and wander away.
I like the look of those Opsaks. I never realized their strength. Downsizing to just a food sack would cut down on a lot of weight. I like the carry all ability of a barrel though. Kinda like a kitchen junk drawer, just toss it in and close it.
We've seen and heard lots of wildlife, but never any bears. Just (un)lucky I guess. Rodents are pesky. They'll never give up. Since using the barrel we've had no problems. I've either stashed it away from site or kept it in our tent vestibule. I keep it pretty clean; no spills or mess. I'm rethinking our garbage though. I'll hang it on a tree and forget about it. It's often attracting mice and squirrels. Mind you, they investigate everything, even nonfood stuff. Once found a mouse in the bottom of a gear bag in the morning. Maybe he'd been getting shelter from the storm. It had been a wild and stormy night. He was cute, and I set him free. Racoons are the worst. They come around at night and don't take no for an answer. Since using the barrel we've had no visits from them.
The rodents just keep coming. I have to keep reminding anyone I trip with to keep food close, don't just put it down and wander away.
I like the look of those Opsaks. I never realized their strength. Downsizing to just a food sack would cut down on a lot of weight. I like the carry all ability of a barrel though. Kinda like a kitchen junk drawer, just toss it in and close it.
No. They have made many attempts with no success. Usually the dogs run them off. Sometimes rocks help.
Anyone that sleeps with their food is a fool.
I have lost some food to birds like Stellars jays and ravens.
Anyone that sleeps with their food is a fool.
I have lost some food to birds like Stellars jays and ravens.
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Guest
Guest
A friend of mine was paddling off the Maryland/Delaware coast and came shore to camp. In the middle of the night he awoke to strange noises to find the seaward side of his tent collapsing.
It was the specific moon and tide for the annual Horseshow crab spawn. Imagine opening your tent to discover this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=del...ware.gov%2Ftag%2Fhorseshoe-crabs%2F;3008;2000
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I hope the Opsak is truly odor-proof. I got a few recently and when I make jerky I'll test them on my dog. I've mentioned before that the BearVault is odor-proof, at least as far as my dog's concerned, and despite the fact that he's a herder, his world is all about the nose.
I once had a dry bag with an air vent. When I loaded it with food before stashing it, I happened to put a plastic snack bag on the inside of the vent. In the morning the vent was destroyed and the snack bag emptied of everything but the M&Ms.
Ditto on the rodent experience. Chipmunks seem to be the boldest. This one was curious about the cap from a wine bottle.
I hope the Opsak is truly odor-proof. I got a few recently and when I make jerky I'll test them on my dog. I've mentioned before that the BearVault is odor-proof, at least as far as my dog's concerned, and despite the fact that he's a herder, his world is all about the nose.
I once had a dry bag with an air vent. When I loaded it with food before stashing it, I happened to put a plastic snack bag on the inside of the vent. In the morning the vent was destroyed and the snack bag emptied of everything but the M&Ms.
Ditto on the rodent experience. Chipmunks seem to be the boldest. This one was curious about the cap from a wine bottle.
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Sweet Baby Jesus! Straight out of a Stephen King novel!
Last summer backpacking on Grand Island in Lk. Superior maybe 50 yds from our camp a black bear sliced open the neighbors vestibule and took her backpack and it only had sun screen in it. She found the pack and it was still usable but the sunscreen was everywhere! Later that day so other campers had trouble with a bear so the rangers moved us to the other side of the island and the next day they made us all leave the island b/c the bears were becoming bolder and bolder. So to answer the question bears never got my food, but my trip has been effected by their behavior. Red Squirrels actually chewed thru the lid on my vittles vault in the Adirondacks. Coons, squirrels, micro-bears (chipmunks) are a bigger concern for me than bears.
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Guest
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When in a Boy Scout camp with my troop in the ADKs that was infested with bears,a plastic bag of strike anywhere matches was accidentally left out. Someone saw a bear up on the picnic table where they were that night. The next morning we found that a bear had eaten the heads off all the matches! The boys joked that he must now have heartburn. Another troop had a similar experience with a bar of soap, but the joke was about "fart bubbles". You never know what they will like. Our NYS bear biologist said they love dirty diapers.
Turtle
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No, we hang our food. But a number of years ago on Low's lake, there was a mother and her adolescent busking for food. We heard everyone, up and down the lake yelling " go away, go away, go away..." next day, we checked out a couple of vacated sites, and saw some lonely Cheez Doodles swirling around a puddle. The camp (trees) were mauled. Always hang your food high and horizontally- basically, out on a limb.
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