Eh, why not? It's silly season.

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db wrote on Apr 4^th, 2013 at 5:56pm:

Jeez, that's all we need,  a five-minute screaming siren that goes off whenever some critter wanders through the noob-next-door's camp.

A couple of years ago, I was on a day hike in the Rockies and a pair of hikers in the same area had one of those horns that are supposed to scare bears away. It was annoyingly loud even when they were a couple of kms off on the other side of the valley. And sound doesn't carry nearly as far in the mountains as it does in lake country.

I think some parks now have a "no vuvuzelas" regulation - I wonder if that would apply to pack alarms too.

db wrote on Mar 15^th, 2013 at 7:02pm:


Some twisted part of me hoped db's link built on jimmar's reply.

J

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jimmar wrote on Mar 15^th, 2013 at 6:39pm:

Took me a while.       Thanks for that.

So...if I want to keep you and your friend from coming into my camp and drinking all my beer, I should use mothballs? Didn't even know they had 'em.

I feel the need to offer a lighter alternative to Pinesol.

The guy that lead my first trip handed out a gear list to everyone. One line near the end of the list was bear repellent. Next year at the orientation, someone asked what that was. As I recall he kinda dodged the question ... calling it a joke.

A few years later I was at his house drinking beer so I asked him outright. Turns out it was mothballs.

I only offer that alternative as Pinesol gives me an instant headache. A little sachet of mothballs would be lighter and you could take it with you from one campsite to the next ... and home with you.

I agree with JJS...bears just BITE everything!!!  They are often more of a nuisance because of that than from stealing one's food pack.

Quote:


Pinesol contains between 8-12% pine oil depending on the scent formulation.
I suspect that along with the strong pine odor the other chemicals probably mask other odors and the pine scent is familiar to the bear and doesn't arouse his curiosity/food drive?

I've read that old time Pine Tar soap is a good choice for personal hygiene in Bear country for the same reason.

At the Quiet Journey supper I mentioned how bears near my MN cabin liked to bite my motor oil and gas cans. The motor oil containers seem to be the preferred lube.For a few years there was a problem at a canoe access point because a bear was biting tires and the black rubber bumper strip on that was popular at the time. There is a strong odor to these when the sun heats them. Woods lore said to put Pinesol around and the bears would leave them alone. Which begs the question; Is it the smell or the fact that it overwhelms all other odors? I splash Pinesol around my cabin when I leave and the break-ins have ceased. I am not sure if its a lucky charm or actually works.