markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Mar 17, 2016 7:15:25 GMT -8
Since the bear can was introduced Sierra, seeing a bear now a rare occurrence (outside of crowded trailheads). If a bear comes by, I want to see it...not gonna happen 200 yards away.
Keep my bear can right outside my tent - also used as a convenient seat to put on my boots.
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Mar 17, 2016 8:32:45 GMT -8
If a bear comes by, I want to see it...not gonna happen 200 yards away. Keep my bear can right outside my tent - also used as a convenient seat to put on my boots. Maybe you should tie a string to your big toe and run the string outside your tent with a slice of baloney tied to the other end.? I thought about taking a trail cam with me to set up at night but I'm not sure I want to see what's lurking around my tent at night.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Mar 17, 2016 8:37:11 GMT -8
The most frequent bear sightings for me were on the trail to Mist Falls in Kings Canyon. I got within 15 feet of a bear using the trail (by accident) and another when in a campsite in lower Paradise when he walked on by to check out what we might have to offer.
Bears are so quiet it's eerie, when they want to be. I had one walk within feet of my hammock one night. saw the prints the next day.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Mar 17, 2016 11:35:09 GMT -8
I'm getting the Model BV450/BV500. It seems pretty clean. If I could highjack Bob's thread one more time... where do you guys store your canister full of food at night? 100 yards downwind of your tent? On the ground? Should I expect to hear bears playing soccer with it at night? -greenhorn dave 100-150 feet, wind direction is irrelevant they can see the thing sitting there. I'll usually just sit it upright in view off a ways, about 100 feet or so, pile my pots on top as an alarm. As mentioned in YNP's page, away from running water, lakes, cliffs and such in case it were to be knocked around (so far, never, Yosemite bears mostly can't be bothered and keep looking for the easy pickings they know are just around the next bend where somebody didn't try out their canister before the trip and are gambling with the spillover not being found: and they'll lose that bet...) www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcanisters.htmAs far as bears go they're very regional in their knowledge so how they interact with the canisters will depend on where you are, some will give them a test because they smell the food and don't know it's futile yet, others who are experienced won't bother and some who've gotten into ones where the lid hadn't been fastened correctly will REALLY give it a try.
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Post by Lonewolf on Mar 17, 2016 15:26:29 GMT -8
I put bright yellow reflective tape on my canister to hopefully make it easier to find if a bear does play soccer with it. So far I haven't had to go looking but I only use it in places it's required so the bears may already know it's a waste of time.
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idahobob
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many are cold, but few are frozen
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Post by idahobob on Mar 17, 2016 19:07:40 GMT -8
We did the jmt in 1971 with no bear canisters. Didn't see any bears and had no problems. Things change.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Mar 17, 2016 19:55:59 GMT -8
The 450 and 500 are different sizes.
Yes, set it on the ground downwind 100+ yards. Not near water or a cliff, in case it gets rolled away. And don't wedge it between rocks or a fallen tree or a bear could get leverage on it. And no carry straps or anything else attached to it. The main thing that makes a bear canister work is that a bear can't pick it up and carry it away and can't crack it open.
Whether you will have bears bothering yours depends on the area where you're going, specifically how much exposure the bears in that area have had to bear canisters. If they've never seen one before then if one finds it s/he might spend a good amount of time on it. But if the bears have run into canisters a few times then most likely they've learned that they are a waste of energy and will ignore it.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Mar 17, 2016 21:00:01 GMT -8
There's a bear in Yosemite that made them close down camping on the Snow Creek trail, by learning to toss canisters off a cliff and shatter them.
I expect there will be a locker or two put in, sometime soon.
In the meantime, I'm taking my Bearikade elsewhere....
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Mar 18, 2016 5:55:39 GMT -8
There's a bear in Yosemite that made them close down camping on the Snow Creek trail, by learning to toss canisters off a cliff and shatter them. They are smart animals.
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crawford
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Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.--Edison
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Post by crawford on Mar 18, 2016 6:06:41 GMT -8
Maybe you should tie a string to your big toe and run the string outside your tent with a slice of baloney tied to the other end.? I thought about taking a trail cam with me to set up at night but I'm not sure I want to see what's lurking around my tent at night. Being that I most often sleep in a Bear Taco (hammock) when backpacking, I personally would avoid this, but more power to you my friend. You are made of tough stuff! (insert snickery laughter here) Honestly, I've thought about the camera thing. I have had campsite visitors that I've enjoyed and others that I was concerned about, but I'm sure I've missed quite a few.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Mar 18, 2016 7:28:20 GMT -8
Being that I most often sleep in a Bear Taco (hammock) when backpacking, I personally would avoid this, but more power to you my friend. You are made of tough stuff! (insert snickery laughter here) You know those tent things the ground dwellers use are made of the same exact materials, plus the waterproof, as a hammock, right? At least I have yet to see tent-size canisters that people sleep in.... Or maybe it's the PU coating, or the silicon impregnated nylon, that keeps the bears out of tents? Perhaps if they PU coated Ursacks those Yosemite bears would never have been able to tear them open. Then they would be approved in Yosemite and we wouldn't need cans at all. (I'm totally kidding -- Ursacks are supposed to be tied to trees, and even if the bear didn't get anything he'd kill the tree trying to get the food.)
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mk
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North Texas
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Post by mk on Mar 18, 2016 7:59:59 GMT -8
Or maybe it's the PU coating, or the silicon impregnated nylon, that keeps the bears out of tents? But what if you accidentally forget about the Snickers bar you have in your pocket?
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Mar 18, 2016 8:04:14 GMT -8
Then I suppose a tent becomes a burrito?
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Mar 18, 2016 10:42:44 GMT -8
Maybe just been lucky so far ...(6 Muirs and a PCT...maybe a few thousand+ bag nights), but I fail to understand this last "tough stuff - (insert snickery laughter here)" section. What difference does it make if your can is 100 yards away or 1 yard away except you can watch your can if it is close by?
Smart and blessed with an amazing sense of smell, our Sierra bears have been shown they can locate an unopened can of tuna, one foot underwater. The bear, just by smell alone, knows: where your camp is, where you are, where your food is, and even how much and what kind of food you have. They do not want you - they want easy food - no confrontation - and they are sneaky. An unattended bear can, stashed a hundred yards away, faces more of a risk when left un-seen. (this also includes from the two-legged pilferers here too) than one kept close.
Tent or hammock...bear can a hundred yards away or within hands reach...I have never had a bear enter a tent, or hammock when I was inside. Don't really know but don't think I've ever had a bear inside of my tent when away either - lots of squirrels and marmots though...maybe some deer? A Bearikade does work.
BTW, I have been known to fire up a little herb inside of my tent on occasion...I wonder if the residual smell left, collected over the years, has also somehow deterred the bear's sensory curiosity.
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Mar 18, 2016 11:20:07 GMT -8
It just makes the bear hungrier, but too lazy to try to get in.
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