Bear Booby Trap

[SilvrSurfr]

Do you know of anyone that tried this and it did not work?

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That's the other thing about this design I wonder about. How do you prove it works? If a critter pulled on the bag, and pepper dropped out of the straw, and the Ursack was intact the next morning, does that prove the device worked? Or does it prove that the critter gave up trying to get into the Ursack?

You would be hard pressed to gather enough empirical and measurable evidence via the scientific method to prove that the bear booby trap worked. In the absence of such evidence, this bear booby trap is a faith-based bear prevention mechanism.

You'd have to set up a critter cam and record a lot of video/photo evidence to prove it was actually a deterrent.

Then there's the whole issue of civilian casualties - if the booby trap went off, you now have an Ursack covered in cayenne, which will now get all over you, your gear, and your pack. Don't rub your eyes or pick your nose, and be very careful when you go to the bathroom!

[MDSH]

I don't have much experience with bears, so a question: since it is so difficult to ensure that you have nothing that smells in your camp (including your clothes that may smell of dinner as you cooked it), is it smart to make sure that your bear bag smells MORE than your camp? With the logic that the bear would go for the stronger source of smell rather than your camp?

Otherwise, you could of course just do it like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFSw-J3lVqE

Hmmm ... good point, KOm4.

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[MDSH]

That's the other thing about this design I wonder about. How do you prove it works? If a critter pulled on the bag, and pepper dropped out of the straw, and the Ursack was intact the next morning, does that prove the device worked? Or does it prove that the critter gave up trying to get into the Ursack?

You would be hard pressed to gather enough empirical and measurable evidence via the scientific method to prove that the bear booby trap worked. In the absence of such evidence, this bear booby trap is a faith-based bear prevention mechanism.

You'd have to set up a critter cam and record a lot of video/photo evidence to prove it was actually a deterrent.

Then there's the whole issue of civilian casualties - if the booby trap went off, you now have an Ursack covered in cayenne, which will now get all over you, your gear, and your pack. Don't rub your eyes or pick your nose, and be very careful when you go to the bathroom!

Good point, Silver.

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