Tips to keep bears away

What are some of your tips for keeping the bears away. This summer I will be heading to an area that has quite a few black bears in the area, I was hoping some of you had some good tips. I already have a bell on my backpack, I will have my whistle around my neck, and hopefully I will never have to use my "bear spray."

I'm very curious about what some good tips are once you already set up camp, and other alerts when hiking?

Thanks guys

bear bells are always ideal, good idea putting them on your back pack. With the whistle around your neck, make sure it is on a rope or chain that will break under a bit of force. If you were to fall down a hill and it got hung up on something you could end up hanging...

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

yeah, good idea I have a lanyard with velcro so it can just pull off with a quick tug.

Does marking your territory by going to the bathroom work or is it a myth?

Good idea indeed. Daffy I never thought about that but it does seem like a very plausible and possible situation...

The Wistle I think is your best bet for far distance, it works good on other animals too so its my primary source of defense. I dont have any bear spray but am considering geting some if I ever go to BC for some hiking (which I plan to).

Haveing a nice handy is a good idea too but its best to use that as a last resort

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

I allways whistle a toon, heck even sing sometimes, just to let the surrounding animals know your there, most times bear attacks occour when you care the animal, if it knows your there, it'll run off. hopfully Very Happy

i dont know i actually like to see them maybe im dumb though lol but i have ran into blackbears before where i was no more than 15feet away but this time of year they have cubs so you better be extra carefull. depending on where your going if your going to be out in the bush alot and your able i would bring a small rifle that you can pack with you like a 30-30 because i say again they do have cubs right now and blacks are worse then grizzlys. but for trying to keep them away just talk even if its to your self so you dont surprise them let them know your in the area bear bells are a good thing to have other than that i dont think you need anything else

where are you off to by the way? im just wondering

The first week of July I will be spending time in northern Wisconsin, part of the Chequamegon National Forest.

In addition to hanging your food in a tree some distance from your tent, set up your cooking and eating area a short distance from your tent. Never take food closer to your tent than this kitchen/dining area.

All I know is that when i go camping in the bush I pack my pump 12 guage and keep some buckshot neer by. There are things called bear bangers that you can get too. They have a pen like launcher that deploys a small explosive that is very very loud and is used to scare bears away. You can get ones that fire from the pen launchers or from shotguns with an open choke. I have seen these used in residential areas that have developed in bear country to drive bears out of somoenes back yards and back to the woods.

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Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway.

1. Make noise: Whistle, yell, talk, clap your hands, smack two sticks together
2. Be aware: Always keep your level of awareness high, you can prevent a confrontation this way
3. Don't panic: 99.99 percent of bears don't want anything to do with you either, so if you do see one, don't make eye contact, back away slowly talking in a low, soothing tone. Make sure a cub isn't behind you first. Wink

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For the noise part just tie one or two bear bells to your ankles or a knee strap that will alert any bear in the area (they have really good hearing).
If you clap hands, sticks, yell, rant, rave, whistle constantly you'll be out of breath, have sore hands and have everybody else within hearing distance mad at you for the cacophony.
Stay alert but relax, thats what you are going into the bush for in the first place right?
Enjoy the bush.
Like Bushrat said, keep the food and cook area away from your tent/sleep site, even tie bell to the foood pack/barrel to give you a few seconds heads up if something happens.
Bear spray is good but know how to use it, practise with a second can and keep a full one your belt/holster within easy access, not in your pack.
Black bears may come close just to see what all that noise was about they are very curious animals, so keep cool and don't over react, don't run you'll just trigger the chase instinct even when they had no intention of it in the first place. (bears can easily outrun a human)
Don't make direct eye contact (may trigger a domination reaction) but keep it in sight.
Keep a calm, even voice, unless an attack IS happening then and only then a sharp yell may startle it and cause it to rethink it aggression.
Un-holster and take safety of the bear spray, stay calm and prepare to use the spray wait till you are sure that you can hit the animal in the eyes or mouth (best) with the spray and that the wind isn't against you.
If no bear spray, make yourself as big as possible, put a t-shirt or piece of clothes over your head to create the illusion of size..in nature bears respect size.
In a sow cub situation keep calm, identify where the cub is and walk slowly and purposely away from both cub and sow without loosing inderect sight of either keep on walking for a while till there is a comfortable space between you and the cub and the sow. Have your bear spray at hand and ready to use.
Black Bears that are in a predatory mode will gauge you before attacking, to see if they can take you with the least damage to themselves, if they figure that they will suffer to much damage eg. a bigger/meaner animal, they may back off, so stay calm, no shrieking like a wounded prey (this could also trigger an attack).
With black bears, once the attack IS happening fight bac with everything you have..never lay down and play dead or very possibly you will be.
I use a hiking staff either an oak or aluminum, it can be used a spacer to keep a bear further away from me in need.
Grizzlies are a different matter entirely, they have different set of triggers. Thats for another post.

I'm sorry you felt the need to criticize and belittle every one of my tips.

They all work great, and with no inconvenience. It's not a hardship to be aware of your surroundings, more of a essential part of life in the woods. As you said, bears have great hearing so it's not required to make noise constantly. If I'm setting up in a spot, I make a little noise then go on with my chores. The bells are good idea, but like you I prefer to enjoy my time in the forest and having bells jingling on my pack doesn't enhance my experience.

Good tips on the bear spray, I carry a can in my right pocket myself and it's cheap insurance.

In good spirit, Mike.

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Time passes softly and I'm a day older.
But still I'm living days gone by.
Ashes to ashes, the rain's turning colder.
Finding tomorrow, the ashes, the rain and I.

I didn't critisize every one of your tips only the noise one.
I have met people who did just that, continously clattered about making a din of noise infuriating other hikers on the same trail because they had been told to make noise.
You didn't say occasionaly, you left it open.
Bear bells, many use them. I personaly don't but that is just me
I did say... stay alert but relax...
Sorry for being direct but do not know any other way to share information.
I'll refrain from posting after you in the future if it makes you uncomfortable, OK.. Peace

Now for an extra on the bear spray... a fellow on a national trail, at the trail head took out his can of "Bear Repellents" and assumingly (be careful with that word) following the name sprayed himself all over with "repellent" (you can see where this is going uh? and started to "feel" the effects immediately....2 other hikers found him curled up in a fetal position almost in convulsions alerted the authorities while tring to wash of the "repellent" off the victim and not succombing to the effect themselves pretty brave I thought.
When recovering he admited that he understood the name repellent to be like mosquito repellent and used it accordingly.................
So bear spray towards bear not you.

	carcajou garou wrote:
	I'll refrain from posting after you in the future if it makes you uncomfortable, OK.. Peace

No way, sometimes it's hard to tell over the net and I'm a bit of an ass sometimes, state your opinion, I like a good discussion.

Good tips, I've also been cautioned not to spray them upwind, and I can see why since I inadvertently let some get into my mouth one time. BURNS.

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Last.fm

Time passes softly and I'm a day older.
But still I'm living days gone by.
Ashes to ashes, the rain's turning colder.
Finding tomorrow, the ashes, the rain and I.

hey great tips guys. kind of an old thread but am going camping this week in duck mountain sask and the wife read on the sask parks web site about the black bears in the area and now i am trying to brush up so shes a little calmer.going to pick up some bear spray for her and a couple of those bells. havnt been there in years looking forward to some hiking and fishing!!!

	d wrote:
	hey great tips guys. kind of an old thread but am going camping this week in duck mountain sask and the wife read on the sask parks web site about the black bears in the area and now i am trying to brush up so shes a little calmer.going to pick up some bear spray for her and a couple of those bells. havnt been there in years looking forward to some hiking and fishing!!!

Have fun!

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This is for you D

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-Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.

-Idleness brings want
To work today is to eat tomorrow
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity

-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.

^ LMBO at the last line. Laughing

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I thought you'd like it.

_________________
-Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.

-Idleness brings want
To work today is to eat tomorrow
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity

-Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the Last Day.