QuietJourney Forums - More on bears and barrels

Guest Message

Hi there Guest,

It looks like you are enjoying reading our forum, so why don't you register an account with us to stop seeing this message and benefit from many more features. Registration is easy and will only take you a few minutes.

If you already have an account with us, then click here to log in.

Thank you,

db

(Moderators: Jimbo, db, DentonDoc)

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 7

Add Poll

Send Topic

More on bears and barrels (Read 24841 times)

Joe_Schmeaux Inukshuk Offline Posts: 395 Location: Alberta Joined: Mar 23^rd, 2010	More on bears and barrels Oct 30^th, 2011 at 9:32pm	Quote Print Post
	Ran across this on CCR: (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links)


	IP Logged

db Web-lackey Inukshuk Voyageur Offline Posts: 5460 Location: Just off the beaten path. Joined: Sep 14^th, 2002	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #1 - Oct 31^st, 2011 at 6:17am	Quote Print Post
	We saw the windup. There's the pitch! Mad_Mat wrote on Oct 17^th, 2011 at 12:46pm: As you can see from the attached video the only thing that saved the remaining 5 days of our trip was the fact that we had our food in a barrel instead of a canvas pack. I posted this story to the internet and received many inquiries about the barrel so I included a pointer to your website in my responses. I think this video is a great testament to the advantage of barrels over canvas packs and if you would like to reference it to help market your product you have my full permission. I still want to see the end of the video btw.


	WWW IP Logged

Preacher Contributer Subscriber Offline Posts: 1327 Location: COTU Joined: Apr 10^th, 2010	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #2 - Oct 31^st, 2011 at 2:42pm	Quote Print Post
	I find people are looking for a single fail-safe guarantee on bearproofing. That just doesn't exist. Our best bet is to follow the same guidelines that have been around for years. Keep a clean camp. Control smells. Make food difficult for critters to get to. Some decide that a single failure invalidates the guidelines. There are no guarantees. Barrels can help, but there is no guarantee. I've seen pictures of them ripped open. I do hear that olive barrels & the titanium bear vault are the best protection.


	IP Logged

mastertangler Inukshuk Offline Posts: 3111 Location: florida Joined: Feb 1^st, 2010	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #3 - Oct 31^st, 2011 at 10:13pm	Quote Print Post
	I like the solutions they had out west. In Glacier they had a wire strung and at Mt Rainier they had a metal pole with hooks near the top. Of course these were group campsites and probably not applicable to canoe country. Usage seems somewhat down (especially in the Q) and perhaps bear/camper problems will lessen and not increase. I've had 2 close encounters and it is certainly adrenaline promoting. I can see where it could be a substantial issue if your food gets clipped far from resupply. Education is key. "Bear attacks, causes and avoidance" is the book to read IMO. Very interesting. You will gain an enormous amount of insight into these highly intelligent inhabitants of the north woods.


	WWW IP Logged

Joe_Schmeaux Inukshuk Offline Posts: 395 Location: Alberta Joined: Mar 23^rd, 2010	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #4 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 3:31am	Quote Print Post
	Was this already posted by Mad_Mat? Sorry 'bout that. Bowron Lakes (Central B.C. grizzly country) has a sheet metal bear-proof locker at each campsite for you to put your food pack in - seems to work and (IMO) doesn't detract from the wilderness canoeing experience at all. (Once the campsite and outhouse are there, a dark green box in the bushes doesn't make any difference). I think the takeaway from this vid is that once a bear learns that nylon packs have food in them, hanging - even really diligent hanging - will only be a minor deterrent. Barrels seemed to work in this case, but I wonder if the outcome would have been the same if the bear had learned that blue barrels have food in them too. Keeping your camp clean and your food as odour-free as possible seems to be basic wilderness common sense.


	IP Logged

wally Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1987 Location: Minni-soda Joined: Apr 3^rd, 2003	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #5 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 4:08am	Quote Print Post
	master... Glacier has poles/wire, and lockers in the treeless spots. Of course they have a bit bigger and potentially nastier bear there, Although when a black attacks, it's often bad. I was back at Hole-in-the-Wall, Brown's pass, and Bowman lake. Watched a grizz chase a deer out onto the shore at far end of Bowman, about 200 yds from us....was sure glad we had our food up the pole. Has there ever been a black mauling/killing in the BW? Seems pretty rare.


	IP Logged

Mad_Mat Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1548 Joined: Apr 21^st, 2003	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #6 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 11:56am	Quote Print Post
	"Has there ever been a black mauling/killing in the BW? Seems pretty rare." that lady doctor, maybe 4? or 5? years ago - I think that was in BWCA?


	IP Logged

intrepid_camper Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1348 Location: Northern Minnesota Joined: Jul 12^th, 2004	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #7 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 1:52pm	Quote Print Post
	I was warned when I got my permit and by other campers coming out, and had read about this (?) problem bear family (sow with 3 cubs) in "bear reports" somewhere. SHE has apparently become quite proficient and the cubs are getting a Master education from her. I imagine they will be at it again in 2012 on the South Arm of Knife Lake. For a bit more perspective...for the past 15 years (45+ week-long trips in BW and Q) I have not had a bear in camp. Thank goodness!


	IP Logged

Preacher Contributer Subscriber Offline Posts: 1327 Location: COTU Joined: Apr 10^th, 2010	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #8 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 2:05pm	Quote Print Post
	wally wrote on Nov 1^st, 2011 at 4:08am: Has there ever been a black mauling/killing in the BW? Seems pretty rare. It's exceedingly rare. Stephen Herrero released a study recently, not BWQ specific. (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) I don't have the details from previous discussions on this study, but as I recall the odds were <1%. I do find black bear worries to be frequently exaggerated considering that it's very easy to mitigate the risks. Anecdotally, I've only ever seen one bear in the wild. 20 years of tripping in Ontario.


	IP Logged

mastertangler Inukshuk Offline Posts: 3111 Location: florida Joined: Feb 1^st, 2010	Re: More on bears and barrels Reply #9 - Nov 1^st, 2011 at 4:37pm	Quote Print Post
	Well rare or not it is still very disconcerting to have one snuffling mere inches from your arm with only some tent material between you. Trust me on this one, it will cause the hair on the back of your neck to rise. In herreros book he describes a woman biologist alone and in the wild who was accosted by a black bear. The bear ate both her arms while she watched. Yes, gruesome. Fortunately she was able to get a message off with her one good arm before it was devoured. Fortunately help arrived. Unfortunately she lost both arms. In Kesselheims book "Water and Sky" he has quite the time with bears and had to in fact kill one when it proved extra persistent on a portage trail. There are lots of things in life that are statistically rare. It doesn't mean that I should dismiss them as a non-issue.


	WWW IP Logged

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 7

Add Poll

Send Topic

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›