bear country camping

swiftwave

I do a lot of remote boondocking in the Yukon with my T@B 400.  Lots of Grizzly and Black bears up there.

When I leave my trailer and go for a drive, I put my garbage in the canopy of my truck, as it’s generally the smelliest thing I posses.  Before departing, I ensure all trailer windows are firmly latched closed (never latched partially open).

I leave my ceiling fan on a low setting, gently exhausting air from the trailer so that any odours from inside are only vented through the roof.  My theory is that this will make the little air gaps around the door less attractive to a bear, as air will be sucked in through those gaps by the ceiling exhaust fan.  The intention is to reduce a bear’s temptation to rip my door off after sniffing the air gaps around the door.

A potential downside of this strategy is that I’m continually wafting trailer air into the local environment, though only via the roof where it will hopefully disperse fairly quickly.

I carry bear spray, bear bangers and handheld marine distress flares; the type that don’t shoot a flare into the sky but rather ignite into flame and smoke from the tip of the handheld flare.  A good close quarters non-lethal deterrent.  I also keep a pressurized air horn hanging on the door of my trailer and it’s been all I’ve needed on several occasions to shoo away curious bears.

Many Yukoners carry firearms in the backcountry for bear protection.

My closest call was North of the Arctic Circle with an adult female tundra Grizzly who had two cubs.  She was displeased with my presence, so I hitched my trailer and departed.

SLJ

Woke up at 2AM to a bear trying to push and claw open the door on our last motorhome. It tried for about five minutes and then settled for using an awning support to scratch his back when I turned the outside light on. He wandered down the road to the next camper which was a Hybrid with flip down beds on each end. He proceeded to rip one side off it with two little kids and their young parents still in it. A lot of screaming and banging on pots and pans moved him on. They packed up and left that night. Betting those kids won't grow up to be campers...?? The New York DEC showed up the next morning with a cage truck to track it down and hopefully relocate it. The claw marks on our door were always good for a story for those that asked about them.

Bill&Suze

@SLJ, where did this incident occur, somewhere in the Adirondacks perhaps? You indicate that you live in the Finger Lakes region. My wife and I will be camping there at the end of the month. It doesn't strike me as being bear country. We gave our Yellowstone bear bells to the granddaughters and got rid of the can of bear spray some years back. Pots and pans would be our go-to deterrent now.

SLJ

Bill&Suze said:

@SLJ, where did this incident occur, somewhere in the Adirondacks perhaps?

Yes, the Adirondacks in the Raquette Lake area. I see bears in the Adirondacks frequently. I was also chased by a Black Bear in Northern Vermont when I was mountain biking several years ago. Haven't seen any in the Finger Lakes.