critter bait?
 

I know you shouldn't eat in your tent or store food in your tent but I've never heard anything about this so sorry if it's been discussed before. Sometimes I give my dog a rawhide or kong filled with treats on her blanket. Then, in the evening, I bring the blanket into the tent for her to sleep on. Is that inviting animals to try to break into the tent or would the smells not be enough to worry about?

Tiff :o)

1. Delete your second post.

2. Yes. The very fact that you've got a dog in bear country is a problem. Please don't camp next to me!!
http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/oursnoi...ar/index_E.asp

http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/oursnoi...ar/page5_e.asp
"Bear Attractants
The following items may attract a bear to your campsite; so, ensure that they are all properly stored:
Food
Coolers
Beverage containers (pop cans, beer bottles)
Garbage
Pet food/dishes
BBQ grease
Bird seed
Oil/fat
Fish and fish offal
Perfumed items (soap, deodorant, toothpaste, sun tan lotion, insect spray, hair spray, etc.)
Wastewater from cooking or doing dishes
Tablecloths
Pots, dishes, cups, etc.
Plastic containers, even if they are not used for food storage."

http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/oursnoi...ar/page2_e.asp
"Dog safety. Dogs may infuriate a bear, inciting an attack. Your dog may then run to you with the bear in pursuit! Keep dogs on a leash at all times and never leave them unattended."


If you are not referring to bears but are referring to other animals, such as raccoons, you're probably not in danger from them, but smells do attract animals. Raccoons are sneaky, bold creatures who will steal just about any sort of food. And we're warned against leaving anything that has any sort of attractive smell in tents at Wilson's Prom in Australia because the wombats will try to get into the tents to get it.

Where are you touring? Your location says GA, which says to me, east coast, which means black bears. In my opinion the rules are different for black bears than brown/grizzly bears (i.e. Rocky Mtn bears). I hiked the Appalachian Trail (i.e. Georgia to Maine, on foot) with my dog, we were only paranoid about bears in areas of high activity.

You have to be most paranoid in areas where bears are accustomed to raiding a campground for easy pickin's from sloppy campers. If it were me, I would not worry at all about a dog blanket with rawhide smell on it in a tent with me and the dog. Between my smell, the dog's smell, and my noises and the dog's noises, I would not worry about a bear coming into the tent.

The exception is in areas where bears regularly find food unsecured by sloppy campers. If bears are accustomed to easy meals, they will be much more brave about investigating smells in your tent.

Lastly, to reiterate: the rules are different out west.

Doesn't have to be bear country.
A raccoon will shred your tent if it thinks there's peanut butter inside.

Does not surprise me!! Rowan and I were camped at a place called Raccoon Creek (should have been our first clue!!) just outside Pittsburgh, and as the sun set, we found ourselves surrounded .... literally a circle .... by raccoons. One hopped into the back of our car, which we had left open for a moment, and stole an unopened bag of powdered milk. Rowan gave chase and managed to get it back, while I fended the rest off back at the camp!! :lol:

We left no food whatsoever in the tent, but had left a large bottle of water on the picnic table outside. During the night we could hear them sniffing around the tent, sniffing around the picnic table, and eventually knocking the waterbottle over.

We've done this before.

It's should be common sense.

Not really, it depends where you are. It is absolutely, completely, utterly routine to cook near your tent around here. Also in the UK, NZ, and in Greece. My sis tells me it is the same in SE Asia (I've never camped there) and our friends say the same about the Himalayas. I'd never even heard of bear canisters or bagging your food and hoisting it up a tree until I visited the US.

The main concerns here are ants; if you leave stuff in an unattended tent the possums or wombats (or rats) might have a go at it. Of course, things are a little different up North in crocodile country... several deaths from crocs in the last few months, but people swimming or fishing rather than camp invasions...

I am actually living out West right now. I lived in Park City, UT for 18 months and have been in Boise for 8 months. I'm moving back to GA in a month though so I just put my location in GA. I've never camped in GA, only out West here. I've heard that black bears are less dangerous but they seem big enough to me to scare me!

Tif :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukbrf...eature=related

[it might take a few extra seconds (after hitting the play button) for it to start playing]

keep it simple is what I say. Now is that dog going to haul a pack? Like hiking on a trail that might be something else.
The dog would be far from me during the night. Like sled dogs.

And with the Rabies outbreak I wouldn't even bring them out. Arizona.