A Bears choice

[1mikemoroz]

I've read some of the threads on bears and how one should hang the food over a tree limb away from camp so the bears can't get it. So I was thinking, if a bear is hungry and it's looking for food, wouldn't it be better that it actually gets your food instead of dragging you out into the woods for dinner?

[LoneRidgeRunner]

I've read some of the threads on bears and how one should hang the food over a tree limb away from camp so the bears can't get it. So I was thinking, if a bear is hungry and it's looking for food, wouldn't it be better that it actually gets your food instead of dragging you out into the woods for dinner?

How many times have Black Bears, or any other species actually dragged a human out into the woods and eaten them? Very, very few times has a human been eaten by a Black Bear, or any other species of Bear for that matter..The only Black Bears that have actually killed a human were literally starving to death... Enough careless hikers leave their food where Bears can get it that very few Bears get that hungry..It's the Polar Bears that have the reputation for actually hunting down and eating humans. Not likely to encounter a Polar Bear on the AT.. Or any where else South of the Arctic Circle for that matter...

[Sterling]

is this a serious question

[GoldenBear]

Is for it to learn how to get food WITHOUT help from humans. When bears learn, through humans being careless or stupid, that "smell of humans equals easy food", it's triply bad for the bears.
1) They will eat food their stomachs are not designed for, or which does not have the nutrition they need.
2) They will fail to learn how to obtain food when humans are not around. Come winter, this can lead to their starvation.
3) Inevitably, they will attempt to get human food through destruction of human property. At that point, the bear will be executed for vandalism -- and usually by a person who adores being around bears. The human who, through giving a bear easy access to food, teaches the bear the above "fact", is in effect signing that bear's death warrant.

What a bear should learn from a campsite is "smell of humans means food is there, but none can be obtained -- look elsewhere."

[general]

Is for it to learn how to get food WITHOUT help from humans. When bears learn, through humans being careless or stupid, that "smell of humans equals easy food", it's triply bad for the bears.
1) They will eat food their stomachs are not designed for, or which does not have the nutrition they need.
2) They will fail to learn how to obtain food when humans are not around. Come winter, this can lead to their starvation.
3) Inevitably, they will attempt to get human food through destruction of human property. At that point, the bear will be executed for vandalism -- and usually by a person who adores being around bears. The human who, through giving a bear easy access to food, teaches the bear the above "fact", is in effect signing that bear's death warrant.

What a bear should learn from a campsite is "smell of humans means food is there, but none can be obtained -- look elsewhere."

wow. i'm pretty sure that a bear's stomach is designed to digest pretty much anything that they can get down their throat. bears will never fail to learn how to obtain food from humans or any other source. they are increadably resourceful. kinda like big ass raccoons. bears will get food from what ever source is most easily available, and yes some will be executed because of this behavior. any food that a bear can smell is obtainable, and they will look there until they find it. do you really think that a light rope and a beaner are going to keep a bear from getting your food bag?

[general]

i mean, you do know that bears can climb trees and exceed the weight capacity of most rope (except something the size of climbing rope) right?

[Penguin]

I wonder how many people carry a bear can from Springer to Katadhin?

[hikerboy57]

i mean, you do know that bears can climb trees and exceed the weight capacity of most rope (except something the size of climbing rope) right?

Unless theres a bear box, Ive always hung my food in bear(black) country
and yet in 30+ years of hiking, they still havent gotten my food. I have more problems with mice than bears.

[bigcranky]

I've read some of the threads on bears and how one should hang the food over a tree limb away from camp so the bears can't get it. So I was thinking, if a bear is hungry and it's looking for food, wouldn't it be better that it actually gets your food instead of dragging you out into the woods for dinner?

If those are the only two choices, sure. But that's not how bears operate 99.9999999% of the time. I hang my food or use an Ursack.

[jbsbestfan]

is this a serious question

I agree Sterling. Wow.

[1mikemoroz]

I've no experience on camping or hiking or bears and had read some threads about bear problems. The "List of fatal bear attacks in North America" does have several attacks by black bears in it so yes it was a serious question and I do ask questions when I don't know about something. I've been a tree climber in the urban environment and never had need to learn anything about bears until now.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I've no experience on camping or hiking or bears and had read some threads about bear problems. The "List of fatal bear attacks in North America" does have several attacks by black bears in it so yes it was a serious question and I do ask questions when I don't know about something. I've been a tree climber in the urban environment and never had need to learn anything about bears until now.

I recommend you take a look at the sight below, which should clear up some fears and misconceptions. As long as you are talking about black bears and not grizzleys there is very little reason to fear them.

http://www.bear.org/website/

As people have stated above, securing food at night is for the bear's safety as much as anyone elses.

[1mikemoroz]

Thanks for the link. That's what I need is some true info.