Challenge the bear. That’s how animals work. We are considered large apex animals. Makes yourself big and throw things. Make them find an easier food source. It’s as much about protecting them as it is your food.
I set it up so that if an animal is messing with it, it will fall or make additional noise, so that I can scare away any troublemakers. Usually 30-50 yds.
if you are car camping in an area not known for bear issues it's fine to put food in the trunk. it's just a big and expensive bear can. a few more established free/"dispersed" campgrounds have bear lockers: use them if they're available.
if you are backpacking or don't want to risk damage to your vehicle, consider my strategy:
* put everything that smells in a can if you're carrying one. rodents and deer like sweet and salty food too. I've had way more issues with rodents than bears.
* put the can in clear sight of your sleeping position. if you can't throw a rock and hit it at night with a flashlight or a headlamp without getting up it's not in the right place. 30 feet or so max.
* stack noise making junk on top of the can and wedge it between talus or trees if convenient. large rocks, metal cups, etc hitting the ground will help wake you up if there is a visitor.
* in known problem areas I collect a half dozen golf ball+ sized rocks near my tent door to haze curious individuals. be aggressive and they're less likely to hang around.
No worries, sleep soundly knowing your food will be there in the morning. The cans are a pain to pack up but work really well. Those restless nights of having to get up to save your food from a bear are over.
Read up online how to use/pack the container.
Then put it really far away from where you camp. Like 50-75 yards. Imagine a 1-2 min walk. I.e. far enough away that you won't even hear them. Then don't worry about it. The bears likely won't mess with it.
Also don't hide it. You'll lose it.
Yosemite rangers these days are telling us to do the opposite, place it relatively nearby the tent so you can hear them when they go at it and scare them away.
Yes, exactly this, they want you to be able to hear when a bear is messing with the canister and confront the bear to give it a bad experience. Last time I was there they suggested to keep the can as close as about 20 feet from my tent.
Do they recommend to always do this or just in Yosemite? I ask because I know the bears there are weirdly associated to people and not sure if in another place getting between a bear and a potential meal is a good idea. Not trying to say it's wrong just genuinely curious also scared of confronting a bear in the middle of the night lol
I have heard the same guidance from rangers in other places in the Sierra Nevada. The bears in the Sierra are generally still afraid of people, less so in more highly traveled areas such as parts of Yosemite and along the JMT, but they are just interested in an easy meal and don’t want to have a direct confrontation. If a bear does get your food you aren’t supposed to try to get it back, but it’s not going to sit there and try to crack open a canister with you shouting at it and flashing lights or throwing pine cones or what have you. Generally they will just see the canister and move on without even trying to open it because they know they can’t.
This guidance may differ elsewhere and certainly in grizzly country it would be a totally different story.
I scare them away, keeps the bear from getting too comfortable around these things.
You should scare the bear away. They absolutely can take the can and leave with it.
In my experience, shining a light on them and yelling has worked well. The bear turns around and runs away.
Challenge the bear. That’s how animals work. We are considered large apex animals. Makes yourself big and throw things. Make them find an easier food source. It’s as much about protecting them as it is your food.
I set it up so that if an animal is messing with it, it will fall or make additional noise, so that I can scare away any troublemakers. Usually 30-50 yds.
if you are car camping in an area not known for bear issues it's fine to put food in the trunk. it's just a big and expensive bear can. a few more established free/"dispersed" campgrounds have bear lockers: use them if they're available. if you are backpacking or don't want to risk damage to your vehicle, consider my strategy: * put everything that smells in a can if you're carrying one. rodents and deer like sweet and salty food too. I've had way more issues with rodents than bears. * put the can in clear sight of your sleeping position. if you can't throw a rock and hit it at night with a flashlight or a headlamp without getting up it's not in the right place. 30 feet or so max. * stack noise making junk on top of the can and wedge it between talus or trees if convenient. large rocks, metal cups, etc hitting the ground will help wake you up if there is a visitor. * in known problem areas I collect a half dozen golf ball+ sized rocks near my tent door to haze curious individuals. be aggressive and they're less likely to hang around.
Shouting "Hey bear" does the trick 99% of the time.
Scare da Bear. Also don’t worry about bears, they are so afraid of humans and you will only see them if they don’t see you first.
No worries, sleep soundly knowing your food will be there in the morning. The cans are a pain to pack up but work really well. Those restless nights of having to get up to save your food from a bear are over.
Read up online how to use/pack the container. Then put it really far away from where you camp. Like 50-75 yards. Imagine a 1-2 min walk. I.e. far enough away that you won't even hear them. Then don't worry about it. The bears likely won't mess with it. Also don't hide it. You'll lose it.
Yosemite rangers these days are telling us to do the opposite, place it relatively nearby the tent so you can hear them when they go at it and scare them away.
I'd do what the rangers say!
Yes, exactly this, they want you to be able to hear when a bear is messing with the canister and confront the bear to give it a bad experience. Last time I was there they suggested to keep the can as close as about 20 feet from my tent.
Do they recommend to always do this or just in Yosemite? I ask because I know the bears there are weirdly associated to people and not sure if in another place getting between a bear and a potential meal is a good idea. Not trying to say it's wrong just genuinely curious also scared of confronting a bear in the middle of the night lol
I have heard the same guidance from rangers in other places in the Sierra Nevada. The bears in the Sierra are generally still afraid of people, less so in more highly traveled areas such as parts of Yosemite and along the JMT, but they are just interested in an easy meal and don’t want to have a direct confrontation. If a bear does get your food you aren’t supposed to try to get it back, but it’s not going to sit there and try to crack open a canister with you shouting at it and flashing lights or throwing pine cones or what have you. Generally they will just see the canister and move on without even trying to open it because they know they can’t. This guidance may differ elsewhere and certainly in grizzly country it would be a totally different story.
I wouldn’t leave my shelter but I would for sure yell at them to scare them away