View Full Version : Do bears like hammocks more than tents?
Maineiac64
05-26-2017, 09:34
I heard that a bear was pawing a hammock camper at Stover Creek a couple of weeks back and there was the 17 year old kid that got pulled out of his hammock and attacked in GSMNP in 2015. There are also all those videos of bears playing in hammocks in people's back yards. Do you think bears like hammocks better than tents?
Ashepabst
05-26-2017, 10:07
bears like food.
evyck da fleet
05-26-2017, 10:29
Well I don't know anybody who keeps a tent in their backyard so I doubt you'll find a video of that. I thought a hiker got but on the leg in his tent in GSMNP a year or two ago.
eggymane
05-26-2017, 11:06
I think it's only the people sleeping in them that prefer a hammock over a tent. Otherwise it's down to being smart with scented items and mostly lucky.
Like Ashepabst said bears like food or anything that smells like food. The few times I have hammocked I've worried about porcupines walking under my hammock. Anyone ever been brushed on the underside by something while in a hammock?
I have. I generally set up my hammock on the back hill before taking it on the trail, and that's a spot where deer often spend the night. So one night I was awakened by hooves drawing near, and a deer bumped into the hammock and snorted. I asked it to "please get out of here," and it ran off, very surprised. Not a big deal, since I knew what it was.
devoidapop
05-26-2017, 12:36
I can tell you that boxer dogs love to screw with hammocks. My two take running starts and jump kick me when I'm napping in the yard.
gpburdelljr
05-26-2017, 13:33
Maybe they think the hammock is a burrito.
LongBlaze2019
05-26-2017, 15:32
They did a survey and 9 out of 10 Bears prefer Hammocks over tents.
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Farr Away
05-26-2017, 16:41
Like Ashepabst said bears like food or anything that smells like food. The few times I have hammocked I've worried about porcupines walking under my hammock. Anyone ever been brushed on the underside by something while in a hammock?
Had a bear go under a guy's hammock one night in the Smokies. We didn't believe him the next morning until we saw the footprints.
-FA
SouthMark
05-26-2017, 17:08
I had much rather be in a tent. It has much more protection. NOT!!!
MuddyWaters
05-26-2017, 17:12
Ive heard of a few hammockers being mouthed or bumped by bears . More? Who knows since we hear only a tiny fraction of such things. Bear brushing tent wall or cord probably not as exciting as brushing your backside
They like hammocks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB-vQivWd-c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Y4gLUunVA
The closer you get to the southern border the more the bears like to swipe at hammiocks because it reminds them of a pinata.
Francis Sawyer
05-27-2017, 13:47
The closer you get to the southern border the more the bears like to swipe at hammiocks because it reminds them of a pinata.
That there is funny . I don't care who you are. ( Although some folks here will not get the humor and accuse you of some social faux paus.)
Bears LOVE burritos!
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MuddyWaters
05-27-2017, 20:11
Do bears like hammocks more than tents?
Yup
39466
Great posts, everyone! For the OP, if you haven't figured it out... just don't have scented items in your hammock! Make sure to hang them!
Kalaallit
05-28-2017, 01:48
My very first overnight with a hammock was on the shore of a lake. At around midnight I woke up to a beaver scratching at the tree I was hanging from. It was more surprised than me thankfully, and slid into the water when it heard me move. Heard it walk right underneath me water that night, but it never brushed up against me.
Traveler
05-28-2017, 07:17
After extensive research, bears are known to be most fond of Scandinavian furniture, the cheaper the better like Ikea. Second choice is a hammock, third choice is a picnic table. However, if one uses fish oil as a skin softener the bear won't care what kind of furniture you have.
LongBlaze2019
05-28-2017, 10:09
They definitely prefer Hammocks over IKEA
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FlyPaper
05-28-2017, 17:31
I think bears like hammocks more in the cooler season, but prefer tents in the summer so as to keep bugs off.
Maineiac64
05-28-2017, 21:26
This was meant as serious question. One could surmise that if a bear had option to investigate both a tent and a hammock that the choice would be biased towards one or the other. In the 2015 case the teen was in hammock but dad was in the tent. The bear went after the hammock. Why? Was it chance or some other factor? Did he just get to it first? Was it easier to detect by nose because of height profile? Do hammock campers emit more odor? The rangers said food was properly stored/hung in this case.
scrabbler
05-28-2017, 21:45
I think you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. Its not that the bear preferred a hammock over a tent. It's that they chose to camp in a very popular campsite, one that might already be familiar with bears. If I remember correctly it was a lone site at the meeting of several trails, and certainly a popular site. How do you know what the people the night before did? Did they clean properly, or just throw their food about not caring, since they are leaving?
I'd suggest you approach this as to camp in sites that are more remote and perhaps better cared for, and thus, bears will be less likely be looking for the next meal.
MuddyWaters
05-28-2017, 21:56
This was meant as serious question. One could surmise that if a bear had option to investigate both a tent and a hammock that the choice would be biased towards one or the other. In the 2015 case the teen was in hammock but dad was in the tent. The bear went after the hammock. Why? Was it chance or some other factor? Did he just get to it first? Was it easier to detect by nose because of height profile? Do hammock campers emit more odor? The rangers said food was properly stored/hung in this case.
I suggest that theres a lack of a statistically significant pool of data detailed enough to arrive at a meaningful answer.
Maineiac64
05-28-2017, 22:15
I think you're looking at this from the wrong perspective. Its not that the bear preferred a hammock over a tent. It's that they chose to camp in a very popular campsite, one that might already be familiar with bears. If I remember correctly it was a lone site at the meeting of several trails, and certainly a popular site. How do you know what the people the night before did? Did they clean properly, or just throw their food about not caring, since they are leaving?
I'd suggest you approach this as to camp in sites that are more remote and perhaps better cared for, and thus, bears will be less likely be looking for the next meal.
How do you infer the bears indifference whatever attracted it? The bear got to the campsite and had a choice, tent or hammock. Chose hammock.
scrabbler
05-28-2017, 22:42
Im supposing there was less of a "Human Smell" at the child hammock site vs the tent with the full grown man. You cant understand that? Camp somewhere better is the point.
Maineiac64
05-29-2017, 04:42
Im supposing there was less of a "Human Smell" at the child hammock site vs the tent with the full grown man. You cant understand that? Camp somewhere better is the point.
So your theory is the level of human smell is less in hammock or because the hammocker was 17? This is the primary factor?
BuckeyeBill
05-30-2017, 01:54
Bears are like women, you have to be emitting the right pheromones.
I heard that a bear was pawing a hammock camper at Stover Creek a couple of weeks back and there was the 17 year old kid that got pulled out of his hammock and attacked in GSMNP in 2015. There are also all those videos of bears playing in hammocks in people's back yards. Do you think bears like hammocks better than tents?
huummm I think you should re phrase the question from tents vs hammocks to:
zippers or no zippers
perdidochas
05-30-2017, 15:23
I heard that a bear was pawing a hammock camper at Stover Creek a couple of weeks back and there was the 17 year old kid that got pulled out of his hammock and attacked in GSMNP in 2015. There are also all those videos of bears playing in hammocks in people's back yards. Do you think bears like hammocks better than tents?
IMHO, it's probably because most hammockers tend to hang towards the edge of any kind of camp site. If it's a busy one, they would be encountered before most tenters. Just basing this on my own general hanging choices. When camping with my sons' Boy Scout Troop, I tend to be the one the farthest away from the group. I guess that would make me bear bait.
perdidochas
05-30-2017, 15:26
This was meant as serious question. One could surmise that if a bear had option to investigate both a tent and a hammock that the choice would be biased towards one or the other. In the 2015 case the teen was in hammock but dad was in the tent. The bear went after the hammock. Why? Was it chance or some other factor? Did he just get to it first? Was it easier to detect by nose because of height profile? Do hammock campers emit more odor? The rangers said food was properly stored/hung in this case.
In the 2015 case in NC (GSMNP), both dad and boy were in hammocks.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-details-moment-bear-pulled-hammock-head/story?id=31673101
ggreaves
05-30-2017, 15:58
I don't know about bears but I sure like Hammocks better than Tents.
This was meant as serious question. One could surmise that if a bear had option to investigate both a tent and a hammock that the choice would be biased towards one or the other. In the 2015 case the teen was in hammock but dad was in the tent. The bear went after the hammock. Why? Was it chance or some other factor? Did he just get to it first? Was it easier to detect by nose because of height profile? Do hammock campers emit more odor? The rangers said food was properly stored/hung in this case.
Except for the proximity issue (below), then I think its about odor, or more truthfully, the lack thereof. See, in a hammock, you're more open. Does a bear care more about being able to see something its curious about? Maybe they do, but the fact is that if they're that close, we're then talking about tenters having as many encounters - which unscientifically, we've arrived at the convention that says that's not true. So we're talking about what gets them to that point, and what might sway them to go elsewhere.
So, what attracts bears? The 1.1 ripstop nylon of the hammock, or the cuben fiber of the tent? Well, neither of course. More like what repels them the least. Surely, bears are attracted to scents. Given a tent with a snickers, or hammock without, I'm going with the hypothesis of tents being more attractive. But all things being equal, you likely have captured more of your scent in a tent that you have in a hammock setup, and therefore, are repelling bears to a lesser degree in a hammock. Again, all things being equivalent and discounting the proximity issue (below), if a bear is following their nose that is attracted to something, they might come upon a hanger before they realize it. That's my hypothesis anyway.
I suggest that theres a lack of a statistically significant pool of data detailed enough to arrive at a meaningful answer.
You don't work for my city council do you?
IMHO, it's probably because most hammockers tend to hang towards the edge of any kind of camp site. If it's a busy one, they would be encountered before most tenters. Just basing this on my own general hanging choices. When camping with my sons' Boy Scout Troop, I tend to be the one the farthest away from the group. I guess that would make me bear bait.
Yes and no. Agreed that at most large, overused campsites, the only good trees to hang on tend to be around the perimeter. Depending on where you are, yeah, I think that can make a difference. On the other hand, these large sites typically have large groups of tents anyway, with or without hammocks there, too, and if bears were going to be around, at some point they'd be finding the guy in the tent with the snickers. Depends on where you hang I guess, but not really a hammock vs tent thing.
While I do think the last GSMNP issue was in part due to the guy's distance from the shelter, I tend to think a tenter would've had an issue, too. Except for my hypothesis above, though.
Five Tango
06-03-2017, 08:50
Except for the proximity issue (below), then I think its about odor, or more truthfully, the lack thereof. See, in a hammock, you're more open. Does a bear care more about being able to see something its curious about? Maybe they do, but the fact is that if they're that close, we're then talking about tenters having as many encounters - which unscientifically, we've arrived at the convention that says that's not true. So we're talking about what gets them to that point, and what might sway them to go elsewhere.
So, what attracts bears? The 1.1 ripstop nylon of the hammock, or the cuben fiber of the tent? Well, neither of course. More like what repels them the least. Surely, bears are attracted to scents. Given a tent with a snickers, or hammock without, I'm going with the hypothesis of tents being more attractive. But all things being equal, you likely have captured more of your scent in a tent that you have in a hammock setup, and therefore, are repelling bears to a lesser degree in a hammock. Again, all things being equivalent and discounting the proximity issue (below), if a bear is following their nose that is attracted to something, they might come upon a hanger before they realize it. That's my hypothesis anyway.
You don't work for my city council do you?
Yes and no. Agreed that at most large, overused campsites, the only good trees to hang on tend to be around the perimeter. Depending on where you are, yeah, I think that can make a difference. On the other hand, these large sites typically have large groups of tents anyway, with or without hammocks there, too, and if bears were going to be around, at some point they'd be finding the guy in the tent with the snickers. Depends on where you hang I guess, but not really a hammock vs tent thing.
While I do think the last GSMNP issue was in part due to the guy's distance from the shelter, I tend to think a tenter would've had an issue, too. Except for my hypothesis above, though.
If more hiker smell is captured in a tent than a hammock then could it not also work against you if you had food odors on your clothes,hair,hands,etc.This makes me wonder if hanging smelly socks on the hammock suspension or ridgeline might be a good idea.
I subscribe to the theory that "location is everything" and that hammocks are more toward the perimeter of established camp sites which might make them more of a first target of opportunity for wildlife.
In any event,my hat is off to the father that attacked the bear that was attacking his son in GSMNP in 2015 with nothing but his bare hands.Or should that be Bear Hands?..........
Ba-dum pah!
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Like Ashepabst said bears like food or anything that smells like food. The few times I have hammocked I've worried about porcupines walking under my hammock. Anyone ever been brushed on the underside by something while in a hammock?
Never had anything bump me on the trail.. Happens a lot when I hang on my property.. not sure if it's cats, possum, raccoons or what..
Had a bear go under a guy's hammock one night in the Smokies. We didn't believe him the next morning until we saw the footprints.
-FA
That would scare the omelets out of me... I think hearing it and being able to respond is far less disturbing than finding tracks that close and having slept through it.
IMHO, it's probably because most hammockers tend to hang towards the edge of any kind of camp site. If it's a busy one, they would be encountered before most tenters. Just basing this on my own general hanging choices. When camping with my sons' Boy Scout Troop, I tend to be the one the farthest away from the group. I guess that would make me bear bait.
This makes most sense to me. I haven't been in a tent in ages, but I do know I was less cautious in a tent than I am in the hammock.. with regards to food. I NEVER eat in the hammock. And as noted above, I do opt to be on the fringe of just about any site I hang in.. it's part of the appeal of hammock'ng in general and it does put you on the front line.
...I subscribe to the theory that "location is everything" and that hammocks are more toward the perimeter of established camp sites which might make them more of a first target of opportunity for wildlife..........
Exactly ^^^^
Five Tango
06-03-2017, 15:53
One thing is for sure,no bear will ever walk under my hammock because it's just too close to the ground.Higher than a porcupine most likley.I would like to know just how high off the ground that guy's hammock was and whether or not he was using a tarp when it happened.
ggreaves
06-04-2017, 14:57
I live in the east and have no experience with Brown Bears or Grizzlies. However, black bears, almost without fail are looking for some easy pickens food. They're not looking to eat people or for a fight. If you don't slob around camp with your food and hang it properly, you won't have a bear problem. The one-in-ten-thousand bear (usually a predatory male in the spring or late fall) that is looking to people as food, won't be stopped by a hammock or a tent. However, a hammock gives you much quicker egress if there's a problem. You can exit quickly from any direction. This is such an infrequent occurrence, it doesn't even cross my mind when I'm camping.
Farr Away
06-05-2017, 11:43
One thing is for sure,no bear will ever walk under my hammock because it's just too close to the ground.Higher than a porcupine most likely. I would like to know just how high off the ground that guy's hammock was and whether or not he was using a tarp when it happened.
If you're talking about the guy I mentioned, it was a bottom-entry Hennessy hammock, so it was hung to be able to sit into it. Maybe 3 feet off the ground while he was in it? And yes, he was using a tarp - a lot of rain in the Smokies.
The bear footprints were close to one of the trees the hammock was hung from, not under the middle of the hammock. Woke the occupant up, and I think he spent the rest of the night WIDE awake.
The campsite was only 2 miles from a trail head so likely sees a lot of use, which probably explains why the bear was moseying through. We had our packs on the bear cables so nothing to keep it around.
-FA
Smithereens
06-07-2017, 22:26
On another forum a few years ago there was a discussion about bears getting in people's trash cans. One guy in particular had an interesting post. He worked in Alaska laying underground cable. Said they would just bury it straight in the ground with junction boxes every so often. The issue was that no sooner than they would finish a section, animals like bears and foxes would tear up the junctions and dig up the cable. Turns out that the insulation for the wires emits a compound similar to what rotting food emits... so the smell was the same to the animals. I don't know if synthetic fabrics have the same compound/smell, but it's something to wonder about.
Oh, his solution for the cable and trash eating critters was Pine-Sol. Apparently they would douse the cable then bury it... no more trouble. Others tried it with their trash cans with many positive reports. I know it works to keep dogs out of my trash.