Bear can smell this?

[skinnbones]

LOL, Just soaking in all this info. Thanks to all.

[bfayer]

The North American Bear Center has an excellent web page with loads of info about Black Bears based on many years of research by field biologists. This page (and scroll down to see pages 2-4) has lots of great info about bear-human interaction:

http://www.bear.org/website/bear-pag...l?limitstart=0

Some interesting quotes:

"Black bears that are accustomed to people are no more likely to attack or kill. Three quarters of the killings by black bears are in remote areas of Canada and Alaska where bears have the least contact with people. Statistics show that where black bears are most accustomed to seeing people they are least likely to kill someone."

"Black bears have killed 61 people across North America since 1900. This no longer worries me. My chances of being killed by a domestic dog, bees, or lightning are vastly greater. My chances of being murdered are 60,000 times greater. One of the safest places a person can be is in the woods."

"A big revelation to me was how reluctant black bear mothers are to defend their cubs against people, even when the family is cornered in a den and I'm trying to stick the mother with a needle to tranquilize her. Defense of cubs is more a grizzly bear trait. There is no record of anyone being killed by a mother black bear defending her cubs, and attacks are very rare. We routinely capture black bear cubs in the presence of mothers and have never been attacked."

"The 750,000 black bears of North America kill less than one person per year on the average, while 1 out of each 16,000 people commits murder each year across North America. Most attacks by black bears attacks are defensive reactions to a person who is very close, which is an easy situation to avoid. Injuries from these defensive reactions are usually minor."

I don't believe eastern black bears are a significant threat to anyone, and I don't worry about them myself, but I have to say however that the stats quoted are very misrepresented (I know they are not your quotes Odd Man Out).

You can't count the entire population of the north america when calculating the odds of getting killed by a bear, it is just not intellectually honest. It is like calculating the odds of getting killed in a plane crash and including the entire population of people in the world, even though the majority of them don't fly in planes. Or like the one everyone has heard about handguns "People that own handguns are much more likely to be shot with their own gun than someone that does not own a handgun" Well duhhh, you can't be shot with your own gun if you don't own a gun. (That was actually a TV commercial back in the 70s) You still hear that one floated around to this day.

The only honest way to represent the statistics on bear attacks is to only count the people that are exposed to bear attacks. I don't think most people in NY (city), LA, or Chicago would count in that group. In our case the population group would be much smaller than represented in the above quotes.

My point is the author of the quotes either really doesn't care about presenting real statistics or they have an agenda.

The bottom line is you keep food away from bears not for the safety of humans, but for the safety of bears. More bears in this country have been killed for being a nuisance, than just about any other cause (other than maybe being run over by vehicles). We as hikers don't need to add to the body count. Store your food however you want, but keep it away from bears.

[RedBeerd]

I remember this guy http://www.thebearwhisperer.com/about-steve.html telling me that black bears are the "lazy stoners" of the bear world. After his talk with us I think I lost all fear of a bear encounter. The places a black bear would attack is a place where the bear has NEVER seen a person before. Typically, not where you'd be hiking. In the deep backcountry of Montana perhaps, and still, you'd have to be practicing some bad food etiquette.

[Hill Ape]

Absolutely no reason to fear black bear, a close encounter is a gift you'll keep for life. But to address the thread question. Yes, they can smell it. No matter what it is, or what you do. You will not fool their sense of smell, ever. They are just hungry, like you would not believe. They only want your food. That's it. Almost a promise that in your tent, they won't bother your food. They smell you, and want nothing to do with hiker trash. If a black bear comes around, and you want it to leave. YELL at it. Bang your pots. Throw things at it. It will leave, wondering *** your problem is, thinking you are very sketchy, you must have a problem.

[bfayer]

Absolutely no reason to fear black bear, a close encounter is a gift you'll keep for life. But to address the thread question. Yes, they can smell it. No matter what it is, or what you do. You will not fool their sense of smell, ever. They are just hungry, like you would not believe. They only want your food. That's it. Almost a promise that in your tent, they won't bother your food. They smell you, and want nothing to do with hiker trash. If a black bear comes around, and you want it to leave. YELL at it. Bang your pots. Throw things at it. It will leave, wondering *** your problem is, thinking you are very sketchy, you must have a problem.

Yep, they are omnivorous scavengers, not predators. Like most scavengers they are opportunists, and for the most part not willing to burn energy or risk injury screwing with a full size human just for a snack.

As long as we keep teaching them (what we already know) that people are freaking nuts, they will leave us alone.

[hilltackler]

I'm glad no one has ever had an issue with bears when they have slept with their food. I hang my food...but that's just me. It allows me to sleep without worrying some critter or bear is going to come visiting. Carry on...

[lonehiker]

Many don't hang out of laziness. The rest don't hang because they don't have the knowledge to do it properly.

[bamboo bob]

My two cents. If I camp where there are poles and other food contraptions, bear boxes etc. I use them. That's usually for the non bear critters too because if the bear devices are in place it's because a lot of people camp there (think, hawk mountain shelter) and there are lots of people and food. If I'm camped and have seen no bear sign what so ever. I keep the food in my tent. In bear country I don't cook where I camp and I hang my food (PCT method if possible) In shelters I use the mouse catchers or make one if the officious mouse catcher police have taken them down. Never any critter food problem of any kind anywhere in a lot of nights in the woods.

[vamelungeon]

Trying to hide odors from a black bear is like trying to hide your internal organs from an x-ray.

[Odd Man Out]

Many don't hang out of laziness. The rest don't hang because they don't have the knowledge to do it properly.

I am fairly confidnent that there is at least one more group of non-hangers.

[Marta]

I remember this guy http://www.thebearwhisperer.com/about-steve.html telling me that black bears are the "lazy stoners" of the bear world. After his talk with us I think I lost all fear of a bear encounter. The places a black bear would attack is a place where the bear has NEVER seen a person before. Typically, not where you'd be hiking. In the deep backcountry of Montana perhaps, and still, you'd have to be practicing some bad food etiquette.

One of my co-workers was attacked by a black bear "in the deep backcountry of Montana" (in the Bob Marshall Wilderness) while practicing exemplary food etiquette. We will never know whether it was a bear trained by more careless campers to associate humans with food, or not.

I'm planning a short hike in Georgia in a few weeks and as I pull my gear together for the trip, and realize there's no need for bear spray and so on, I'm a bit giddy about how jolly and civilized it's going to be on the AT compared to Montana.

[bfayer]

One of my co-workers was attacked by a black bear "in the deep backcountry of Montana" (in the Bob Marshall Wilderness) while practicing exemplary food etiquette. We will never know whether it was a bear trained by more careless campers to associate humans with food, or not.

I'm planning a short hike in Georgia in a few weeks and as I pull my gear together for the trip, and realize there's no need for bear spray and so on, I'm a bit giddy about how jolly and civilized it's going to be on the AT compared to Montana.

I hope your friend made it through without serious injury.

Everything I have read says that most black bear attacks up north and out west involve adolescent male bears that don't have the common sense not to go after a human, teenage stupidity is not just a human trait

Here in the east, a bear cannot grow up without significant interaction with humans, so I believe they learn much earlier to avoid humans than they do in the more remote areas out west and up north.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I hope your friend made it through without serious injury.

Everything I have read says that most black bear attacks up north and out west involve adolescent male bears that don't have the common sense not to go after a human, teenage stupidity is not just a human trait

Here in the east, a bear cannot grow up without significant interaction with humans, so I believe they learn much earlier to avoid humans than they do in the more remote areas out west and up north.

Here is a link to an article related to this point:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/sc...ears.html?_r=0

"The study also found, contrary to popular perception, that the black bears most likely to kill are not mothers protecting cubs. Most attacks, 88 percent, involved a bear on the prowl, likely hunting for food. And most of those predators, 92 percent, were male."

I should also mention this part:

"He might be surprised, then, by a new study that found that black bears — the most common bears in North America — have killed only 63 people in the United States and Canada over the last 109 years."

On average there is less than one fatal black bear attack per year in all of north america and according to wikipedia, most of these fatalities occurred in remote regions of canada (Which would fall in line with your assertion that they involve male beas with little understanding of the dangers that humans pose to them.)

[shakey_snake]

People generally don't understand rules about bears--because they're there to protect the bears, not you and your food. "works for me, LOL" is never the point.

You don't store your food in you tent because of problem bears--they are not scared of your hiker funk and will see you and your tent as a food source. However there are never really that many problem bears to begin with. The more heavily trafficked a place is, the more likely there are problem bears. So if "I've been sleeping with my food for 40 years..." guy has never slept in an area with problem bears--of course he hasn't had any issues.

If you can't follow all the rules about bear bagging (10-12 ft off the ground, 4 feet from the trunk, 3-4" branch), then you're better off sleeping with your food and chancing that there's no problem bears in your area. Because if you can't follow all the rules, a bear that happens by will get your food. If he does that, and/or eats trash enough, then he'll become a problem bear.

The bear rules are there to systematically protect the bears, not to followed or ignored by you based upon personal antidotes. Whenever possible, bear bag your food--not for you, for the bears.

[Marta]

I've posted about the bear attack in previous threads on the subject. In summary: He was camping solo in the Bob. The bear came through the tent and grabbed him by the head. He managed to reach his bear spray to get the bear to release him. The bear continued to circle. L. (he has avoided the press so I won't use his name) used up all his spray. The bear continued to circle. L. cut down his food and threw it to the bear. The bear ate it, plastic bags and all, and continued to circle. L. used his phone to record good-byes to his family and friends, and to take videos of the bear.

A Forest Service trail crew came along. They had a radio and called for help. L. was airlifted out by helicopter. A Forest Service hunting crew came in and shot the bear. He was positively IDed by the spray in his fur, the food in his stomach, and the blood under his claws. He was shot a mere 75' from L's campsite--even after all the other people, and the helicopter showed up, he didn't leave the area.

L's injuries were extensive and severe. He had three surgeries, spent ten days in the hospital, and another two weeks on IV antibiotics at home. His face still has large, visible scars. He was having quite a bit of trouble sleeping for a long time. He quit his job out here in the woods and moved into town.

The attack occurred in late September, when natural food sources are drying up and the weather is turning colder. I don't know whether this bear had been conditioned to associate humans with food by previous messy campers, or whether he was, as others have suggested, a young, wild bear who was not skilled at gathering his own food.

[Galia]

Relatively new section hiker Quill here: on a recent Springer to Newfound section hike, we hung on cables when available, hung on nails or other means in shelters. NOT bears, but rodents. Why spend all that $$$$ on equipment to have it chewed by hungry mice? Just sayin'.

[The Ace]

I've posted about the bear attack in previous threads on the subject. In summary: He was camping solo in the Bob. The bear came through the tent and grabbed him by the head. He managed to reach his bear spray to get the bear to release him. The bear continued to circle. L. (he has avoided the press so I won't use his name) used up all his spray. The bear continued to circle. L. cut down his food and threw it to the bear. The bear ate it, plastic bags and all, and continued to circle. L. used his phone to record good-byes to his family and friends, and to take videos of the bear.

A Forest Service trail crew came along. They had a radio and called for help. L. was airlifted out by helicopter. A Forest Service hunting crew came in and shot the bear. He was positively IDed by the spray in his fur, the food in his stomach, and the blood under his claws. He was shot a mere 75' from L's campsite--even after all the other people, and the helicopter showed up, he didn't leave the area.

L's injuries were extensive and severe. He had three surgeries, spent ten days in the hospital, and another two weeks on IV antibiotics at home. His face still has large, visible scars. He was having quite a bit of trouble sleeping for a long time. He quit his job out here in the woods and moved into town.

The attack occurred in late September, when natural food sources are drying up and the weather is turning colder. I don't know whether this bear had been conditioned to associate humans with food by previous messy campers, or whether he was, as others have suggested, a young, wild bear who was not skilled at gathering his own food.

Except that this was Montana, right?

[The Ace]

You don't store your food in you tent because of problem bears--they are not scared of your hiker funk and will see you and your tent as a food source. However there are never really that many problem bears to begin with. The more heavily trafficked a place is, the more likely there are problem bears. So if "I've been sleeping with my food for 40 years..." guy has never slept in an area with problem bears--of course he hasn't had any issues.

The guy that you are referring to, and a number of us on here, have for decades slept in tents with their food without incident in areas of both the AT and the East where “problem” bears have been reported.

[MTn music]

Bears have a pretty good sense of smell. Here, in Montana, they tell us to put our food in bear storage devices or enclosed vehicles in bear prone areas. There have been a few instances were the bears destroyed cars getting to the food. It's rare, but it happens. Most people still lock their food in their vehicles, or pop-up tent campers, though.

It's all about the risk you are willing to take. Most people don't have problems with bears. It's a matter of what you are willing to go through, if you aren't so lucky. The bear may try to get your food whether it's away from your sleeping area or not. Only you can decide, if fending off a bear in your sleeping area is something you are willing to do.

[lonehiker]

And when a bear does decide to go for someone's food, the "victim" is the first to demand action be taken against the "problem" bear.