View Full Version : Long bear question
ofthearth
05-24-2008, 14:15
It would seem that if you put all of the posts/comments/observations together, bears are looking for/going by smell. And if you have cooked/eaten/handled/carried food for days/weeks (without bathing) YOU-and your GEAR- are going to SMELL like food (among other things). In Florida, on the Fl trail, in some of the parks they've got signs suggesting that you change your cloths (not sleep) in cloths you've hiked/cooked in. They also have signs posted around the water commenting on the gators, so bathing ......hhhhuummmm so gators or bears. And no bear cables or poles.
So if you AND gear (tent, pad, bag) smell like food....... can't hang it all. And when I think about it, when I see most people hang stuff it is generally just the food and not the cook gear that has just had all the food in it. So I'm thinking - throw some moth balls in my pack so maybe things (tent, bag, pad, me ) don't quiet smell so foodie and then hang the rest of the stuff in the pack at night. Up side is that non hikers will wonder what that strange smell is...:eek:..... down side - will need a bigger tree/branch Has anybody tried this?
4eyedbuzzard
05-24-2008, 21:49
So if you AND gear (tent, pad, bag) smell like food....... can't hang it all.
Sure you can. Just throw a 12 mm rope over a really sturdy limb and use an ascender and jug both youself and all your gear up 12 feet up in the air. Sleep and cook right in the BAT hammock. Works on El Cap. First though, I would fry up some bacon wrapped Oreos in the shelter below just to provide some evening entertainment. :rolleyes:
ofthearth
05-25-2008, 09:33
So I take it you're not impressed with the mothball idea :-?
4eyedbuzzard
05-25-2008, 09:52
Just joking around, sorry if I offended you at all.
IMO, I don't think anything stops bears from smelling food.
ofthearth
05-25-2008, 10:34
Not offended! My attempt at humor was probably no more clear than the question about moth balls.
Bare Bear
05-25-2008, 10:53
Tests at Glacier out West showed that bears can and will travel up to ten miles for human food as it is easier to get than their normal diet. If you hang your food (and BTW I hang the cookgear too) the smells of that should be fresher than anything else, thus leading the bear to it rather than you, your tent, etc. At least that is the what I figure the experts are getting at.
I typically hang my cook pot (and spoon, if I remember it) along with the food... But not the stove.
4eyedbuzzard
05-25-2008, 13:53
I typically hang my cook pot (and spoon, if I remember it) along with the food... But not the stove.
I don't usually hang the pot or stove either, but I'm old fashioned and actually use a little camp suds to wash the pot since I don't do the freezer bag thing - yet. Tried it but I'm just not used to it. Old habits die hard. I just hang the garbage bag, food, toothbrush/toothpaste etc.
I almost always make a good fire though as well wherever I'm camped, and I usually just let the coals smolder away overnight. Sometimes they're still warm in the morning. I wonder if and how much the smell of fire discouages bears? I've heard stories of them wandering in to campsites with fires blazing away, but it's just never happened to me.
Doughnut
05-26-2008, 05:47
I put a poncho over my pack and hoist the whole thing up, everything except what I need that night. The poncho acts sort of as a scare crow and can get creepy, (yellow poncho, night time, good wind, looks like a spirit or a 'haint. (BOOOOOO) !!
DoughNut
Ramble~On
05-26-2008, 07:09
My food bag often makes a comfortable pillow.
I hang where I am required and from time to time.
I figure my smelly feet, socks and boots are 6 seperate items kicking out some masking odor..not to mention the trumpet.
Jim Adams
05-26-2008, 07:19
just a thought. bears are attracted to any and all strange odors. they may not like the smell of moth balls up close but i'll bet the odor gets them close enough to find out. just wondering.
geek
ofthearth
05-26-2008, 09:13
just a thought. bears are attracted to any and all strange odors. they may not like the smell of moth balls up close but i'll bet the odor gets them close enough to find out. just wondering.
geek
Good point :-? .
Fiddleback
05-26-2008, 09:42
We cannot know what smells good to a bear although there are some good bets; bacon, smoked salmon, honey (if you believe in Winnie the Pooh), apple-scented shampoo, etc. Nor can we know what will pique a bear's curiosity...a trait that's known to be pretty strong in both blacks and grizzlies.
And their sense of smell, especially grizzlies', is extreme...one expert says it's a couple thousand times better than a dog's. http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/07/29/news/mtregional/news05.txt The same reference says a polar bear can track a breeding female from a hundred miles. Exaggerated or not, it convinces me to not put my full faith and trust in 'odor-proof' bags and such.
Practice good hygiene, hang the smelly stuff (food, garbage, toiletries, cooking gear) a long ways from camp. In grizzly country the recommendation is 100 yards and it applies to the cooking area, too. Otherwise, keep the campsite clean. You can't hide from a bear, but you can make yourself and campsite less interesting. Maybe.:D
They're not out to get you. But every once in a while, scat happens. But most of the encounters are surprises that occur on the trail, not in camp.
FB