There are things that hunters, hikers, and backpackers can do in the backcountry to minimize the risk of bear and human encounters. Knowing how to handle food, meat, and other “smellables” is critical to staying safe while in the outdoors. It is also important to know the correct way to hang a bear when in bear country. Knowing these skills can be a matter of life and death.
Preventing bear encounters can be essential to saving your life as well as the life of the bear. This begins during the off-season. Start by doing your research on which large wildlife predators might be in the area you are hunting so you know what precautions to take. Learn what a bear bag is and how to properly hang it. Make sure that you have enough equipment and materials to hang all your meat to keep you safe from hungry wildlife predators. For example, if you are elk hunting, you might need three or four bears bags to hang all the elk quarters after a successful hunt.
Protecting yourself from bears starts long before you take an elk, deer, moose, etc. When camping or hunting in bear country, always keep a clean camp. A bear has a very good sense of smell and is attracted to all odors, good and bad. Never camp near trash cans, garbage dumpsters, or other campers who are not bear savvy. Never leave cooking items in the open if you leave your campsite. Cook over a camp stove rather than a campfire whenever possible. No food should be allowed to fall on the ground. Any food that falls on the ground needs to be scooped up immediately along with any dirt around the fallen food that has the smell on it. It is also very important not to sleep in the clothes that you cook in.
It is extremely important to remember that everything is considered a “smellable” to a bear. Your normal toiletries such as toothpaste, lip balm, shampoo, and even plastic water bottles attract bears. This means that everything must go into a bear bag, not just the quarters of your game. Bears are most active during the late evening, nighttime, and early morning hours. This is normally the time we are curled up in our sleeping bags, sleeping in our tent. When in bear country the only thing that you should take in your tent at night is yourself, your sleeping bag, one change of clothes, and something for protection such as your firearms and bear spray.
Remember, when in bear country - always use a bear bag!
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