-snip- > It was my hail of rocks that caused him to drop the box and run splashing into > the lake with nothing but a bag of marshmallows, missing out on some choice > eats. -snip- Unbelievable. Even a 'small' bear can run you down and rip you to pieces if it wigs out on you. There wasn't anything in that box that was worth the risk to your life. If you think I'm being melodramatic, do a little googling and see how often people get injured or killed thinking they can 'handle' a bear. > They stored food inside, and claimed that they scared the > bear off by whacking against the canvas side when they heard him bumping around > out there. They had been camping there annually for years this way. They didn't 'scare the bear'. And they've been lucky, not smart. > > Lacking bear-proof lockers, my vote is with the top of the van or maybe inside > as a last resort. -Phil The old-school (as in, pre-white man) method is to pick a good tree limb some distance from your camping/sleeping area that's convenient and within sight, secure a rope to your food container, throw the rope over the tree limb towards the end at a point where it's sturdy enough to support the container but not a bear, pull the container up until it's at least four feet under the limb and at least ten feet off the ground. Secure the rope to the tree around shoulder-height. Assuming your local bear isn't Boo-Boo and figures out how to work the rope, your food should be safe (also assuming your container is secure against squirrels and the like). Making contact with a bear in the woods is very much like making contact with a shark in the ocean; your are in its element and you look like food. Don't play with the bears. Cya, Robert |
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