I agree. And I miss Bernie. Give her a hug for me.

CanoeFly

I'm sure Intrepid Camper and CanoeFly will agree. I have no problems with leftovers, thanks to Bernice.

Preacher wrote on Sep 27^th, 2010 at 8:47pm:


The outfitter I use has a map showing problem bears sightings each year for the past several decades.  Problem bear incidents have decrease significantly over the years due to educating campers on how avoid bear problems.  This includes keeping a clean campsite and proper disposal of food scraps.

starwatcher

Leftovers don't normally burn very well or smell very good if you try so the goal is always no leftovers unless something will keep. If not there's always the communal leftover pile:
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That brown thing on top is a slab o bacon. Yellow is three pounds of butter. Must have been there for a week or three before we got there....

My wife and I were squatters at that site for probably three nights (hey it was our honeymoon) with no bear sightings so it must be a better plan than burning right? Hey, we didn't have a problem....

What you do is up to you but what you experience may be, in large part, up to luck and those who used a site before you.

Sounds fun to me. Part of the excitement would be the anticipation.....wondering if anything is coming in or not.

Thanks for sharing.

Things I do to bait bears

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..............I take 2 five gallon cans of bait every time I go. I use only Hostess twinkies, cupcakes etc and bread. I stay away from rotten meat. I get my Hostess from the Hostess store. They usually sell me the old stuff really cheap. I will also try and get day old doughnuts. I put the two cans of food in the drum then I take and turn the hole down to the ground to keep birds out of it. Then I take The biggest logs I can get and cover  my can in a teepee type style. I do this so that at a distance I can see if my can has been hit. Then I take big marshmallows and put them on tree branches and sticks and all over the place. Then I burn honey. I take 1 gallon of honey and an empty coffe can and a single propane burner. I pour a couple cups at a time in the can and burn it. Right at the end of the burn you will get thick black smoke. That is what you are after. That smoke sticks in the trees and every time the wind blows it will blow that sweet smell all over the valley you are in. At the end of the burn you will have a black honey comb in the bottom of the can. with your pliers just turn the can over and knock out the honey comb making sure not to start a fire. And then you burn some more. I do this till I have burnt the gallon up. .............

Quote:


First year I went solo, I did a trial, first time run into Algonquin park. After putting in at the south entrance, I soon realized that to get anywhere the solitude I was used too in the Q, I had to get at least a couple of nights from the day/overnight paddlers.

I busted butt and wound up having to stay at a designated spot that I would of never stayed if I had a choice. It was raining hard, getting dark, so I set up camp fast and built a small but cozy fire under my tarp.

The site was in a low lying area, near a swamp section of lake. While using the facilities, I saw fresh bear sign. I hang my pack and keep a clean camp, so after a nightcap, I called it a day.

I was wearing a head/swear band and had hung it on the tents fly pole when  I first got into camp. I woke to a noise outside of tent.
It was the sound of something big moving fast, and the death squeal of something being caught and devoured

The moon was up, and as I lay there listening, I could see the shape of a bear outside the tent. I could hear that deep guttural breathing they make, and in that moment I knew it was close and curious.

Earlier in the trip I had lost my bear spray when I walked my canoe up a creek in knee deep water. I stepped in a hole and nearly fell down. The spray was in a waist belt holster and somehow it came out. I never knew it until much later in the day.

So I debated what to do ? I had my survival knife and a tin cup in tent. I thought about going outside and scaring the bear off, but then decided that with clean camp and fresh kill, the bear was just being curious.

After a few anxious moments, my fear subsided and I fell into a deep but restless sleep. First light, I was up and  while taking down the tent, I saw huge fore-paw prints right outside my tent door! It appeared the bear had been sniffing my headband. Apparently my scent had put it off Must of been a "she"   I headed for the portage out of lake which was only a few hundred yards away.

At the portage I met two young Canadian guys, who were coming into the lake. They asked if I had seen the big bear on the portage landing?
They were both hunters and said it was one of the largest bears they had ever seen. I told them my story and we had a good laugh.

I bought a bigger bear spray and carry it in a modified case that can't come open accidentally.

I don't let the fear of a bear encounter deter me, but I make sure that  I have a little extra something to even the odds somewhat.

IF I was in the BW or where they allowed firearms, I'd carry one for sure. Self defense/survival tool, signaling device, it is a multi-purpose tool that has proved it worth since man entered the wilderness.

Wow!  I often wonder what I'm doing wrong/right to have such a dirth of bear sightings.

Respect is one thing.  Worries need to be metered against likelihood, that's all I meant.

I would add that whatever it (legally) takes for one to feel secure out there is totally ok for them.  If you need a rabbit's foot, then by all means carry a rabbit's foot.

I've directly known as many people who have had that tree fall on them as who have been hurt by a bear, 1 each.


Back to leftovers.  Often it's an eyes bigger than stomach issue.  Solo I eat A LOT less than if I'm with others.  Burn 'em, zip-lock 'em, stick 'em in a Fair Share Mug, pack 'em out, eat 'em later.  If you get caught more than twice, take a good look at your portion control & knock it down 1/3.  It's easy to go a little hungry, or munch a piece of toast.

If this guy was solo he would of had a rough go of it.
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Yea well, have one sniffing through the tent inches from your arm and you might sing a different story when the hair on the back of your neck actually goes up. That happened to me just this spring in Algonquin. If we would of had an empty snickers wrapper in the tent things may have turned out different.

20 years backpacking/tripping.....my black bear encounters
1) two close encounters with blacks in Glacier. One I had to chase out of the food eating area and one just off the trail. I made a mistake with the one on the trail by yelling at it. I put two unseen cubs up a tree. Yes the blacks are less protective but still a mistake
2) 3 separate sighting in Quetico
3) had food swiped and had bear approach tent in BWCA
4) laid siege for a surprisingly long time in Algonquin this past spring. Tracks around our tent, dry bags batted around and the freaky sniffing by my arm
5) bear swam in front of my canoe (excellent!) on my French river trip this fall

It is not silly or foolish to have respect of things that can deprive you of your life or at the very least make life complicated as in the case of a bear taking your supplies. I am equally "fearful" of camping under a dead tree. Rather unlikely it's going to fall on me right? I mean I would have a better chance of hitting the lotto........