Bear Booby Trap

[MDSH]

I've only dealt with two bears wanting to eat my food -- one an unnerving experience -- think I was saved by the weather that time as it began to pour rain -- the bear either sought shelter or the rain washed the food smell out of my camp. The other time we just got in the car and the bear moved on. Those were backpacking and car camping experiences, respectively ... and I started carrying a gun. For some reason it did not bother me thereafter when I saw bear shadows passing in the night. I felt confident in the tent with a gun … and learned to hang my food up a tree.

I feel more vulnerable in the hammock, though, so will take greater care not to lure a bear in with food smells. Who needs the bother? Got an Ursack Allwhite but still do not want a bear to worry it and me all night -- so, I thought of booby trapping it.

Took a big bore straw and melted the ends closed, cut off a 2” cap, used cuben scraps and VHB tape to fashion loops for cap and body, filled it with cayenne pepper, and rigged it with a piece of Lash It to be pulled open when a bear tugs on the bag, snagging the cord, as would inevitably happen. A smaller dose of pepper from a straw container spread around beneath the bag might deter even that bad bear behavior.

Do you think it will work?





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[Fish on]

Ingenious- I know I wouldn't mess with it!

[lazy river road]

Interesting idea and very creative. However if the bag is bear bagged PCT style then in theory the bear shouldn't even be able to reach the food. Also if the bear is covered in pepper yes this might scare him away but it also might enrage the bear more causing him to reek havoc in camp. And lastly what about the next hiker who has food in the same area/camp site as you were in and did not use the pepper protection. Bears will often attempt to gather food in the same area so even if the bear is unable to get to your food the bear might remember the area and come back for another hikers food. Not trying to knock the idea I personally think KT is very creative and if used with the PCT bear hang or on a bear pole I thinknkt would be an excellent secondary precautionary measure however I would be hesitant to use it as my primary measure of keeping my food safe. The Ursack is awesome however in the past I did have a critter chew through mine. It was no bear a rodent of some sort but even ursacks aren't full proof. Still love the idea the creativity on this forum is endless kudos.

[pgibson]

Bears are attracted and curios about strong smells. Pepper spray works more on the scary nature of it going off on them than the scent. There have been cases of people spraying bear spray around their camp thinking it will act as a repellant. But it can actually attract them.

A better practice is to keep a clean camp and use odor proof bags with you're ursack.

[mbiraman]

Bears are attracted and curios about strong smells.

A better practice is to keep a clean camp and use odor proof bags with you're ursack.

+1 on That part.

Spraying bear spray around camp doesn't work. Its works in the aerosol form in the face so it gets into the eyes and nose. Also it was developed for Grizzlies and works better on them because their Olfactory system is much more sensitive than black bears. If you have a persistent black bear around camp or your home sometimes cookie doe laced with a cayenne centre can work. Was used by some friends of mine as they had bear problems at their home up the valley from me.
He was loading the kids in the car to go get mom and looked back at the trailer set in the bush and in the kitchen window was a black bear looking at him,,,"see ya when you get back".


bill

[Ratdog]

Raccoons love pepper and spices...just sayin

[scryan]

I feel like that does nothing to keep a bear out of camp... only really pisses off a bear who is going for you food?
If your worried about it messing with your food, hang it out of reach. Why throw pepper in a bears face because you couldnt be bothered to hang a line?

Its the same as when you were in a tent though. Safety wise no different, a zippered wall of nylon isnt much in the way of bear protection.

[jerzybears]

Black Bear are just big oversized raccoons!! As long as no cubs are involved they run for the hills. If you really want to be sure your food is there in camp and unmolested in the morning, get a bear can. "Set it and forget it!"

[lesspayne]

I feel more vulnerable in the hammock, though, so will take greater care not to lure a bear in with food smells.

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Why would you feel more vulnerable in a hammock? What kind of material was your tent made out of? I don't think it matters to a bear if your under a tarp in a hammock or in a tent.

[MDSH]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

I'm not buying the enraged bruin scenario. Most animals operate by a cost/benefit analysis. Getting a face full of cayenne pepper seems a deterrent in that regard in my favor. But getting mad about it does not fit the calculus, either. I suspect the bear will conclude that the goal is not worth the discomfort. I'm thinking of this as cheap alternative to pepper spray.

Now I did not think of small rodents because I've not seen any up trees and they are diurnal, right? What am I missing?

I once saw a man face down a bear. But he was a very large man and I got the impression that it could have easily gone the other way! What's the advantage we have? Some might call it applied physics! We'll see if my contraption works, eh?

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