Hi guys, while I'm not new to the outdoors I am new to discussion forums. I have noticed a wealth of experience here and am interested in how many of you share my tripping style and what your results have been. More specifically do you hang your food or stash it? I suppose this has been bantered about at least 100 times but as a stasher I am interested in how many of you have been clipped and more importantly why and how many of the tree hoisting variety has been deprived. I was rudely handled one night on Sawbill lake ( fortunately it was our last night) when I got careless with a snickers bar. The lesson was well learned though and 8 years later I'm still batting 1000. Am I just getting lucky??

I don't know about hundreds but oh but it's been so long!

Nana locked this thread and linked to some old archived posts reserved for Inukshuks for when they want a blast from the past. It's weird. This is one of the few things where perception if not reality has changed over time - a little. Hiding blue barrels was a scary paradigm type shift for a frugal guy with a blue RubbereMaid tub. Still love the tub!

My wife and I slept 20, 30, 40 (I forget) feet from (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) for three days while enjoying each others company tremendously.

Unlike the various innie/outtie debates of old, there are (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) on bear-proffing topics that aren't as valid as "anyone been to x lake 5 star campsite" type posts. Everything gets archived somewhere sometime.

While I can appreciate Nana's aversion to this topic I'd also like to use it to make a point. Bears have bigger brains than ants and there aren't as many of them.

That said, I hear the bear population is declining with the moose population and human traffic where I like to go at least has decreased for other reasons plus knowledge has increased. My original concern when I started QJ was people didn't have enough information and for good or bad, my bear encounters have subsided considerably over the years.

That said, there are no secret methods so I made the links above and below available to everyone. I'm sure there are more that would resonate with someone new but what follows should give them food enough for thought.

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Tis the season:
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My bad if I have committed a breach of etiquette. I suspect my "dang the torpedos, full speed ahead" style may rub some the wrong way. Hopefully I can add something interesting and over time win those over.

Despite a life long love affair with wild places I have developed a certain healthy respect for bears and sharks. The shark nervousness came after I seen a 15ft hammerhead do "S" curves on the surface looking for the head of a 60 lb amberjack it had just taken from us. Pure power. The bear respect came after reading Stephen Herreaus book "Bear attacks, causes and and avoidance". Up to that point I had never really worried about them. Ignorance is bliss comes to mind. I have had 2 close encounters in the past 10 years including a very troubling night in Algonquin this past spring where we had one snuffling about the tent for quite some time. It was surreal. A hand axe in one hand and bear spray in the other and fits of nervousness that came out as laughter. Fortunately I am informed and there was no reason for our guest to intrude. The tracks told the story as well as a few dry bags batted about. I am aware that the Quetico does not have the troubling history that Algonquin does ( about every 10 years there is a fatality).

...and Pollyhumpers, Jimbo.  Don't forget the Pollyhumpers.  They eat Black Bears for appetizers.

mastertangler wrote on Feb 5^th, 2010 at 8:42pm:

In terms of n/etiquette here on QJ goes, I guess the main rules are.

#1 Don't post solely to sell yourself or your products.
#2 Don't use ALL CAPS.

Other side of the coin?

#3 Be kind and use short paragraphs even if your english teacher....
#4 This is the web where stubbed or stepped on toes recover. The little ones that don't, simply drop off upon realizing they were not really useful anyway.

A very apologetic, self described long time lurker told me where to find another link encouraging it's addition to this thread so:
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I'd have never even considered wasting time searching 'The Bookshelf' so I appreciate the heads up as it seems a fair, recent and condensed summery of 10 years worth of posts on the subject. Thanks! (I think)

Good stuff. I especially liked the link db, exactly what I was hoping for. BTW, info for solo tripper.... I had also hit on the idea of a motion sensitive alarm system. The bear that hit my pack on Sawbill was deterred for about 3 seconds before he went back to munching. A flashing light and shrill alarm......Hmmm, dinner with a light show and music to boot.

Sharks, bears and now I have to worry about pollyhumpers!

Gosh, I'll try harder but that's about as brief as I get. I don't have much practice with word fencing.

Wait a minute, didn't I read about a number of you in Boundary Waters Journal? Quite the colorful bunch,especially Old Salt if memory serves me correctly.

Do you guys still go as a group? If someone drops off throw me an invite. I'm handy with a filet knife and best of all with a brillo pad. ( yea, I know I'm setting myself up for a avalanche of pithy one liners......fire away!)

Quote:


Just don't hang it where other Flamingo Gang members may have easy access to mess with it.... like over an island cliff  

Could just do like Flash & leave the food pack open & out by a smoldering smoke pile that never really was a fire...LOL

Two points should be well noted here!
1 Firewood packed in a pack is always dry, hence easy to start a fire.
2 Packs must always be placed near my tent.  Especially if you like bear steaks for breakfast.  First you lure them in, then you blow smoke in their face to blind them, just before you holler fer Old Salt, after all he's the camp chef.  

qp

PhantomJug wrote on Feb 7^th, 2010 at 6:13pm:


So you want to catch bass?? (Quetico Carp)?? That's too easy... Just pitch anything with a hook.

I would prefer knowing how to avoid catching those pests. After all, they are non-native alien invasives.

They are beasts of the larger lakes in Q. They seldom surface, hence they are not widely known, nor is their danger appreciated. But, when they do surface, they have been known to upset or swamp canoes, endangering the paddlers, who have been known to be tasty hors doevers for these beasts. I once broke my favorite paddle defending myself from attack with a sharp blow to the snout. They seem to be especially sensitive there, as the piercing screams haunted me and my party all through the night.

Grappling hooks make good trebles for catching a 'humper.

Do you need a fishing license?  What is the season and are there any size limits?

Westwood

Worthy quarry indeed!