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Old 11-25-2012, 11:30 AM   #21
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I prefer an air horn myself! If there happened to be a bear in my camp (which has happened only once in 30-40 years) I'd just make as much noise as i can. The alarm on the truck would probably work also. All bets are off if it's an aggressive one!!
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Old 11-25-2012, 03:59 PM   #22
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Smile bears and trailets

Where I camp we have grizzlies,
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Old 11-25-2012, 07:49 PM   #23
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Yep, if you don't have a 12 gauge or a 870 under the pillow. You better have chocolate cake in the fridge to keep him( the bear ) busy while you jump for your life's out the E- window. It's not just there for fires you know.
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Old 11-26-2012, 05:59 PM   #24
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Wink Bears

An 870 in 12 guage with tripple aught will cure any bears habit of hanging around your camp.

The only way to teach them to lie down and stay.
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Old 11-26-2012, 07:06 PM   #25
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Or, as opposed to just shooting them, you could chase them off. This has always worked for me, though to be honest, I have only had to do it a few times. Lots of loud noise like others have eluded too. Most times I have come across bear in the wild, they ran as soon as they caught wind of us.

I am not at all against carrying the firearm, and if attacked using it. I just know of a few instances where people were what they considered proactive, and shot the bear to ensure their safety. It happened once while I was there, and I wanted to throttle the guy who did it.
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Old 11-29-2012, 11:07 PM   #26
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Last time I crossed into Canada, they really grilled me about weapons - including mace and bear spray. So, my thought is buy it once you're in Canada.

As the photo Donna posted, our the sense of security our hard-sides give is probably a bit unjustified. OTH, as others have said, most bears are pretty skittish and will respond to a lot of noise. I carry an air horn (and I like the idea of using the car alarm - hadn't thought of that!).

I do cook inside my trailer and keep food inside and pretty much just try not to think too much about bears (eyes closed, hands over ears, humming 'La, la, la, la' to myself).
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Old 11-29-2012, 11:43 PM   #27
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It didn't occur to me until now, that I've crossed the border several times with bear spray and bear bangers in my fishing gear bag. Now that the issue has been brought up, I suppose I'll have to look guilty.
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Old 11-30-2012, 11:40 AM   #28
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We do a lot of wilderness camping and we keep a package of "crackling balls" a type of firecracker, in the trailer just in case a bear comes into camp during the night. Bears know what coolers are so keep them out of sight.
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Old 12-01-2012, 12:31 PM   #29
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There is one device that probably everyone has available to them to scare away bears or other unwanted types with no chance of spraying yourself with bear spray. It is the panic or horn alarm on your keyless fob for your vehicle. No need to go out spending dollars on bear spray or other devices unless you bike, hike or canoe away from the camp site areas in bear country. It can also be used in other situations to ensure your personal safety from unwanted intruders or to draw attention for help.
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Old 10-20-2013, 03:19 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Floating Cloud View Post
baglo, don't worry, you already lock the door.

A bear is the second reason we have our hard-sided trailer, right after the bathroom. I hear that there are campgrounds that only let in hard-siders because of bears and/or mountain lions.
We have traveled over 28,000 miles in a soft sided RV and have found only one campground that prohibited its use (Fishing Bridge RV in Yellowstone). However, many required storing food and cookware in the car or in a bear-proof cupboard.
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Old 10-20-2013, 10:28 AM   #31
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Camping with wildlife is all about common sense and being outdoor smart. Remember that you are visiting their habitat and influencing local wildlife behavior. As many of you have seen, some folks just leave their coolers and food containers out day and night. That's just asking for it. It doesn't have to be just about bears. Many creatures make a good living feeding off less than smart campers at campgrounds. Ruining their outing perhaps many miles from re-supplies. Here in Texas it is wild hogs. It's unlawful to shoot wildlife in NP's/SP's/ national and state lands unless it's quite obvious that you are in life's harm and it was a last ditch attempt. Property is not included. And that should never happen if your camp wise. Everyone should understand that unlike black bears, grizzlies are not afraid of you, especially if they are hungry or with cubs. So please use common sense.
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:00 AM   #32
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Managers of a place we stayed in the Adirondacks with bears coming around all of the time told us to cover the cooler in the car. They said that the bears recognize coolers.
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:27 AM   #33
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I think smart park bears have learned to read the words "Coleman" and "Igloo".

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Old 05-14-2022, 02:53 PM   #34
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Bears and people

I’ve lived and camped in Alaska for the last 25 yrs. I’ve never had a bear problem in a campground, though I have camped in campgrounds where other people did. Another reason to avoid campgrounds. The last occupants of your campsite could have dumped water they used for cleaning fish. And yes, people do this kind of thing. Bingo, you are bear attractor and you didn’t even know it.

Trouble bears are usually habituated to humans via food, and hence hard to really scare off. And– especially in campgrounds– people leave food-like items like coolers outside at night. If a bear finds a cooler full of food, she is going to look in other coolers of food. Voilà, a problem bear. When you are boondocking– and there is a relative dearth of boondocking in Alaska– you have a different, wild bear population. You might say they are curious, but respectful… most of the time. There will always be miscreants.

And a bear is not a bear is not a bear. Outside the Arctic, there are two flavors of bears: brown (a.k.a. grizzly bears) and black bears. (Don’t underestimate the smaller black bear.) The two are distinctly different critters with quite different habits and attitudes. It you are really going to spend time in bear country, you owe it to your self to learn how to identify the two common types, and the differing strategies for responding in a possible bear encounter.

There are a few situations that you really want to avoid if possible. Do not get between a sow and her cubs. Avoid like the plague a boar guarding a kill. Don’t walk up noisy streams with heavy brush coverage. Surprise a bear and you might not have a good time. A surprised bear is a threatened bear and it will act accordingly. Firsthand accounts of bear mauling suggest it is probably one of the worst experiences you could ever have.

For bear protection, bear spray works surprisingly well… if winds are light, and you have had practice. I almost always carry it. Good for biting dogs too. But, getting blowback from spaying into the wind will take your mind off bear threats immediately. Some people like air horns, but they don’t seem that effective for habituated bears. When I am camping where I don’t have carry it in, I typically take a large caliber rifle as well. I agree, shooting a bear in this circumstance would be such a bummer. After all, this is home for the bears, we are just visiting and we need to play by the rules. But sometimes, push come to shove, you have to do what you have to do.
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Old 05-14-2022, 03:29 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yukon Escape View Post
An 870 in 12 guage with tripple aught will cure any bears habit of hanging around your camp.

The only way to teach them to lie down and stay.
Doug
Sir, I think you seriously underestimate the durability of bears. Some of the best bear-hunting advice I have ever heard is "Don't shoot a bear unless you can disable it with your first shot." I am familiar with several maulings resulting from superficially injured bears. Well-placed tough 250+ grain projectiles, not 12 ga slugs or buckshot, IMO.

And it you don't kill it, some ranger is going to have to track and take down an injured bear, perhaps in a somewhat populated area. And, there will likely be legal consequences for the shooter. Nobody wins.
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Old 05-14-2022, 03:39 PM   #36
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Since we have strayed into guns, this thread is being closed.
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