• Happy Winter Solstice! 🌇🌃

The Compleat Guide to Modern Bear Deterrence

I've put all the product pictures back into the OP in a quick way. Hope they bear some longevity.
 
We use the electric fence around our tents when on Kodiak hoping our gear will still be intact when we return at the end of the day.

We've had success with the Critter Gitter when camping along the Yukon River and camp was approached by black bears.
 
I wouldn't want to portage even just the Electra Bear Fence. At 40 Kg it would make for some tough portages.

Keep Your Tinder Dry
Chekmate
 
Just take a small square of carpet with you. Then, just before climbing in the tent for the night, rub your stocking feet back and forth over the carpet until you've built up a big static charge. Once the bear crashes through the tent and touches you, he'll get a heck of a zap! ;)
 
The Critter Gitter looks promising...I have seen similar setups with 12 ga bangers. Maybe LED lights and some bangers that are command detonated. A trail cam would be usefull in knowing the threat
If all else fails a suicide bomber vest. It wont protect you, but at least you get the last word.
 
Your best defense against bears is your brain. Learn their ways, and learn to live with them.
 
At ppine:
What is your advice for "Learn their ways, and learn to live with them"? I used to live in the Sierra Foothills, and we had the occasional black bear that was pretty much after our trash can. We kept a lock-ring on our can, so the bear would usually lumber off and raid other neighbor's cans. That is, perhaps luckily so, the only experience I have with any bears but hardly situational to wilderness scenarios. Collecting actual experience with bears is typically not desired, so one is left with reading material which may or may not be adequate, appropriate or even correct. I still see information on the great WWW that suggests that one should run downhill when encountering a bear, supposedly because bears aren't able to run downhill! I have never seen a bear run downhill (or uphill for that mater), but I believe they are faster than me at either.

P.S. I just finished reading "The Twenty-Ninth Day" by Alex Messenger. I don't want to spoil it, but it seems theoretical knowledge on how to behave during a bear encounter is just that. Theory. Anyway, good read of an actual epic canoe trip.
 
I worked in Alaska. We saw bears every day. Look at their body language. Avoid eye contact. Slink away slowly. Leave them an exit. Be on the look out for clacking teeth, growling, huffing and worst of all the bluff charge. Make noise when you travel. Bring a dog as a first line of defense. Carry bear spray. Don't sleep anywhere near food.

Avoid tall grass and areas with limited visibility. Make plenty of noise. Understand when bears are most active, low light conditions and at night. Be careful not to stumble on one sleeping during the day. Make noise and let him know you are coming. Don't sneak around in the woods. When you go ashore get in the habit of looking around for tracks. If you see tracks don't camp there.

Some black bears are predatory, mostly young males. Notice their behavior. Some are hard to get rid of. They leave and come back always on your 6, behind you. Loud noise helps, boat horn, firecrackers or warning shots.

The coastal brownies are huge and territorial, but usual not that aggressive when they are fed on salmon. Watch your step in dense vegetation near streams, like alders.

At first I carried a .44 mag in Alaska. This was before bear spray. After a couple of close encounters I always carried a big bore rifle. I had the safety off a couple of times, but never fired a warning shot. Try to understand how they think.
 
ppine said:
I worked in Alaska. We saw bears every day. Look at their body language. Avoid eye contact. Slink away slowly. Leave them an exit. Be on the look out for clacking teeth, growling, huffing and worst of all the bluff charge. Make noise when you travel. Bring a dog as a first line of defense. Carry bear spray. Don't sleep anywhere near food.

Avoid tall grass and areas with limited visibility. Make plenty of noise. Understand when bears are most active, low light conditions and at night. Be careful not to stumble on one sleeping during the day. Make noise and let him know you are coming. Don't sneak around in the woods. When you go ashore get in the habit of looking around for tracks. If you see tracks don't camp there.

Some black bears are predatory, mostly young males. Notice their behavior. Some are hard to get rid of. They leave and come back always on your 6, behind you. Loud noise helps, boat horn, firecrackers or warning shots.

The coastal brownies are huge and territorial, but usual not that aggressive when they are fed on salmon. Watch your step in dense vegetation near streams, like alders.

At first I carried a .44 mag in Alaska. This was before bear spray. After a couple of close encounters I always carried a big bore rifle. I had the safety off a couple of times, but never fired a warning shot. Try to understand how they think.
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences. I always associated the sneaky from behind move from a cat but less so from a bear.
 
Ppine is short for ponderosa pine, my specialty.
Bears are smart and plenty sneaky. They are formidable critters and have equipment. It is a mistake not to respect them. Most are not that dangerous. But some of them are. YOu do not know what order they come in.
There are more incidents of people/bear problems in Alaska with black bears than any other kind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top