Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Bear Country

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Bear Country

Old 11-03-12, 01:19 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Mobile, AL
Posts: 108

Bikes: 2005 Fuji Touring, '93 Diamondback Outlook, '94 Diamondback Outlook

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Bear Country

Looking to be crossing SD, MT, ID, WA, OR coast, CA (coast to Mendocino, then west to east ), NV, UT, northern AZ, northern NM, northern TX, camping all the way. In which areas should I be on the lookout for bears while camping? I plan to be camping in private and public campgrounds, minimal stealth camping. Thanks
woodysroad is offline  
Old 11-03-12, 02:10 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
If camping in official camp sites there are usually bear boxes in the places you need to worry. In most campgrounds there is someone to ask whether there have been bear problems in the past. If not, the type of trashcans and or dumpsters is usually a dead give away. When in doubt hang your food if there isn't a bear box. Once in a while there will be no trees and no bear box. In those cases I just double bagged the food and toiletries and kept the a ways away from the tent.

I have camped a good bit in all of those states except SD and with reasonable care and some common sense bears were never a problem.

In some of those areas raccoons will be a bigger problem. On the Oregon and California coasts they were a nuisance, but the state parks had boxes to put your food and toiletries in.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 11-03-12, 02:26 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,056
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,289 Times in 7,228 Posts
Use the advance search function and search for "bears" in post titles.

There are bears in parts of all of those states. Hell. There are a decent number of bears in New Jersey. The chances of you having problems with them are minimal, especially if you take the proper precautions. I would bet that in most places your chances of having problems are minimal even if you don't take proper precautions.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 11-03-12, 08:11 PM
  #4  
totally louche
 
Bekologist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: A land that time forgot
Posts: 18,023

Bikes: the ever shifting stable loaded with comfortable road bikes and city and winter bikes

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times in 8 Posts
bears are all over the place. they're pesky creatures ( i think of black bear as pesky, overgrown racoons) that nonetheless deserve our respect and help not becoming conditioned to human food.

Here's a catch-22:

Bears like campsites.

I've seen a lot of bear. Probably over a hundred times. Mostly out in the woods, some on the beach (believe it or not) and plenty in campsites.

like others have said, if you take precautions your chance of problems are minimal.

Last edited by Bekologist; 11-03-12 at 08:15 PM.
Bekologist is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 07:30 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Golden, CO and Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,822

Bikes: 2016 Fuji Tread, 1983 Trek 520

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 669 Post(s)
Liked 725 Times in 422 Posts
I am more concerned about critters when I'm in developed areas. Stealth camping, not so much. Great advice above about checking out the condition of the on-site trash. Black bears are a nuisance, but grizzlies worry me more (though that's probably a personal phobia). I'm way more attentive in MT and WY.

By the way, I believe more stuff gets damaged by rodents and birds than by bear. At least that's been my experience.
andrewclaus is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 09:18 AM
  #6  
Sore saddle cyclist
 
Shifty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Eugene, OR
Posts: 3,886

Bikes: Road, touring and mountain

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 41 Post(s)
Liked 10 Times in 8 Posts
Originally Posted by Bekologist
bears are all over the place. they're pesky creatures ( i think of black bear as pesky, overgrown racoons) that nonetheless deserve our respect and help not becoming conditioned to human food.

Here's a catch-22:

Bears like campsites.

I've seen a lot of bear. Probably over a hundred times. Mostly out in the woods, some on the beach (believe it or not) and plenty in campsites.

like others have said, if you take precautions your chance of problems are minimal.
This!! Secure your food at night, wash dishes and dispose of grey water properly and you'l never know that they are there. They are NOT interested in you unless you pose a threat by a sudden encounter.

I've also seen many black bear when riding on road or mountain bikes, the bears disappear so fast!, It's amazing how fast they are at getting away from humans.

I'm a lot more worried about Dodge Ram trucks than I am about bears.
Shifty is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 10:44 AM
  #7  
Hooked on Touring
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 2,854
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 91 Posts
Bears prefer Easterners - - they are especially tender.
jamawani is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 11:13 AM
  #8  
Fraser Valley Dave
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Fraser Valley British Columbia Canada
Posts: 546

Bikes: devinci monaco (upgraded)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 34 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Most of my 56 years of outdoor activity, including cycling, backpacking, canoeing, and horseback riding, has/is in bear country. Some of the advise given here is good, just remember bears have an incredible nose. The cardinal rule is always place any foodstuffs, including cookware that might have the faintest residual odor, either up high, in a secure bear-proof box, or failing that, far from your sleeping quarters. Never cook your meals close to, or in your tent. Remember that even your clothes can retain cooking smells such as grease, and never store snacks with you in your tent, even wrapped candy bars etc. Bears accustomed to human activity and campgrounds where they have found food in the past are the most potentially dangerous. (My brothers and I camped several times in a high risk area frequented by numerous black bears and were never molested, we believe because of practicing the 'cardinal rule', and we also found a large old stump far from camp and dumped the oily contents from a sardine can into the hollow center. This entertained the bears for hours.)
Big Lew is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 11:17 AM
  #9  
eternalvoyage
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,256
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by woodysroad
Looking to be crossing SD, MT, ID, WA, OR coast, CA (coast to Mendocino, then west to east ), NV, UT, northern AZ, northern NM, northern TX, camping all the way. In which areas should I be on the lookout for bears while camping? I plan to be camping in private and public campgrounds, minimal stealth camping. Thanks
Once they see or smell food, they often go for it. I've had them make physical contact with me in the process, though that is unusual. Usually they just try their best to get out of your way. Unless they see or smell food. Then some of them (those who are less afraid or more accustomed to humans) will go after the food.

You might consider Ursacks or bear canisters, or making good use of campgrounds' available bearproof lockers. It's best not to have food scents or residues on panniers, tents, sleeping bags, clothes, etc. Bears do have an extraordinary sense of smell -- way beyond dogs, which are themselves way beyond humans.

They can easily smell food that is in plastic bags inside panniers.

And they can quickly narrow down the exact location. And they are very good at opening (destructively if necessary) non-bearproof containers and materials. There are many photos of automobile trunks, for example, that they have bent open like sardine cans. Their strength is beyond Olympic weight lifters, and their claws are like crowbars.

Risk of bodily harm is exceedingly low (as long as you don't do something exceptionally inaccurate). Risk to food and gear is higher unless you take the accurate precautions.
Niles H. is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 12:28 PM
  #10  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Better to have a tent you have never eaten sitting inside.

Their Noses are Better than yours and that is what the use to smell food..
and spilled stuff is still going to smell like food.

Bear Box aloft in a tree, and state campgrounds with welded steel food lockers.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 02:22 PM
  #11  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
Everything said above is good. I use a drybag to hang food, less scent from a drybag than other types of bags. Quite frankly squirrels, chipmunks, etc., have been a bigger problem for me.

I was in grizzly country this past July. At one of the parks the ranger told me that if I saw a bear while on my bike, to try to get in between the cars and keep going.

I think this was a black bear, in that area they had both black and brown bears, but I chose to stay far enough away that I could not tell the type of bear it was with any certainty. (This camera has a powerful zoom, I was a lot farther away than the photo suggests.)



You might want to avoid getting too close:
https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/26/us/ala...ack/index.html

I carried a bear bell on my bike strapped to the top tube when in the areas with bears, but I suspect it did little good. I did not hit enough bumps for it to ring very much.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
20IMGP3664.jpg (56.7 KB, 28 views)

Last edited by Tourist in MSN; 11-04-12 at 02:28 PM.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 07:59 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Mobile, AL
Posts: 108

Bikes: 2005 Fuji Touring, '93 Diamondback Outlook, '94 Diamondback Outlook

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm a Southerner; raised on lard, poke salad, and fatback. I don't know if that qualifies me as a tender Easterner though.
woodysroad is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 08:40 PM
  #13  
Hooked on Touring
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 2,854
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 91 Posts
Lawsy, chile!
If dat bear sniffs any cornbread o black-eyed peas, you is as good as a goner.

On a more serious note, I've spent hundreds of nights in the backcountry of the Northern Rockies.
(And also lots of time in the Canadian West and Arctic - alone.)

First and foremost - NEVER - eat in your tent. Not in Alabama, not in Montana.
Once you have food odors in your tent, a bear will be able to smell them.

Learn to hang your food by the rope hang method.
50 ft of light climbing cord and a carabiner will suffice.
https://www.nps.gov/noca/naturescience/bear-safety.htm
(Yosemite NP doesn't allow hanging packs any more.)

Finally, where there are bear boxes, use them.
Avoid leaving anything out for any length of time.

I've had grizzly tracks around my tent the next morning.
I've had loud, deep sniffing sounds on the tent itself in the middle of the night.
I'm still around to talk about it.
jamawani is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 08:41 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Doug64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,484
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times in 433 Posts
All of the above and, don't forget to put your toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste etc) in here too!

Yellowstone NP
Doug64 is offline  
Old 11-04-12, 11:37 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,441
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
You are more likely to have bear problems in campgrounds than anywhere else. The wilderness, and rural areas, and stealth sites are pretty safe. Areas like the Smokies are far more likely to give problems than the West, due to density of bears and campers. Black bears are more likely to get you than grizzlies, mostly because there are so many of them, but there are also personality factors. I'm more viscerally scared of grizzlies though.

I live with bears all summer on my property, I don't even see them. Their sign is all over the woods, and even at our compost heap. The only one I have seen was crossing the road about 20 miles from my place, and ran into the side of the RV ahead of me.

Wild bears are not a problem, even the ones that live in my yard, where there are all kinds of food smells and options. Habituated bears are a problem and that is mainly a campsite thing. You are more likely to get ticketed for breaking bear related laws, than to have trouble with the real smoky the bear.
MassiveD is offline  
Old 11-05-12, 09:51 PM
  #16  
Full Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: North East
Posts: 470
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 50 Times in 29 Posts
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post10760690
Trueblood is offline  
Old 11-06-12, 01:50 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Western Flyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 505

Bikes: Cannondale Topstone gravel bike Dahon MU folder w/2x8 speed internal drive train

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 59 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts
Don't pee near your tent they are attracted to the salt content. Know what bear poop looks like. If you see a big fresh steaming pile it might not be a good place to stop for lunch. No food ever goes into my clothes pannier. No open food goes into my other pannier. I carry a small "six-pack" cooler for honey, chocolate and open food. In bear country the cooler is the first item to be secured in a bear box or hung from a tree. Only keep food out for as long as it take to prepare and eat. Clean up immediately and hang or store everything edible or used for food prep like your stove, pots etc. If you have bear spray have it on your person and not buried at the bottom of a pannier. I keep my bear spray next to my sleeping bag in the same place every night. I have never been bothered by a bear while sleeping. If a bear decides to join you for dinner don't argue, be polite and leave the table. You will not have to worry about any left overs.
Western Flyer is offline  
Old 11-06-12, 05:37 AM
  #18  
totally louche
 
Bekologist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: A land that time forgot
Posts: 18,023

Bikes: the ever shifting stable loaded with comfortable road bikes and city and winter bikes

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times in 8 Posts
I recall a memorable backcountry trip i took to Yellowstone in the 80's.

My buddy and I hiked right into a "grizzly bear repatriation area" (where they dumped the problem bears, apparently, by what we read on the sign) and had to camp in the area that night.

We practiced such a meticulous set of campsite practices that still stick with me to this day - make your safety triangle quite large (100 yards on each side in grizzville), spend the extra time to cook and hang food well away from where you sleep.
Bekologist is offline  
Old 11-06-12, 06:28 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Originally Posted by MassiveD
You are more likely to have bear problems in campgrounds than anywhere else. The wilderness, and rural areas, and stealth sites are pretty safe.
I agree with that. Habituated bears in campgrounds are the worst.

Originally Posted by MassiveD
Areas like the Smokies are far more likely to give problems than the West, due to density of bears and campers.
I don't know about the Smokies being worse than out west. Yosemite and Sequoia seemed worse to me.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 11-12-12, 01:14 PM
  #20  
Grumpy
 
Airdog320's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 59

Bikes: Surly LHT, Shogun Ninja, Santana tandem (in storage)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Bear sign

Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I carried a bear bell on my bike strapped to the top tube .
You can tell the type of bear by their scat. Black bears may have blackberries, blueberries etc. Grizzlies will have bells.
Airdog320 is offline  
Old 11-12-12, 01:25 PM
  #21  
HomeBrew Master!
 
Gus Riley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: West Central Illinois
Posts: 2,208

Bikes: Aegis Aro Svelte, Surly LHT, Cannondal R3000 tandem, Santana Triplet.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
During my ride toward Yellowstone from Grand Tetons NP I had a bit of a close call with a Grizzly. He was on the road and so was I. I had a little comfort knowing that this might work... luckily I did not have to test it. Bear Spray I bought when I got to Pueblo. (TransAm 2012, E-W)
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
DSCN0010.jpg (99.6 KB, 26 views)

Last edited by Gus Riley; 11-12-12 at 01:40 PM.
Gus Riley is offline  
Old 11-12-12, 01:32 PM
  #22  
HomeBrew Master!
 
Gus Riley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: West Central Illinois
Posts: 2,208

Bikes: Aegis Aro Svelte, Surly LHT, Cannondal R3000 tandem, Santana Triplet.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
When setting up my tent, I don't think I was thinking that day! ...and this was hours after my near miss with a grizzly! Dumb! (My TransAm 2012, E-W)
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
DSCN0023.jpg (100.1 KB, 42 views)

Last edited by Gus Riley; 11-12-12 at 01:40 PM.
Gus Riley is offline  
Old 11-12-12, 02:45 PM
  #23  
Fraser Valley Dave
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Fraser Valley British Columbia Canada
Posts: 546

Bikes: devinci monaco (upgraded)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 34 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I would caution those that use bells trying to announce their presence. I have used them while backpacking in the mountains and still have surprised bears with my sudden appearance. If you are near noisy streams, in windy areas, or dense bush, bell tingling doesn't carry far, and even if heard, sounds much further away than they are. It is better to be verbally loud by talking or singing in a high volume. I'm serious, but by doing this you also will amuse other tourists when they hear you talking or singing in a loud voice to yourself.
Big Lew is offline  
Old 11-12-12, 06:35 PM
  #24  
mev
bicycle tourist
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Posts: 2,279

Bikes: Trek 520, Lightfoot Ranger, Trek 4500

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 462 Post(s)
Liked 250 Times in 171 Posts
https://www.mvermeulen.com/dalton/big/overview_04.jpg - photo taken on bicycle tour down the Dalton Highway.
mev is offline  
Old 11-16-12, 09:24 PM
  #25  
commuter and barbarian
 
scroca's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Potomac, MT, USA
Posts: 2,494
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Airdog320
You can tell the type of bear by their scat. Blac bears may have blackberries, blueberries etc. Grizzlies will have bells.
And grizzly scat smells like bear spray.
scroca is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.