Black Bears & Hammocks

**Wraith6761** · 03-25-2014, 13:40

Admittedly, these are grizzly bears and not black bears, but the principle remains: keep your site CLEAN! Entertaining video (especially the part about a lighter-weight "hiking model" bear vault NOT stopping the bears)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/loca...ccd80605b.html

**peello** · 03-25-2014, 14:28

Originally Posted by Scubahhh

Did you have food in your gear, or was he just there because he'd been fed enough to associate humans with food?

All my food was in a food bag in the front hatch of my kayak. Either he smelled something or was just a young curious bear.

**NirvanaFan** · 03-25-2014, 14:36

Originally Posted by Scubahhh

Did you have food in your gear, or was he just there because he'd been fed enough to associate humans with food?

I'm not sure if you're talking to me or not, but I'll answer. That's not my video, it was posted on a hiking forum I belong to a couple years back. Yellow Yellow (the bear in the video) was an old sow that knew humans meant easy food. I assume there was food in the bag, but it doesn't really matter. She had raided plenty of people's campsites looking for an easy meal. The Department of Environmental Conservation made everyone use canisters many years ago, which I believe, is helping the situation. Yellow Yellow isn't alive anymore, but I believe the DEC still recommends the Garcia canisters.

**PATripper** · 03-25-2014, 14:57

In the Adirondacks two years ago I slept in my hammock and my wife slept in a tent. Black bear walked around the tent, no incident, left me alone. Last year wife was sleeping in the hammock and I slept in a tent. Bear walked alongside the tent and took a crap almost under the wifey in the hammock. We had nor ever have any food near us.