BEAR QUESTION

[TheNewCatfish]

I want everyone to understand I'm not fishing for humor or comments containing dirty language. This is a serious request for "factual"information because i am definately now in the part of the country where bears ATTACK PEOPLE. I don't have any question about food handling, or travelling in bear country. My question has to do with how to handle the sanitary issue in camp ? For instance, some people say burying your urine and fecal matter in a latrine is the right solution. Others disagree and say a bear will smell anything you bury, no matter how deep the hole is. By some accounts a bear can smell 20,000 X better than you can. So the latrine idea doesn't sound too good to me.

I've heard others say you don't want to leave camp to take care of your business anyway. They claim bears know what human watse smells like and will steer clear of an area befowled in that manner. O.K. What about the recent story of a black bear that fell into a sewage treatment tank in New Mexico and had to be rescued ? Dubbed "Poo Bear" in the New Mexico press. I guess the bear didn't get the memo.

While i was in the Navy, i was told NEVER to urinate in water you are floating in because urine and blood smell exactly alike to a shark. Is the same true with bears ? Why wouldn't it be true ? By some accounts bears can smell blood 10 or 15 miles away. So what am i supposed to do ? Hold it till i get out of the woods ? Will spraying CS onto the ground mask the scent we're not sure attracts or repells bears ?

This is a serious question, because four large brown bears have been sighted in my vicinity in the last week. The closest was only two blocks away from where my camp was.. and this bear turned over a completely filled garbage dumpster. So i don't think a nylon tent would have slowed him down much.

 

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[homefires]

Just dig a hole two feet deep. Do what the bears do in the hole.

Leave a gal jug of Ammonia by your latrine.

Every use poor a cap full or so of ammonia in the hole.

You want the hole in eye sight from camp but 5o or so yards out of camp.

This is so you can see if it's visited.

Have fun and Yes, Bears chit in the woods too!

 

[Ratman]

If im backpacking into wilderness areas I would always urinate all around my camp site . Kind of like creating an invisable force field that animals usually won't cross over while your there unless their very hungry . And yes they know when your there because they can smell you . If it's a bowel movement then I do that further away from camp , buried and pile rocks on the spot . In all my times of camping in the wilderness I have never had a bear come through my camp while I was there . Sure it can and does happen rarely but usually out of the norm so not to worry . My only encounter was years ago I did have a red fox sit and watch me on the outer edge of my camp site one night while I was frying up some trout . I would never had known it was there had it not started yipping . I shined my flash light in the direction of where I herd the sound and low and behold there it was just sitting there watching me . Anyhow it's usually food related when or if you have a run in with any wild animal and I doubt their interested in eating pee pee and doo doo . Just remember to keep your camp site clean and tiddy and become one with nature .

HH
Mike

 

[homefires]

The Wizz fence does work.!

Only thing that ever Raided my camp is smart azz Raccoons. Them buggers are Smart.

Even had a dog with me and they still got in the cooler.

 

[TheNewCatfish]

Visited the BLM office in town and here's what they told me. Any wild animal may be attracted to the smell of excrement or urine. Afterall, that's partly how humans hunt animals. Looking for sign and spoor. Animals hunt the same way. Dusk and dawn are particularly active times for predators. An animal hunting a human as food isn't going to be discouraged by much. The best precaution, is to make your latrine at least 8 inches deep. Bury, cover and camoflage the latrine after it is used. Spray disinfectant on the buried latrine. Make sure any used toilet paper goes into the latrine.

 

[just us]

http://www.survivalcenter.com/Emergency Toilet Supplies.html

Has anyone ever used any of these? I seen a hunting show a while back and they were talking about using these.

Willie

 

[TheNewCatfish]

Another local warned me not to use "flowery" smelling deoderant while sleeping in a tent. He said bears are attracted to anything "sweet" smelling. So i guess i'll err on the side of caution, and use a non-scented deoderant.

 

[RGINN]

I use the 'whiz fence' too. Don't know if it actually does any good, but it was an old thing I was taught. I live and camp here in bear country in the middle of the Colorado Rockies. Last night we camped and slept on the ground about a mile north of where there was a bear attack, about a week ago. Most of the bear attacks up here are motivated by food. If the natural conditions are bad for bears to find food, they will check out camps, or if they learn camps are a food source, they'll show up. The latest attack happened because some campers left food out in the open. In all my camping up here, I've never had a bear come into camp. I know people that have. One guy activated the alarm system on his vehicle and scared the bear off. I sleep with a Ruger Vaquero .45, but I don't intend to try to kill the bear, just make noise and scare him. If bear danger is really bad, I would suggest do all your cookin at one spot, then move way farther along to sleep. There's really not that many bear attacks up here, but they do get your attention when they happen. I actually am more concerned that porcupines will come up and chew up my boots in the night, so I always roll them up in my jacket and use them for a pillow.

 

[gildeal]

All living mammals excrete! man has typically buried his feces, and urinated almost indiscriminately. bear's know full well what human excrement smells like, and know what it is. usually they are after food! and anything that may offer a meal will be investigated. some bears have had bad experience with man, and will wait til they have vacated the "campsite" before they move in to see what, if any offerings have been left behind.
if they are not able to forage successfully, they will be very hungry, and will take chances to obtain a meal!
when I camp Wyoming, or Colorado, or the Sierra Nevada's, I bury my excrement, urinate just outside my camp, and am very careful of my food storage, and my food waste!
while I have seen bears, never have had an encounter. however, while hiking and camping in the "wind river" mountain range, Wy. I re-camped in a previous spot from 2 days previous, and noticed bear tracks all around my camp! no doubt investigated while in my absence!