Bears and Sunscreen

[fwassner]

Are bears attracted to sunscreen?
Somewhere I believe I read that there is some attraction, and that you should leave it at home. However, if traveling over an exposed ridge for a while, I would like to have it. Especially in winter when there's still snow around to reflect sun back.

I usually don't use it on shorter trips though. Most of the time I'm in the woods, so not too much exposure.
I would hate to have a bear become interested in the way I smell because I was wearing it. Hard to wash it off your face at night without using soap.

[smokymtnsteve]

While Black Bears aren't real hibernators, they are VERY inactive in cold weather and the short days of winter ...while it is not impossible to see a bear during the winter, as even the bear zoo in cherokee Indain reservation closes for the season, It is highly unlikely...as unlikely as it is to see a bear in the winter after the leaves are off the trees and the mast crop has fallen and been consume by the bears,, and then they are down for a lomg winters slumber....so It would almost be a miracle to summon a bear with sunscreen...

I am very light skinned, A BLUE EYED BLONDE , and wear sunscreen esp inthe winter as this and early spring are the times that you are exposed to more sun in a decidious forest...in the summer under heavy leaf cover sunscreen is not as needed as you are in the shade...I still use it when on exposed ridges ..if i'm going to be there a while, in the hot sunny weather bears don't like the heat anymore than me so sunscreen probably wouldn't tempt a bear into hot sun ..it would much more prefer the p'nut butter left by the summer hikers back at the shelter

[Peaks]

Bears can be attracted to almost anything that has a scent to it. This includes not only sun screen, but toothpaste, shampoo, insect repellant, a roll of duct tape, and film. However, they are usually not attracted to the human scent.

Generally speaking, most bears in the east are mostly attracted to food scents. The other scents are a concern, but not a major one. If you are really concerned, don't sleep where you cook and eat. Keep a distance between the two places. Also, hang all your food and everything else that has a scent.

[smokymtnsteve]

Originally posted by BiteBlaze
They're gonna EAT YOU ALIVE!

even though it has happened ...bears as a rule don't kill or eat fresh meat...(were talking black bears here..the kind you might get to see on the AT....bears will cache meat that they find and allow it to"ripen" going back to eat it later..so a bear "eating you alive" is not very likely!

[Mini-Mosey]

On this site, I'm sure you remember that there was a discussion about bears being attracted to citronella in one of the threads; in that thread, I mentioned that Citruscreen, which has oil of citronella in it to repel bugs, etc. also is a sunscreen with an SPF of 27. Anyway, what smokymtnsteve said in this thread is very helpful.

[Mini-Mosey]

but I found what Peaks said to be extremely helpful also. Thanks!