Do bears really break into vans?

[66788]

If I am boondocking in bear country, do they really smell food and break into vans? A friend of mine said my Dodge van would be like an aluminum can to a bear.

Anyone have any first hand experiences along this line?

 

[GotSmart]

Do bears have bathrooms?

http://billingsgazette.com/news/sta...cle_5d4146ee-bb94-11df-9c61-001cc4c002e0.html

 

[Belinda2]

The answer is:
yes.
Bears will go for any thing that is a food source. This also includes your dog's pet food on the floor, and your dog if they are hungry enough.
What I do:
Keep all food and dog food in bear proof containers.
When you feed the dog, give them a time limit when there food lid is open.
Make noise while eating or feeding your pet so the bears stay at bay.
Do not let your pet alone ever in your vehicle.
Do not "chain" your pet, so they can get away if a break in happens.
What I have had to do twice that works well:
Keep a "stinky" new can of tuna fish right on hand and a can opener right next to your keys and bear mace. If they are around, bait them to another spot so you can get away.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If I am boondocking in bear country, do they really smell food and break into vans? A friend of mine said my Dodge van would be like an aluminum can to a bear.

Anyone have any first hand experiences along this line?

If you go to youtube and search on "bear breaks into car", you'll see videos of it actually happening.

Regards
John

 

[Willy]

When I was up gold mining in the Alaska arctic, there was an Airstream trailer on the claim below us. Grizzly bear peeled a hole in one wall to get in, and peeled another one to get out. Them Airsteams are built pretty tough, with rather thick riveted aluminum, but that bear was even tougher. ..Willy.

 

[Patrick46]

Like they said...YES it does happen.




however, I'd think that as long as you contained your food properly, then you'd stand a better chance of winning the lottery or being hit by lightning.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Patrick is right over the last 20 years there have been over 1000 fatalities from lightning strikes, in the US, while bear attacks have only claimed around 20 people between 1990 and 2010, I think your chances are a little better of being killed by a bear in Canada, I think the interesting thing is that bear attack fatalities have been dramatically on the increase., over the last 50 years. 8 deaths in the 50's to 27 in the 00's.

 

[66788]

Patrick is right over the last 20 years there have been over 1000 fatalities from lightning strikes, in the US, while bear attacks have only claimed around 20 people between 1990 and 2010, I think your chances are a little better of being killed by a bear in Canada, I think the interesting thing is that bear attack fatalities have been dramatically on the increase., over the last 50 years. 8 deaths in the 50's to 27 in the 00's.

Of course the general population has increased considerably since the 1950's as well, and man has encroached on wild habitat considerably since that time too. Would be interesting to see the number of attacks adjusted for those variables.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

yes it would be, the other thing and I didn't read them all but very few enter premises to get their victims, and none that I read where in a vehicles, one was in a trailer, a couple in a house. I didn't look for attacks with injuries just fatalities, those numbers were in North America and if I recall correctly of the 27, 16 were in Canada.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Of course, there are two separate issues here.

One is injury or death caused by bears.

The other is property damage.

You've posted the figures on fatalities. What are the figures on bears breaking in to vehicles?

How many people here can afford to have their home on wheels destroyed?

Regards
John

 

[Reducto]

There is another issue that may or may not be important to you - once a bear figures out vehicles are an easy source of food they continue going after them and eventually have to be put down. I don't want to be responsible for disrupting and ending a bear's life.

 

[Patrick46]

Gawd....I can't stand paranioa.

Paraniod of cops, bears, motorcycles, being out on the ocean.....SKREW IT!!
either you're gonna live, or you're not.


and hiding under a rock is not living.

I choose to live life while I'm alive.

 

[LeeRevell]

A big part of the problem of bears breaking into cars is the stupid eco-geek laws protecting bears at the expense of humans. While I do agree that many people don't seem to understand the 'wild' part of wilderness and don't take care with food storage, the fact is the bears have lost their fear of Man. If they were still hunted, they would keep their healthy fear of us and would avoid us.
I certainly do not advocate the killing of any bear one sees, but they do need to be controlled better.

 

[SoulRaven]

Living with Pennsylvania Black Bears


http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/black_bear/14343

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I once saw a truckcamper with the passenger door literally hanging from one hinge when a bear ripped it loose. The window was down just enough for the big guy to get a grip when he was going after the cooler in the front seat.

In bear country its a good idea to hoist food boxes up using a tree limb, suspended away from the trunk. A grown bear doesn't climb, but cubs and cats do.

I like the tuna can idea.

 

[GotSmart]

Gawd....I can't stand paranioa.

Paraniod of cops, bears, motorcycles, being out on the ocean....

I just had a visual of a cop and a bear on a jet ski. Quite amusing and not scary at all!

 

[LeeRevell]

There's a funny bear video on Youtube showing the blackie climbing the ladder of a tree stand. The bow hunter in the stand is videoing the bruin. Once the bear is well up the ladder the guy yells at the bear. Hilarious! the bear hotfoots it back DOWN the ladder and takes off! I think the bear was more scared than the guy. ;-)

 

[SoulRaven]

Get a vehicle alarm with a vibration sensor and a remote panic button. They exit in a hurry.

 

[Patrick46]

there ya go....and this'll work for more then just bears too!! ^^^


Great idea!