Last minute tent security rig for bears/cats

[caddisguy]

I don't normally make a point of sleeping in a tent in remote area that I know is concentrated with bears and cats this time of year--saw 8 while 4x4ing 15km of trail last Spring--but that is what I'll be doing for the next night or two.

It's a short notice trip and I'm wishing I bought that pack alarm gizmo. I was thinking of making one with some multifilament polyethylene and one of those "personal alarms" that some girls stick on their purse. Does anyone know a store where I might be able to pick one up last minute? I'm downtown until 2pm, then heading back to Langley to load the Jeep and take off.

[olympia]

if its last minute, go to a dollar store and some mouse traps and fishing string and some caps for a cap gun(the paper kind in a roll not the round plastic ones that go in a revolver). set ur traps with a couple caps taped to where the metal parts comes down to catch the mouse and tie string like a trip wire and connect to trap. I used to do pranks on people with this when iwas a kid.

[caddisguy]

if its last minute, go to a dollar store and some mouse traps and fishing string and some caps for a cap gun(the paper kind in a roll not the round plastic ones that go in a revolver). set ur traps with a couple caps taped to where the metal parts comes down to catch the mouse and tie string like a trip wire and connect to trap. I used to do pranks on people with this when iwas a kid.

Brilliant. I was thinking of a deadfall-type trap onto an air horn. Mouse traps and caps seems more reliable and less time consuming. Thanks!

[bassplayer]

Hahahahahaha.

[boxhitch]

The Source for mini personal alarms

[rcar]

I have a pack alarm you can borrow if you can find your way to the North Shore.

[olympia]

Brilliant. I was thinking of a deadfall-type trap onto an air horn. Mouse traps and caps seems more reliable and less time consuming. Thanks!

if you don't have time to piss around with caps just use large rat traps and tie it to a string, they make a loud snap that will alert you and possibly scare off animal.

[ROY-alty33]

Sounds like you aren't planning on sleeping that soundly anyway so fishing line and beer/tin cans do the trick

[Wild one]

Keep a clean camp and don't set your camp on a bear turd all should be fine

Unless you are setting camp in an area thick with bears I would not worry about it.

[caddisguy]

Yeah there's quite a few bears wandering around. On one hand that's why I want to go. On the other, I wouldn't normally camp there, but it's also not really practical to drive through nasty goat trails multiple times throughout the weekend, so we're just going to camp right in the zoo. I'll have a dash cam, regular cam and I'm going to point a trail cam at my tent just for fun.

Sometimes when I have bears come around I just put some rubbermaids and camp chairs around the side of the tent that my head is on... sometimes do the fishing line and empty can thing, but in this case I don't even want empty beverage containers anywhere near the tent.

I'm about to take off now, but I'm going to grab one of the personal alarms from The Souce over on Seymore street on the way out. Looks like they have a couple in stock. Thanks for all the help guys, I should sleep a bit better. I'm not a fan of doing the half-sleep thing... after a couple nights of that even after I get back home my brain still wants to give me a shock before I fall into a deep sleep. Wish me luck!

[hunter fisher]

good luck! 6'+ only :)

[steel_ram]

Put little scraps of meat in a big circle around your tent, so when a bear hits it, he'll go around your camp instead of through it. ;)

[mwalter]

Got to look out for those man eaters, they are everywhere. I like to set up a tent and use it as a bear decoy then I can sleep easy in the truck

[Big Lew]

My brother and I used to camp in an area with heavy black bear population. We set up our tent well away from any trails, kept a clean camp, and would pour the contents of 2 sardine cans into the hollow center of an old logging stump several hundred feet away from our location. Although we sometimes could hear the commotion, we never had any visits or problems with them.

[Fred1]

if its last minute, go to a dollar store and some mouse traps and fishing string and some caps for a cap gun(the paper kind in a roll not the round plastic ones that go in a revolver). set ur traps with a couple caps taped to where the metal parts comes down to catch the mouse and tie string like a trip wire and connect to trap. I used to do pranks on people with this when iwas a kid.

Ok that's great!! Im settin that up by my beer cooler at night..

[M.Dean]

Take 3 or 4 sleeping pills a good couple hours before your going to bag for the night, then guzzle about half a 40 pounder of Whiskey, and I'll bet your life you'll never know if a Bears ripping your tent apart trying to eat you alive! Or, if you can throw back the whole 40 without up chuck'in, you won't wake up even if a Sow with 3 Cub's are feeding off your flesh!!! Also, fill your pockets with 3 inch framing nails before bed, they won't stop the Bears from killing you and eating you well your still breathing, but at least the prick will choke to death doing it! Have a Great Trip!!!

[BCHoyt]

We just spent the last 6 days in remote area's of northern Van Isle for our bear hunting.. I have a pack alarm but chose not to bring it, the only night I wished I had it with me was the night we had meat hanging, we kept a very clean camp but I really didnt get a lick of sleep that night in the tent... Only thing that made me feel any better was the 12g in the tent with us.

[orest.06]

Dumb old bear bells on filament staked out around your camp area. Have your hunting knife & bright flashlite at the ready to get out of the tent with your bearspray in hand and lay down some pepper-fire for it to walk through(while backing away so you don't inhale it). If you use a gun and it's not a kill-shot or doesn't take out the shoulders----------------------see ya on the other side brother!

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Really! Is this thread really serious? What wild one said.

[Ambush]

I bought a Bear Defense portable electric fence. It only weighs a few pound, takes two D-cell batteries and encloses 24' X 24'.
I got it to keep the cows from knocking down my tent in Wyoming, but I haven't used it for bears yet.

[Steelwheels]

Do a circle pi$$ around your tent..

[bccanadian]

Princess auto in poco has a whole bunch of the personal alarms on the hook for $7 or $10. I can't remember the exact price. I almost bought a couple myself but when I added up what was in my cart. I'll get it next time. Go for 4. It will give you a better idea where to look if something comes into camp.

[325]

I bought a Bear Defense portable electric fence. It only weighs a few pound, takes two D-cell batteries and encloses 24' X 24'.
I got it to keep the cows from knocking down my tent in Wyoming, but I haven't used it for bears yet.

Smart. I have a UDAP electric food fence that I have used sheep hunting (horse transport). I put all my food within it, and have never had an issue. It gives one hell of a shock too (found that out the hard way)!

[olympia]

Got to look out for those man eaters, they are everywhere. I like to set up a tent and use it as a bear decoy then I can sleep easy in the truck

lol I always bring my bear rug with me when I hunt and lend it to a friend to use as a "blanket"

[olympia]

Really! Is this thread really serious? What wild one said.

come on man, the guy just asked for some ideas to make himself feel safer. Maybe he isn't an experienced woodsman like yourself, although an attack on your person in your tent by bear or cougar is unlikely he just asked for suggestions for extra reassurance. Don't tell me its not on your mind when you camp.

[steel_ram]

Honestly, when camped out in the woods alone in a tent, weirdo humans scenario's scare me more than any bear.

[Big Lew]

Well, when you consider how many people camp out in the woods compared to the number of unpleasant incidents, I really don't understand why many are so worried, even paranoid, about bears, cougars, and other animals attacking them at night in their camp. Like many other older fellow members of this site, I've camped in bear country more times than I can recall. Some were in places with very high bear numbers. Choosing your site well off game trails, traveled creek beds, or any other obvious travel routes, keeping a clean camp, and avoiding cooking or having anything smelling of possible food in your tent goes a very long way to avoiding problems. I would recommend using a perimeter electric fence (like the ones just mentioned) for those that just can't get past their fears. A friend of mine uses one around his bee hives with success.

[Foxtail]

The only scare I ever had in a tent was when I was on the west coast trail. Had a bag of peanut m&ms thinking it would be fine in the tent with me. Woke up to a mouse on my face... When I jolted awake, the mouse fell into my mummy bag... I did the super ninja dance for about 15 minutes while trapped in the bag while my buddy laughed hysterically. I wasn't really in any danger but I don't think I slept for 2 days.

[Big Lew]

The only scare I ever had in a tent was when I was on the west coast trail. Had a bag of peanut m&ms thinking it would be fine in the tent with me. Woke up to a mouse on my face... When I jolted awake, the mouse fell into my mummy bag... I did the super ninja dance for about 15 minutes while trapped in the bag while my buddy laughed hysterically. I wasn't really in any danger but I don't think I slept for 2 days.

You don't think the potential of getting bit in the jewels wasn't 'really any danger'?:confused::lol:

[Steelwheels]

Mickey or Minnie....??

[Argali]

You should sleep more soundly in the woods just knowing that according to long term stats, the probability of getting murdered in the lower mainland is approximately 1000 times higher than getting killed by a bear.

Other risks of accidental death in Canada compared to risk of risk of being killed by a bear:

1. car accident: about 10,000 times higher than risk of being killed by a bear
2. falling: 2500X
3. poison: 1500X
4. fire: 600X
5. drowning: 600X
6. choking: 500X

Horses kill an average of about 10 times more people in B.C. than black bears.

...but by far, the most dangerous animals in Canada are doctors and nurses!

Black bears should be the least of your worries....

[HarryToolips]

I just pi$$ around my camp, setup fishin line with metal/rocks..never had a prob..

[jhausner]

Bear fence if you're that worried. You're talking at most $400 for a good night's sleep which is important if you're hunting or moving around the next day with a loaded gun in hand. I have camped in the back country nearly all my life in everything from a tiny 2 person nylon tent to wall tents and RVs and I must say I still get butterflies in some locations when I'm in a little 2 person tent alone or just 2 of us. Even though technically a wall tent isn't any "less safer" if a bear decided to come inside (which is not statistically likely) but little nylon tents just feel like you're sleeping outside in the middle of the bush more I guess.

Bear fence if you're going to do it more often than not or get some use out of it. If you're just sleeping a couple nights and won't for years after, just sleep in your truck/car. Probably warmer in there too.

[NorfolkBoy]

You should sleep more soundly in the woods just knowing that according to long term stats, the probability of getting murdered in the lower mainland is approximately 1000 times higher than getting killed by a bear.

Other risks of accidental death in Canada compared to risk of risk of being killed by a bear:

1. car accident: about 10,000 times higher than risk of being killed by a bear
2. falling: 2500X
3. poison: 1500X
4. fire: 600X
5. drowning: 600X
6. choking: 500X

Horses kill an average of about 10 times more people in B.C. than black bears.

...but by far, the most dangerous animals in Canada are doctors and nurses!

Black bears should be the least of your worries....

Any one got any good figures for how many people spend how many nights camping in bear country every year? I'd be interested to compare hours spent in bear country/bear attacks and Hours spent behind the wheel/car accidents.

[Ambush]

Just remember this about odds. Even if it's one in a million, it means nothing if you're that one.

How many of you buy lotto's with much higher odds and still expect [hope] it to happen?

If it bothers you, buy a fence. My UDAP was $200 and I picked it up at Cabellas on sale. But I've never set it up for bear protection yet, only range cows.

[Aheny]

While the odds of getting eaten by a bear are very low per capita, if you adjust the statistics to only include people who sleep in a tent around bears (and adjusted to correct the number of actual nights you are in your tent around bears), you will find they are MUCH higher.

Still not very likely though. I've slept in tents all my life and never felt concerned about bears, although I do keep my rifle handy and try not to drink myself into a stupor

[caddisguy]

Got home yesterday. Though a little bit quiet, the personal alarm (from The Source) did its job pretty well. You can weave line through the speaker part to tie the alarm end. The other part is the pin with a string loop, so that's easy. No threat of rain, keeping it dry was not an issue. Had it all set up and tested in 10 minutes or so.

We set up in a clearing (about 250 sq ft) surrounded by thick stuff. We could hear whenever something was moving around. On the first morning, the alarm was triggered at 4:50AM which woke up the girlfriend. Chain reaction ensured and thus I was also awakened. I wish I had taken more time to get the trail cam up higher and aim it properly to get more of the perimeter. It would have made a pretty neat video to see the alarm getting tripped.

Lots of stinking fresh bear patties everywhere, but the closest we got to a bear was one walking through a creek with a hole lot of nasty thick stuff obstructing vision. Tried to get it to come to us with a doe call. It came a little closer, stopped and then went back into the creek. Other than that, we saw one doe and some moose droppings. Heard a number of grouse drumming in a different area too.

Someone else had been in there since last Spring and set up some really weird traps. One was just a bunch of sharpened sticks in the ground at a 45 degree angle on a game trail. The other was a snare wire hanging down from a tree. It had been tightened around 6 inches of jacket sleeve. Couldn't figure that one out for the life of me. I should have taken some pictures for the weird-stuff-you-find-in-the-bush thread.

And yes, I realize bears are rarely problematic. Though the majority of the population in which car accident versus bear incident per-capita stats are based on rarely leave city centers, the odds are still extremely low--2 or 3 serious incidents per year in BC and Alberta combined--for us and I have slept peacefully all over Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5 knowing that. Falling trees and limbs generally concern me more than curious bears/cats or howling wolves.

I have had bears come up to and even brush the tent. If that doesn't mess up your sleep a little bit, it's not because one has balls of steel, but more so brains of peanuts. Out of all the bears I have encountered on foot, I have only had one that didn't react by running away. It was a big old black bear that had come up behind me while I was crouched down attaching tippet to a leader. Just had that feeling and shoulder checked to see him standing on his hind legs, sniffing back and forth trying to figure out what the heck I was. I just stayed crouched down and greeted him with like I would a puppy "hello bear. how ya doin boy?". He got back on all fours, turned around and walked away. I'm sure if he wasn't a belly-dragging tank, he would have run off too.

Definitely more risk of getting hurt in traffic on the way, especially to and from the lower mainland on a nice sunny weekend where already bad drivers forget how to drive at all. That said, our plans involved sleeping in a bad spot and disregarding some general safety which we were able to compensate for, allowing for a psychological boost and a better nights sleep. It's like if you have to sleep by a bunch of trees in a wind storm, it doesn't hurt to have a look to see if anything might topple.

Thanks everyone who provided ideas and offered me their pack alarms.

[swampthing]

Do a circle pi$$ around your tent..

That works! Buy a gun as well.