Outdoor activities are enjoyable and fun; at the same time, risks are involved too. Most campers will agree that the most concerning thing about camping is – “bear attack.” They are afraid, thinking of either the bear will eat them alive or it will eat away their food.
The good news is that; you can keep yourself safe from bear attacks by taking a few effective steps.
Below we discussed 6 ways to keep your camping site bear-proof.
Let’s learn the tactics.
How to Keep Bears Away from Camp Site?
1. Keep Your Food Out of Reach from Bear
First, you have to understand why bears attack a campsite? Bears come to a campsite in search of food. So, it is advisable to hang your food in a bear bag at least 10 ft. from the ground.
You can also use beer cans or bear safe containers to store your food or any other scented items. Before you start your journey to a campsite, make sure you have taken all the precautions to keep your food out of reach from the bear.
2. Put On “Sleeping Cloth” Before You Go to Sleep
It would be best if you keep your food clothes and sleeping clothes in different places.
Ensure you wear a sleeping cloth before you go to sleep. Store your food cloths in a bear locker. Never keep the food clothes in your tent. The sense of smell of bears is great.
Also, set up your kitchen at least 100 yards away from your tent. Thoroughly clean your cook sets, and don’t be late to ensure proper cleaning of the dining area. If you have any leftover food, store them in a bear-proof food storage locker.
3. Take Sealed Bags and Containers
Make sure to carry a sufficient amount of sealable bags and containers. If you are out of enough sealed bags, you have no other choice to keep the leftover food in an open place. If this is the case, then you are putting yourself at the risk of a bear attack.
Bear-proof food lockers are available in some camping sites for safe disposal. But in the back-country, bins are unavailable at every campsite. At this point, a sufficient amount of sealed bags and containers can save you.
4. Choose the Campsite Wisely
Before you decide to install your tent on a campsite, look for recent bear activity signs. You might be thinking; how will I recognize the symptoms? Fresh prints of bears or digging are a few bear activity signs.
Since you will need to hang the bear bags, choose a campsite with appropriate trees for the bear bags’ effortless hanging.
On the other side, if you don’t have a planned campsite, then look for the person who runs the campground. Take the information about recent bear sightings.
5. Confirm Tent Setting Up at a Safe Place
You should set up your bear-resistant tent in a place that is upwind of both bear bags and the food disposal area. Also, it would be a wise decision if the tent is far away from the cooking area.
The best thing about this tactic is, even if the bears smell food odors from the disposal area, they will not find you as you are absent in the disposal area.
6. Keep Bear Spray
Bear spray is a recent invention that will keep you safe from bears on a campsite. Bear can still enter your camp even after taking all the above precautions. So, it would help to keep a bear spray with you.
Also, don’t keep them in the deepest corner of your bag. Keep them in an easily accessible area. You can read reviews of the best bear sprays on the IBC7 Outdoors. Read the review and pick the best-suited item for your campsite.
What to Do When You Encounter a Bear While Hiking?
Bears can attack you when you are hiking. And the worst thing is, many campers can’t handle the situation sensibly. Below are a few tips for tackling the situation
- Never run. The truth is, you can’t win in the race/ A bear can run at 35 mph and cover 100 yds within 7 seconds. Hold your breath and calmly leave the area without being detected.
- Move in a different direction when the bear runs away. You will not experience another encounter if you leave the trail immediately.
- If the bear attacks you, don’t dare to fight with it. In this situation, the defense is the best way to keep yourself safe. Lay on the ground keeping your face down. Use your arms and hands to cover your head and neck. Don’t make noise until you are sure the bear is left. You may encounter another attack if you move shortly.
Last Words
The above-discussed tactics are proven and effective ways to keep your campsite bear-proof. Do you know any other methods of how to bear-proof your campsite? Feel free to comment in the below comment box.
