Sleeping in minivan, bear safety tips?

[GotSmart]

I hate to tell you TC.  

That is how we thin the heard.

 

[highdesertranger]

I just had to post this,



highdesertranger

 

[Gunny]

Thank you HDR, one of my favorites.

Rob

 

[akrvbob]

It is funny but it sends an extremely erroneous and dangerous message. Bear bells and bear spray are absolute essentials in bear country.

Nobody knows bears better than the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game and they agree:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/?adfg=livingwithbears.bearcountry

 

[Kathleen]

You can always go hiking with someone slower than you.   :-/ (Which would be me.)  

 

[DuneElliot]

It is funny but it sends an extremely erroneous and dangerous message. Bear bells and bear spray are absolute essentials in bear country.

Nobody knows bears better than the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game and they agree:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/?adfg=livingwithbears.bearcountry

I agree with the bear spray, not so much the bear bells as they are annoying for me and other hikers and aren't really loud enough. I do put some music on my phone if I am hiking through thicker brush to provide an audible warning for bears. I also whack my hiking poles together every few minutes. A dog helps alert to any potential wildlife...without one I would have gotten too close to a very large bull moose I didn't see hiding in an aspen grove.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

What one carries for peace of mind is a personal decision.  My one b!tch with the advocates of bear spray is that I have not found any that have done any serious practice with it, and that includes NP/NF rangers.  When one is confronted with a high stress situation fine motor skills abandon you.  You are going to repeat what has been practiced enough to train you muscles to accomplish the action without thinking and you will only have a couple of seconds while shaking in your boots.  I have well over 3000 hours of repetition with my protection of choice, some of it under as much stress as I could manage in practice.

Also bear spray looses its effectiveness over time and should be replaced every 5 years or less.  Practice with the old stuff; and don't forget to practice in the wind.

As for mechanical noise makers; I will not hike with someone who uses them.  I am out hiking to enjoy nature, not listen to someone's monotonous racket.  Be aware of your surroundings.  Besides, I hike with a noise maker called a beagle; excellent early warning system.

Bear encounters are so rare as to not be an issue.  The only bears I worry about are the ones that have been habituated to equate humans with food.  And those are found around high traffic areas that I tend to avoid.

 -- Spiff

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

It is funny but it sends an extremely erroneous and dangerous message. Bear bells and bear spray are absolute essentials in bear country.

Nobody knows bears better than the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game and they agree:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/?adfg=livingwithbears.bearcountry

I was suspicious of bear spray for a long time.  As a pro-2nd amendment activist, I thought that bear spray was something anti-gun tree huggers were pushing as a way of reinforcing their "Nobody needs a gun" agenda.  I was also suspicious of pronouncements by government agencies on the subject, as I always assume the bureaucrats will say whatever their political bosses tell them to say.

And lets note that Fish and Game people and Geological Survey people in Alaska are still authorized to carry guns for bear defense.

I've gradually come to accept that it has some value, and I would now carry it along with a gun.  The spray would ideally be Plan A, and the gun would be Plan B, and I would certainly hope that the spray would obviate the need to resort to the gun.

It does have it's weather related limitations - strong wind and heavy rains.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I grew up back country backpacking and I can attest that boot bells do not work. In fact my mom has admitted that the reason she made us where them was so she could keep track of us on long hikes and back packing treks.

That time you notice mama bear on your left and her babies on your right is am intimidating moment. Glad I was in a large group for that short moment in time, we were still pretty close to the trail head. Was close enough to smell mama but she stayed put until we were all out of the way and had moved on.

I spent some time with a bear attack survivor who had lost much of his hand and had some scary scares. He was still camping and hiking in bear country. Respect is not fear.

Respect bears. Give them space. Like anywhere, don't make yourself an easy target and maintain awareness of your surroundings.

I will be buying some bear spray as soon as I hit the road.

 

[TrainChaser]

GotSmart: "I hate to tell you TC... That is how we thin the heard."

It's usually the wrong people who get thinned out, like this stupid freak, Jack Dillon Young, 20, who was texting as he drove, crossed the center line and killed 13 people. There was no mention that he was even injured. But he was "sorry" -- like that's going to raise any dead:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ng-texas-church-bus-crash-20170331-story.html

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

What one carries for peace of mind is a personal decision.  My one b!tch with the advocates of bear spray is that I have not found any that have done any serious practice with it, and that includes NP/NF rangers. 
 -- Spiff

It's still not that "cheap" to practice with, but they do sell practice bear spray cans filled with water.  Just make sure you buy the same brand as the brand you carry so you'll know exactly how it works and make double sure you don't carry the practice one by mistake!  I think they are a different color

https://www.amazon.com/Frontiersman...493090537&sr=8-1&keywords=bear+spray+practice


3000 practice hours? How do you keep track? That's over a year straight at 8 hours a day. Or an hour a day of practice every day for 8 years straight. I wonder how many I have?, as a kid I would come home from school and shoot for a few hours until it got dark for a few years in a row. Plus all the other random days I'd shoot anywhere from 1 to 4 hours at a time. And competitively from 10 to 18 years old, but that was just once a week and probably only 20 min of actual range time during competitions. Plus all of that was never under stressful circumstances and with multiple guns

 

[highdesertranger]

what an agency's official position is and what the rank a file use is two different things. once I when I was hiking to a claim in the Kenai peninsula of Alaska I ran into a back county ranger, he complimented me on my excellent choices for bear defense, bear spray and a Mossberg model 500 with a slug barrel. he had the exact same weapons. we talked for awhile and went our separate ways. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I've gradually come to accept that it has some value, and I would now carry it along with a gun.  The spray would ideally be Plan A, and the gun would be Plan B, and I would certainly hope that the spray would obviate the need to resort to the gun . . .

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]My problem with that is you are not going to have time for Plan B.  Bear spray has a range of 30 ft.  A grizzly can travel that distance in less than a second.  I figure I will have one shot before the bear is on me.  If I still have my gun, my wits, and am physically capable the rest of the shots will be point blank.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I do carry bear spray, mostly as camouflage for hoplophobic hikers I run into (my gun is hidden in a cross draw pouch).  It would also work for a wild animal that is more curious than threatening, but a boat horn works better for that.[/font]

It's still not that "cheap" to practice with, but they do sell practice bear spray cans . . . 

3000 practice hours?  How do you keep track?  . . . 

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Being proficient in a lifesaving skill is not cheap (I don't even want to think about how much I've spent on ammo  [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] ).  Practice bear spray cans are valuable practice, but I would still advocate practicing a couple of times with the real stuff, especially in wind.  Your most likely encounter with a startled bear is with the wind in your face (bear can't smell or hear you).  Getting blowback is a painful, yet important lesson in how you will react in the field.  And it gives you experience in how the spray works in the wind.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]3000 hours is a lowball estimate:  30 years active shooting X range time once a week for 2+ hours + unknown hours of dry fire practice + ~ 6 competitions a year + goofing off (shooting is a my stress reliever).[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] -- Spiff[/font]

 

[DuneElliot]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Being proficient in a lifesaving skill is not cheap (I don't even want to think about how much I've spent on ammo  [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] ).  Practice bear spray cans are valuable practice, but I would still advocate practicing a couple of times with the real stuff, especially in wind.  Your most likely encounter with a startled bear is with the wind in your face (bear can't smell or hear you).  Getting blowback is a painful, yet important lesson in how you will react in the field.  And it gives you experience in how the spray works in the wind.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] -- Spiff[/font]

It sucks BIG TIME.

I haven't been on the receiving end of bear spray but I did go through OC training in the academy. I'd rather be shot than ever have to go through that again...it's miserable.

 

[RVTravel]

https://wms.org/magazine/1206/What-to-do-if-you-encounter-a-bear

 

[Kathleen]

Spent decades in Ystone, Mt, Northern WY. Met grizz and brown bears, bull moose and bison. Never had a problem. Human predators are what concern me.

Here's a dude with 80 years experience in Canadian bush bear country. Still alive. Presents options not included in this thread so far. His teacher before him survived too. Taught the Canadian Air Force how to survive their plane going down in bear country.

Before these guys First Nations people (Indians) were teaching the Air Force. Problem was, while the  natives were walking to work they might encounter a moose. They would take down the moose because it provided meat for a long time, while a day's wages would not do the same. 

Here is Mors Kochanski talking about a bear's most vulnerable point: the nose, and how they detest bright lights. Campers in Ystone have survived night time bear invasion by flashing their digcam lights. Best not to rely on that alone though.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mors+kochanski+bear+bat

 

[GotSmart]

I want to start out with an appology.  I have resisted temptation since this was first posted. ~~~

Any bear trying to get sleep in their minivan should always consiter location.  Avoid hiking locations.  There are stupid humans with pepper spray.  They do not even hve the brains to season themselves, but will try to spray you.  Avoid anywhere that you hear dogs.  During hunting season, go stealth.  Labeling the van as a tofu delivery vehicle is best.  Hunters will go the other way if they see it.   "Ask me about Amway"  bumper stickers are also good.  Always sh*t in the woods, and cover it carefully.  For some reason bear poo attracts hunters and philosophers. Cover the windows so you will not be spoted.  Always use your CPAP.  Nothing is louder than a snoring bear.  Bag your trash.  One gallon honey jars and pick~a~nick baskets around the camp is like a neon sign saying BEAR CAMP!  Also a clean campsite will lessin the chance that Ranger Smith will come exploring.  

Good luck.

Speaking about a Bear in a minivan ~~~ Welcome to Northern California. 

(PHOTOS/VIDEO/AUDIO) Bear Spends Night in Minivan in Bayside; RIP Minivan

https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/apr/25/photosvideo-bear-spends-night-minivan-bayside-rip/

 

[Kathleen]

Speaking about a Bear in a minivan ~~~ Welcome to Northern California. 

(PHOTOS/VIDEO/AUDIO) Bear Spends Night in Minivan in Bayside; RIP Minivan

https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/apr/25/photosvideo-bear-spends-night-minivan-bayside-rip/

Haha! I love bears but I do not want to see one staring back at me from the inside of my minivan!!

 

[packnrat]

put ALL food stuffs and most anything with a good sent. a good 20 feet away from your camp hung by a rope keeping it at least ten feet up.

NO food smells in camp dish towns up n another rope.

NO food smells on you or your camp.
got bear spray? got a larger cal pistol?

whistles are a fools ending. could try a co2 powered hand held boat air horn?

 

[breeze]

Growing up, I always heard DO NOT carry "pic-a-nic baskets", as they attract smarter than the average bears. Eh Boo Boo?