camping in bear country

[momz]

We are going camping in Rocky Mountain National Park this July. Staying at Moraine Campground. There are flush toilets, and water available to carry to your site, but not showers and no hookups. We will be tent camping.
We have camped a number of times where there are critters like raccoons, squirrels, possums and what not. But we have never camped where there are bears. Also from what I understand, deer and elk commonly wander around in the campground as well.
So, we will need to secure our food, but do we need to secure our cooking items as well? Do we need to pack up the chuck box after every meal, or can it be left out? Can we set up our camping kitchen and leave it unattended like we usually do, or does everything need to be put away? Of course we will put the food items away, but I'm wondering about the table cloth, the camp stove, the box of plates/utensils, basically the things we usually leave out anyway.

 

[bama_ed]

momz,

I have some experience camping in bear country in the Rocky Mountains. I've taken Boy Scouts to Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico and bear policy is ingrained before we arrive, once we arrive, and while we are there. There it is the Brown/Black Bear (don't know what type you have at RMNP). The species is the Black Bear but his fur color is brown for the most part (the two are not to be confused).

The thing about the bear is his nose. Yes, his nose. His sniffer is VERY sensitive and it is directly connected to his stomach. So I would say this:

1. As far as your tent, no food, snacks, or delicious odors AT ALL inside the tent. No granola bar before lights out, no Gatorade spilled on the tent floor, etc. Take your toothpaste out at night and lock it in the car. Same for bar soap - shower/bath in the mornings not the evenings ("let's wipe a DIAL gold bar on my body which smells great and lie down in my sleeping bag"). Or at least not right before bedtime - leave a few hours between shower and lights out.

2. Pots, pans, silverware etc. that have been cleaned can be left outside overnight assuming they have been cleaned/sterilized. But put them "way out there" somewhere. Not near the tent. Over on the picnic table or further away.

3. Your phrase "chuck box" is, I assume, your stored food or other pots and pans with accessories. Any FOOD even if bagged/sealed/boxed, crated is still fair game and should go in the car every night or in a locked National-Park-approved bear box. Other pots, pans, spatulas, bowls, plates, etc I would leave in the car if there is space or outside and unlocked. The worst that can happen is bear slobber on them. A lock on it will mean the bear will keep after it until he peels it open and wrecks things. They are stubborn and persistent that way.

4. Stoves and things you might leave out is up to you. My Coleman 2-burner stove has slight spills and stains on the silver cook surface under the burners. That could produce an odor. I would ALWAYS err on the side of safety/caution and when in doubt, lock it up.

When we camped at Philmont, we hung a bear bag in the trees WAY up high about 200 yards from our tents with all our dehydrated food items, toothpaste/deodorant (odorless of course), and plates/sporks. I have had bear encounters that still curl my toenails to recall them.

The sad thing is if a bear gets into your food or items, he's learned to associate people with food. So when he sees people he will come whether he smells food or not. He might at best get trapped and relocated one time but if he becomes a repeat offender, he's as good as dead. It will come to that. If it's YOUR food/smells he found, CONGRATS! You've signed a bear's death warrant. Not kidding.

So as I said, err on the side of caution. Use common sense. If stuff is sterilized, clean, or unused, leave it out but far away. If there are odors or real food, lock it up.

Save a bear's life. No joke.

Bama Ed

PS - I've had two significant bear encounters. The first, 36 years ago, the bear got our bear bag (smells) and punctured every bag and sampled/licked/ate every item in it. The second time 9 years ago was when during a lights out check, we discovered a boy with an open granola bar half eaten in his tent. He went up the hill to the latrine to throw it in (thinking the latrine smells would overpower the granola bar smells since the bear bag was already up in the air) and saw two red eyes motionless watching him in the dark as he did so. Our boy turned his back and walked down and the bear followed him down the hill into our campsite/fire area. It was scary as hell. We drove him off with rocks, whistles, thrown sticks, and luck. But then the paperwork was like,

"Oh snap, how many times to I have to tell this story?"

 

[PaHunter]

Ed has hit it square on the head. Here in bear country in PA we have black bear but all of it applies. Yes they will tear in to a tent for toothpaste. Food, from miles away they can smell it.
And if they associate food with humans, the only thing to do is destroy the bear.

 

[FtW Mike]

I am with Bama Ed and Pa Hunter on all points but will add same thing goes for your trash. Anything that can't be incinerated in your campfire needs to either get hung in a bear bag or locked in the vehicle.

Bama how times did you end up with The Tetrox Trots was out to Philmont in 1971 as graduation present from grammer school experience helped me later in life in so many ways but big time 4 years later in the service

 

[bama_ed]

Never on the TT.

Although on the last two trip, some boys got food out of the Swap Box (where extra leftovers are put by crews in the staffed camps). They got sick due to what i think was weeks of dirty hands passing germs in the box (my private theory).

If you went in the 70s and me twice in the early 80s, we both went before the strict bear policy. In the mid 80s there were a few bear-human encounters that forced Philmont to get serious about their bear policy. And it has helped immensely in the recent decades. I took 3 trips there in the last decade taking 5 crews total. Each trip was memorable.

Cool, Mike. We have other Philmonteers here on the board.

Bama Ed

Ps - Tetrox was the tablet dropped in hot water to sanitize dishes. First was the soap suds for dirty dishes, next a dip in the Tetrox water, then a dip in the hot sterilizing water. If the last dip didnt get all the Tetrox off the clean plate, the user got the "trots" next time he used the plate.

Oh the memories.

Of course, with the dehydrated/freeze dried food on the trail, it was not easy to tell if you even had the aforementioned condition.

 

[FtW Mike]

Never on the TT.

Although on the last two trip, some boys got food out of the Swap Box (where extra leftovers are put by crews in the staffed camps). They got sick due to what i think was weeks of dirty hands passing germs in the box (my private theory).

If you went in the 70s and me twice in the early 80s, we both went before the strict bear policy. In the mid 80s there were a few bear-human encounters that forced Philmont to get serious about their bear policy. And it has helped immensely in the recent decades. I took 3 trips there in the last decade taking 5 crews total. Each trip was memorable.

Cool, Mike. We have other Philmonteers here on the board.

Bama Ed

Ps - Tetrox was the tablet dropped in hot water to sanitize dishes. First was the soap suds for dirty dishes, next a dip in the Tetrox water, then a dip in the hot sterilizing water. If the last dip didnt get all the Tetrox off the clean plate, the user got the "trots" next time he used the plate.

Oh the memories.

Of course, with the dehydrated/freeze dried food on the trail, it was not easy to tell if you even had the aforementioned condition.

In our day final rinse was done with water that had a small chlorine tablet tablet added same ae we used to ensure water was safe to drink. Story about the kid with Granola bar reminds me of our crew walking back tou our site one night Singing " Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My' and on the trail in front of us there was a bear

 

[bama_ed]

Maybe it was that the Tetrox was the soap. Dunno.

I got bit by a copperhead snake in Texas on the ride out to Philmont and missed the first few days of Ranger Training on the trail and Base Camp due to my swollen leg.

I caught up to my crew after riding out to Cyphers Mine with a ranger on a commissary truck one night then getting up early with him and heading up Mt Phillips in the morning darkness to overtake my crew. So i missed some of the lessons.

Also we were a co-ed crew.

Bama Ed

Ps - that was the trip the bear got into our bear bag in the trees at Fish Camp.

 

[FtW Mike]

Sounds like Momma sent one of the kids up the tree so she could go shopping. Our encounter was night before we went to Tooth of Time

 

[momz]

Thank you! It looks like we need to dramatically alter our usual manner of camping. Each and every meal or snack requires immediate clean up. Coolers, plates, utensils, food, spices, roasting sticks, pots, stove, etc will need to be stored inside the vehicle when not being used.

I had no idea that soap, toothpaste and deodorant smells are interpreted as food sources by animals. We always shower in the evenings when we camp to avoid putting our smelly bodies inside our sleeping area. But from what you are saying, it's better to go to bed and stew in our own body stench. We won't have shower facilities anyway, but we are planning to wash up at the lavatory as best we can and use wet wipes and hand sanitizer at our camp site. But...do the wet wipes and hand sanitizer have the same lure as soap? I would think so.

Are there any foods we should avoid? Anything that would be irresistible to Bears? I don't know, maybe highly aromatic things like bacon and peanut butter? I guess though, from what you are telling me, all foods or items that have an odor can entice bears.

See, I need to seriously think this through.

 

[2goofycampers]

Also, fishing bait especially catfish bait needs to be well enclosed and put away. We never camped in bear country, but, the raccoons like it. I imagine bears would also.

 

[UncleMike101]

Grizzly Bear Warning Sign.
Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the Fish and Wildlife Branch is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen and any persons that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related function to take extra precautions while in the field.

We advise the outdoorsman to wear little noisy bells on clothing so as to give advanced warning to any bears that might be close by so you don’t take them by surprise.

We also advise anyone using the out-f-doors to carry “Pepper Spray” with him is case of an encounter with a bear.

Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear feces has bells in it and smells like pepper.

 

[bama_ed]

Thank you! It looks like we need to dramatically alter our usual manner of camping. Each and every meal or snack requires immediate clean up. Coolers, plates, utensils, food, spices, roasting sticks, pots, stove, etc will need to be stored inside the vehicle when not being used.

I had no idea that soap, toothpaste and deodorant smells are interpreted as food sources by animals. We always shower in the evenings when we camp to avoid putting our smelly bodies inside our sleeping area. But from what you are saying, it's better to go to bed and stew in our own body stench. We won't have shower facilities anyway, but we are planning to wash up at the lavatory as best we can and use wet wipes and hand sanitizer at our camp site. But...do the wet wipes and hand sanitizer have the same lure as soap? I would think so.

Are there any foods we should avoid? Anything that would be irresistible to Bears? I don't know, maybe highly aromatic things like bacon and peanut butter? I guess though, from what you are telling me, all foods or items that have an odor can entice bears.

See, I need to seriously think this through.

momz,

It is true that you will need to alter your style of camping in bear country. It's different than camping at the Fort or most local state parks. The remark about bathing is too far one way though. As I said in my remarks, you can clean up a few hours before bed but don't go to sleep with all kinds of fresh smells all over your body (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deod). Waiting a few hours allows those smells to dissipate.

Bears are equal opportunity scavengers. Smells draw them in but even in sealed boxed non-scented items, while they're there they will puncture, probe, and check out anything within reach until they get tired of food failure.

I wouldn't pass up a chance to camp at RMNP but you are smart to consider this question before you go. Guarantee you some of your camping neighbors won't have thought about this. When in doubt err on the side of caution and you'll do fine.

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

I had no idea that soap, toothpaste and deodorant smells are interpreted as food sources by animals. We always shower in the evenings when we camp to avoid putting our smelly bodies inside our sleeping area. But from what you are saying, it's better to go to bed and stew in our own body stench. We won't have shower facilities anyway, but we are planning to wash up at the lavatory as best we can and use wet wipes and hand sanitizer at our camp site. But...do the wet wipes and hand sanitizer have the same lure as soap? I would think so.

As Ed has said, you don't have to "Stew in your Stench". You can help by using "Unscented" products for your hygiene. Kind of along the same lines, many hunting places (Cabelas, Dicks Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shop, etc...) will sell these items intended for hunters to keep their own body scent down. They can also be used in place of the fresh smelling "Irish Spring" (or similar).

Just do a google search for "No Scent" and what ever product you want (Soap, shampoo, even toothpaste.)