Camping in bear country may sound really fun and exciting. And certainly, there are a number of parks and campgrounds inhabited by bears, which are still frequently visited by campers. Therefore, some tips on how to avoid bears when camping is important, as well as knowing how to deal with one you have encountered accidentally.
Bear Country: Parks and Campgrounds with Bears
The use of bear-resistant canisters is mandatory in all areas of the following parks. You must always have a bear-resistant canister with you and be ready at all times when camping in:
- Yosemite National Park, California
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
- Denali National Park, Alaska
- Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
- Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
Meanwhile, in most areas of the listed parks below, bear resistant canisters are also mandatory.
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
- Inyo National Forest, eastern and central Sierra Nevada, California
- Olympic National Park, Washington
- Glacier National Park, Montana
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- Adirondack Mountains, New York
Keeping Safe While Camping
Whenever you plan to go camping in bear country, remember that you need to keep yourselves safe from bears, not only for your own safety but also that of the bears’. The following are some safety measures that you may need to follow.
- Before setting up your campsite, check the area first. Determine if the area had any recent campers. Never set up if you think the area may be attractive to bears.
- Never cook near your sleeping area; set up the cooking/washing area at least 200 feet away. You don’t want to attract bears with food smells, right? Don’t cook more than you need and practice proper food waste disposal. Lastly, clean yourself. Change your day clothes, it might have acquired food smells.
- Do bear bagging and/or counter balancing properly.
- The area may also have other wildlife that might get on your stuff, like porcupines. They are not attracted to food, but they like anything with salt. Hiking boots and used clothes may be targets.
- Go for an open site rather than well treed location. Trees are used by bears as cover when they are approaching an area. But if you are in a forested area, select the site where there is a good climbing tree.
- Always bring with you some form of protection like pepper spray or anything that can make some noise.
Helping Saving Bear Lives By Being Responsible
Properly storage of food does not only help campers but also the preservation of the lives of the bears. Once campers lose their food to a bear, this kind of incident may ruin their trip but then worse, it will make a bear grow bolder toward obtaining human food. When a bear becomes so bold and approaches forthright, it may have to be killed. And that’s the saddest part.
When bears get introduced to human food, they tend to get accustomed and sometimes, go to great lengths to find more of it. In most bear country parks and campgrounds, bringing and using bear-resistant canisters has been made mandatory. It has actually a number of advantages for humans as well.
- Less work because you need not to do bear-bagging and counter balancing.
- Less stress knowing that your food is secured.
- Freedom to store food in places where food-hanging trees may not be available or scarce.
- Bear-resistant canisters are also helpful against other wildlife known to food thievery including mice and marmots.
- Canisters can serve as a stool or table.
When campers become careless with their food and attract bears, they are changing the food-gathering habits of bears. When bears become aggressive towards humans and their food, most of the time, the bears are going to be killed.
Observing bears in their natural habitat is an amazing opportunity but it’s also an experience that most campers choose to take a pass. Encountering a bear on the trail or having a bear approach your campsite is not exactly fun, but there are many ways to avoid it. Knowing how to avoid bears when camping is not only for your own good but also for the bears as well.
Extra Gear to Bring When Camping in Bear Country
There are a few extra extra gear to bring if you wanted to go camping in bear country. Here is a list of the gears that you may really need to bring on your next camping trip.
- Rope or bear wires – to hang up your food in poles provided or trees. Bring at least 50 feet of good rope.
- Zip lock bags, air-tight canisters, bear-resistant canisters – for proper food storage and for packing up food waste and garbage.
- Pepper spray – in case of an aggressive bear encounter.
- Flashlight – when going out at night.
- Binoculars – to see ahead of you, if there is a bear somewhere.
Getting into the wild really needs some preparation so you can enjoy the trip better. Just be a responsible camper and you will avoid bear encounters and all other sorts of camping