Sleeping in minivan, bear safety tips?

[gargoyle]

Never had a problem with bears in MI. Over 40 years in the woods, since I was a youngin'.

Now raccoons and chipmunks, they are a different story!
Those guys get brave as heck.
  I was sitting at the picnic table, 10 feet from the van..with the side door open. A chipmunk ran under me, to the van and hopped right into the van. Chased him out, but he returned time and time again. Hanging your food in some parks/sites is advised. People can also steal your food, if its strung up.


Raccoons will stand their ground and sometimes fight back. Especially in the parks, where they have learned where a free meal is. As soon as its dark, raccoons will pop out and cruise for food. Guaranteed.
A friend of mine woke one night with a raccoon in his tent. The raccoon had opened the zipper and wandered  in.    He screamed, the raccoon hissed, and a after few seconds of adrenaline, the raccoon scurried off into the night. A restless night for my friend though..

I use a hard sided cooler, with a stout bungie or two around the lid. Keeps the food safe from the little thieves.
I'll place the cooler away from where I'm sleeping, if possible. But some folks will steal those too.

A can of bear spray, when deployed inside a vehicle will burn/choke you too. And ruin the interior for a looong time.

 

[DuneElliot]

One of the reasons I like having a dog or two...keeps the critters away from the food if I don't hang it.

 

[Kathleen]

gargoyle, good stories. I've had many experiences with raccoons. They can sink their teeth through the palm of a hand and they are crazy smart. Used to live in my bosses foothills mansion with a big cat door and 10 cats. Coons came in every night and turned the kitchen upside down. They knew how to open every cupboard and drawer, and the giant tub with metal lid where the dry cat food was stored.

The worst night was Christmas Eve when I awoke to a great commotion. My boss and teenage son were in the greenhouse room with a broomstick trying to clobber a coon that climbed a tree, after it ate their beloved African Gray Parrot. They were going nuts. I told them to calm down and go to bed, I'd take care of it. A scared raccoon is not going to come down out of a tree just because you want it to.

I had no choice but to return to bed. Was really glad it was gone when I got up in the AM.

Will keep an eye out for the chipmunks, the little invaders. It's too bad you can't keep a cooler outside without wondering if someone's going to steal it.

 

[Beachcamper]

Too funny about racoons. One trip out to the Gulf Islands on my canoe, a racoon opened the zippered back pocket of my seat and stole my 12 guage flare gun. Was funny watching him going down the beach with it. Eventually I got it back but I think they are trying to collect weapons for an assault on us humans.

Always bungie my cooler when I bring one. Really can't believe people would steal your food? Where does this happen?

 

[DannyB1954]

If your cooler can slide under the vehicle, you can tie it in place so that the bear can't pull it out easy.
If your vehicle bounces up and down in the middle of the night, you are either having a bit of fun, or there is a bear under you.
After a short while either way it will stop.

 

[Cammalu]

Funny story gsfish. Would have made a great video [emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DannyB1954]

I was car camping in Sequoia National park. In the morning a bear came into camp. It had ear tags and a radio collar on it, so it probably wasn't it's first time in camp. One of the campers started banging pots and pans together. The bear thought it was the dinner bell and made a bee line to them.
The pots and pans went flying into the air. Before they hit the ground, the guy was in his car.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Ha raccoons are the worst! Me and my brother were camping one time and one kept pestering the crap outta us for food. We were on a motorcycle trip so only had a limited supply anyways. I kept chasing it off. He kept coming back. Long story short, he was the one distracting us while his friends were stealing the food! Yeap totally outsmarted us, I had to laugh after it was all said and done.

I hate telling people their fears are irrational, because everyone has something they are scared of and lecturing them on it does no one any good. But of all the things that could cause you harm on your trip, bears are about as far down on the list as you can get. Moose and Deer hurt and kill far more people per year than Bears do. Just the drive from Florida to Michigan would be more statistically dangerous. However, you gotta do what you gotta do to make yourself comfortable and feel safe, otherwise you probably won't enjoy the trip much. I think you'll be more at ease once you're on the road and have a few nights under your belt. I'd be more scared of ticks and Lyme disease.

 

[Kathleen]

I was staying in Cades Cove Campground in the Smoky Park prior to a hike and cooking in a fire pit many years ago. There were steaks on the grate and corn in foil roasting in the coals. We heard some rustling in the bushes and out come two SKUNKS!! By shuffling my feet I was able to scare them back into the bushes but in a few minutes they were back, this time I had to shuffle more vigorously to turn them around. Third try was the charm and they went around me on both sides and headed for the steaks. I rescued the main course by a hair and was amazed to see the little buggers pull the corn from the fire and start peeling the foil and start chowing down. The steaks ended up being cooked in a pan in the back of the Travelall. What more could I do? It's not like you can kick a skunk or poke it with a stick without paying a price. There is the added danger of rabies when dealing with skunks and raccoons.

Haha, gsfish. Have to tread lightly where skunks are involved. I live in an enclosed yard with koi pond and waterfall. Veggie garden, fruit trees, grapes, racoon and skunk paradise. Early one morning a bear dashed through the fence and plunged into the koi pond. I thought it wanted a fish breakfast but it scrambled up the stone wall and jumped down the other side. Turns out fish and game were chasing it.

I sweet talked a skunk with raised tail when I spotted it at dusk in the the yard. Didn't want it to get riled up and spray. Sweet talk worked; it lowered it's tail and waddled off into the shrubs. Don't know what Id do if they tried to nab my steaks. Had no idea they were carnivores!

 

[GotSmart]

Years ago I talked with a ranger at a park in KC.  He told me about some dumb yuppie "his words" that hit a Bobcat with his BMW.  He put it in his trunk, and before he got to wherever he was going, it had ripped its way into the back seat.  The idiot closed the door when he escaped, leaving the extremely angry animal inside.  

First responders all refused to open the door and let it out.  The ranger had one guy get its attention and he opened the door on the other side.  The car had to be trucked away, as it was completely shreaded inside. 

Its not nice to fool with Mother Nature! 

 

[Beachcamper]

I hate telling people their fears are irrational, because everyone has something they are scared of and lecturing them on it does no one any good.  But of all the things that could cause you harm on your trip, bears are about as far down on the list as you can get.  Moose and Deer hurt and kill far more people per year than Bears do.  Just the drive from Florida to Michigan would be more statistically dangerous.  However, you gotta do what you gotta do to make yourself comfortable and feel safe, otherwise you probably won't enjoy the trip much.  I think you'll be more at ease once you're on the road and have a few nights under your belt.  I'd be more scared of ticks and Lyme disease.

You are absolutely correct. I know that driving to and from, is more dangerous than any wildlife encounter. Original question was simply if it would be a good idea or not to bring my DAC explorer tent with food stored in van.  Here in Florida all food is left outside in raccoon proof bucket with spin lid. Cooler has a bungie and if I have a picnic table around, will slide cooler under bench. Would not leave anything outside in northern states like I do here in Florida.


What is funny is that raccoons in our wilderness beaches (yes we have many) is they are not interested in your food. They want your freshwater and will go to great lengths to get it. They destroyed many a tent and even rubber kayak hatches to get water. Water has to be stored in hard sided containers.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

This probably won't make you feel better, but it was just on my facebook feed, so the timing was perfect!

 

[Queen]

We were tent camping in a nearby state park one Spring, kept hearing the usual suspects, raccoons, bunnys, squirrels, trying to get into our garbage. Late at night something BIG was making noise outside the tent, it walked behind the tent (did I mention we were camping on a bluff above the river), heard it slip and scramble and bounce bounce bounce down to the river and splash in. We laughed our butts off, you always think of animals as sure footed.

 

[DannyB1954]

I wouldn't keep food in a car. Bears have been known to peel the top of a car door down to get inside.

I was in Kings Canyon national park at a viewpoint. looking down I seen a storm drain grate that had been patched and reinforced. The grate was originally made heavy enough for a car to drive over it, but apparently someone dropped some food down it and a bear was determined to have it. Bears not being the smartest animal didn't lift the grate out of the holder but instead pried all the metal bars aside. Unbelievable power.
This area only has Black Bears and not the much stronger Brown Bears.

 

[gargoyle]

I wouldn't keep food in a car

There is always food in the car. One leftover French fry or a piece of gum is enough to bait them in.

Kathleen, Kids mostly.

 

[akrvbob]

This probably won't make you feel better, but it was just on my facebook feed, so the timing was perfect!

I know that was meant as a joke (and it is pretty funny) but actually a knife could be a valid tool against bears or mountain lions if you have it in your hand and up when the animal strikes. 

Two options:

1) slash at its eyes till it's blinded or tries to escape
2) holding the knife firmly in your fist, get it in it's mouth so when it bites down the blade is driven up into it's brain through the softest part of it's body

One more good use of a knife. I have a Cold Steel Bushman which is intended to be made into a spear. I turn it into a spear and carry it in mountain lion country. It's easy to carry up across your chest. The idea is all you have to do is bring it up and point the knife at the mountain lion as it is flying down on top of you. It's weight will force you to fall backwards and it will impale itself on the spear when you hit the ground.

It's most likely to come from behind but with some luck you can spin around and raise it in time. 

If not, well, then you just die and get eaten.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I know that was meant as a joke (and it is pretty funny) but actually a knife could be a valid tool against bears or mountain lions if you have it in your hand and up when the animal strikes. 

I probably should have added,  people have actually defended themselves and killed bears with a knife.  Including Grizzlies!


http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/01/fraser-graham-kills-grizzly-bear-knife_n_4194910.html

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2015/07/mauled-a-fight-to-the-death-with-a-black-bear

 

[GotSmart]

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

 

[jonsun]

damn nature you scarry

 

[TrainChaser]

Cammalu: "Let's all stand real close to the bear to take photos....."

That DID show a complete lack of common sense, didn't it? Many young people today can't seem to recognize danger when it's right in front of them. One of my neighbors decided to do one of those gun-the-engine-and-make losts-of-noise deals.... in reverse, no foot on brake, no hands on steering wheel. Fortunately, he missed the house and rammed the back of his car into a rather large and solid concrete/rock planter.

And when I have nothing better to do, I watch YouTube Darwin Awards: driving like idiots, setting off firecrackers clenched in teeth, car hood surfing, skateboarding down metal railings, driving ATVs into ponds and rivers, etc. They are completely incapable of figuring out that doing something might have bad consequences. And they will be running this country in 20 years.