Bear safety in RTT's and soft sided campers/tents

[Honu]

I am a huge gun guy but at the same time I hope if I go camping with a group or other people they dont get the wild idea to start shooting at a bear from their tent with me near buy
I might fear someone who has a gun and is not a good gun person more than I would a bear getting me !!!

my buddy who was a guide in Alaska carried a shotgun in the drift boat and spray on his person

for me I like the idea of spray and a gun but would use the spray first for sure also a air horn
if I think I hear things in the woods I am usually more paranoid as to who it might be as in two legged or maybe some animal but most are so quiet you can not hear them and most bears I have seen in my past I never heard !!!
when running away they have made noise but only heard that a couple times it is fun to watch animals and realize how quiet they are and over camp noise with two kids I would ever hear a animal

it does make me nervous with kids now more than when I was single purely cause I can tell my 3 year old not to run ? but no idea really what he will do but like others take precautions and use common sense

I think here in AZ I would worry more about big cats ? but again wont let it stop me and thats another thread

 

[mvbeggs]

Guns for Bear Protection?

To me, this is the most reasonable approach, and the one I also use. The one addition that I make, however, is that I typically camp with my dog. His advanced senses give me a little pre-warning which can buy precious time. Also, I can tell you from hunting in both Oregon and Colorado, bears don't like barking dogs very much (they're too much work for them I think).

I like this approach

This reliable Beretta Jetfire .22 Short pistol is a personal favorite of mine and I am never without it. It saved my life a few years ago when attacked by a Grizzly while hiking in the mountains with a family member. I was able to escape, walking at a brisk pace, after I shot my brother-in-law in the knee. (insert snare drum rimshot) :hehe:

 

[offthebeatenpath]

Here's a bit of research for ya'll to read up on. I know it's not conclusive, just because of the lack of evidence/circumstances to evaluate-

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=19497732&ni...wont-make-you-safer-study-shows&s_cid=queue-3

 

[pyrate]

30 years ago my great uncle was in AK for 3 months hunting on and off with friends. One in the group had an Airstream trailer and after coming back from a 10 day hunt the door was torn completely off and trailer was pretty much trashed. The food inside was mostly dry goods.

Airstream trailers are pretty tough overall but shows bears can do substantial damage to anything. Being vigilant with keeping your camp clean is probably more important than anything.

 

[BobA]

http://www.amazon.com/Frontiersman-...VAHK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330276113&sr=8-1

Going to order this today.
Only black bears where I go.
The spray and my Glock 21sf will give me some piece of mind.

I just ordered 2 of these,My daughter has been freaked out since hearing about bears in the UP so it's either she has bear spray or she doesnt go. Thanks for the link.

 

[Corey]

You are welcome.
I also carry it in my rig in a cup holder in case of a car jacking

 

[Colin Hughes]

The biggest thing as mentioned is a clean campsite. We've camped in back country and never seen a bear. We have had the opportunity to have wolves accompany us on hikes, they seemed keenly interested in our huskies at the time. They weren't being predators, just curious. The only time I've seen bears, they've hightailed it in the other direction as soon as they spotted us. That said, this tread has me thinking I'll carry bear spray going forward. Having never shot a gun. I wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn door
My wife and I sleep up top in the RTT, the dog sleeps below in the rear of the Land Rover and her barking if something approached would be a good deterrent. Our food is in a camping box and well sealed. My friend used to leave his dog loose at night when we camped in ground tents in the back country. Never had any problems then either.

 

[kingg5]

Unfortunately those with off road tear drops, AT, and Sierra type trailers have built in kitchens where you cook, store your food, and your fridge, so what do you do?
My ARB fridge is inside of my rig just a few feet below me when I am sleeping in my tent.

I have seen shotguns listed here as well, I think the Kel-Tek KSG would be a wise choice since it has two tube magazines capable of having buckshot in one tube, and slugs in the other tube, all available with the flip of a lever to select which tube you want.

This gun is on my shopping list.

That would be a great weapon if it wasnt such a piece of crap....check out FPS russia's video on it...he broke two of them within 4 min of the start of hte video...highly un reliable.

 

[Lenny]

This is an old thread I came across and it reminded me of a funny story. Several years ago I was on my first real backpacking trip in colorado. The first night I woke up hearing some very loud sniffing right outside my tent. Had to be a bear, right? I was freaking out! I hugged my knife, like that would help, all night. Didn't sleep a wink after that and didn't sleep very well the next few nights. On the last day, the guy my tent had been next to that night took a nap during the day in his tent. I was just hanging around the camp. Then I hear that same "sniffing" noise. I realized it was the sound his sleeping bag made rubbing up against his tent.

 

[Corey]

Then I hear that same "sniffing" noise. I realized it was the sound his sleeping bag made rubbing up against his tent.

I would have freaked out too, but funny now that you know where the sound was coming from.

 

[Bbasso]

How about soaking a rag in Bear Spray and hanging it upwind of the sleeping area just before turning in?

 

[Utah KJ]

How about soaking a rag in Bear Spray and hanging it upwind of the sleeping area just before turning in?

Bruh... that's so FL.

 

[TwinStick]

We camp in black bear country all the time...on teh ground in a tent. moving to a RTT this year though. In the last 8 years, I have only had one bear encounter. people we were camping with did NOT follow my rules. middle of the night it sounded like a train wreck. they left their portable grille on a folding table out and through sweet potatoes in the firepit. i did not check the campsite as i went to be early. both of my 80lb labs had that low growl and I gave them teh "signal" and than were trying to figure out why Dad hit the truck's alarm, premiter lighting on my roofrack and went out WITHOUT them to investigate. Dogs can get harmed as easily as we can!
I honestly see no difference in being in a soft sided tent or rtt. only difference is a little height. bears can get up on trucks easily enough.

Rules I follow:
* I keep a clean site!
* I Check for tracks, $hit, signs of bear, cats, gametrails, 500 yards around the camp before we set up....if we can range out that far.
* food stays in sealed air tight bins (like the dogfood containers you get at petco. they work great.
* coolers stay in the truck AND are covered with blankets/ clothes, etc. bears know what they look like and if they see them, your truck, gear is done!
* We never sleep in the clothes we cooked in and those too go into a container. that smell of campfire, food stays on your clothes.

I also have bearspray at reach when sleeping...along with my Glock and Rem 870. I have never had to use them in defense against a bear or cat to date. However, i have fired the bearspray to learn how it works AND leanred about the predators where I am visting. It's their land, I'm just passing through.

The one thing I would like to get is something to neutralize the spray in the vent myself or my dogs get hit with the spray. Does anyone know of or carry anything like that...other than water?

http://bestpepperspray.net/pepper-spray-treatment-antidote/

 

[JaSAn]

How about soaking a rag in Bear Spray and hanging it upwind of the sleeping area just before turning in?

The effectiveness of bear spay is in irritating the eyes and nasal passages when hit. Hanging something smelling of bear spray may actually attract bears (smells like food).

"Using the spray improperly can have undesirable effects. Because the deterrent effect depends on the bear receiving a concentrated dose of spray, using bear spray on objects or clothing is not effective, and can actually attract bears."
Smith, Tom S.; et al. (2008). "Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska" (PDF). The Journal of Wildlife Management. 72 (3): 640–645. doi:10.2193/2006-452. Retrieved 27 Mar 2012.

jim

 

[KE7JFF]

Years ago when I was camping on Vancouver Island, an RCMP Constable who was out and about came by to give me a heads up there was a friendly bear encounter at the day use area of a park nearby; apparently the bear in question was friendly to us humans and just stole the meat off of someone's BBQ. But he told me that he's only heard of 2 bears that ever caused serious problems and from what he remembers, it was a combination of the campers being careless and the bears having difficulty finding food and very angry.

His own advise was to first keep food secure (he advised even just being able to pad lock a cooler deters most bears) and that if you can't and they get in but don't care about you, just let them eat what they want and they will leave peacefully. If they are interested in you, he said bear spray is your first line of defense and deters them, but a firearm should be your last resort. He advised for in BC, if you discharge either bear spray or a firearm as a defense to a bear, call RCMP so they can note it.