When you are visiting a place that has habitation of bears, especially if you are camping, you need to be extra cautious. When bears come to campgrounds when they smell food, they can become habituated, which means that they lose their natural fear of humans. Not only you will lose your food, but you also have to face the bears which you will never want. Those bears are more likely to become food-conditioned, have dangerous encounters with humans, and be killed as a result.
This is why you must know about some ways through which they cannot have your track. They can easily do it by smelling the meals, so it is your responsibility to take every measure to safeguard your food. Further in this article, we will talk about some of the essential food tips that will help you in keeping the bears away from your campsite.
Some of the food tips for keeping bears away from your campsite
Source: pelican.com
Let’s check out some tips and tricks you can apply whenever you are camping. You must ensure you are prepared with everything so that you can have safe camping. You must be a little shocked to know that a bear’s sense of smell is approximately 2,100-3,000 times that of a human, which means they can easily sense food. That is why you must take the right measures to keep yourself and the food safe.
1. Choose A Campsite Distant From Locations Where Bears Are Prone To Congregate
Hiking paths and salmon streams attract bears. They can also be seen around animal corpses. You must always try to choose your campsite away from the places that can attract the bears easily. Similarly, a backcountry fire pit may draw bears if previous campers left meals. They get the smell, and as they know that spots already have something useful for them, try to be away from the places you feel can cause you trouble.
When setting up your tent, stay away from all of these regions. Set up camp in an open place where you can see bears and get to know when they are coming closer to you. If you set up your tent in between the trees, then it might be more dangerous for you.
2. Keep Your Food In Closed Containers, Especially At Night
At the time of camping, when you usually make food at night, don’t keep them in the open even if they are the leftovers. The aroma of the food attracts the bear faster, and it can cause big trouble for you. At night, keep your food in lockers.
Even if it is really hard to find the vaults, you can go for the containers, those kinds of containers that will be airtight yet do not spread the aroma in the air. If you are searching for such a small bear canister, you can check out bearvault.com. You can have snacks and small containers that are good for the hikers.
When you are hiking then, it is highly crucial for you to have food with you, and that is why you must go for the canister or containers so that the hiking or camping can be easier for you and if you want to stay at a place and want a big box for the storage for the night then along with container you can have the locker. Put the food locker in place. Make careful to lock the food locker to keep it secure.
Source: freshoffthegrid.com
3. Reduce Food Aromas By Consuming Canned Or Dry Foods
Food aromas are one of the most appealing to bears. As discussed above, food is the key factor that attracts the bear, and cooking fresh food increases your chances of attracting a bear. Try to avoid cooking meals as much as you can.
To keep you going, eat things like beef jerky, dried fruit, canned soup, and canned chicken instead of preparing items like hot dogs over an open fire. Always try to go for the dry options that do not spread any aroma in the air. However, because bears have a keen sense of smell, sticking to these sorts of meals will not suffice. No matter if you are a camper or a hiker, you must try to consume more dry or canned foods.
4. Place Your Cooking Area Away From The Campsite
If you are cooking your meals, it is very important to cook them away from your campsite. Place your cooking area at least 91 meters away from your tents. It will ensure that there will be no trace of food near your tents as that might have caused you problems with the bears. You should never leave traces, as wherever the bears will find the traces.It will become really hard for you to protect yourself from them.
Separate your sleeping and kitchen areas by at least an area of a field. You can also count steps, like 100-120 steps away from your sleeping spot can work for you. This will keep bears as far away from your resting place as possible, ensuring your safety.
Source: familyhandyman.com
5. Clean Your Surrounding After Cooking The Food
Keep your surroundings clean after you are done with your cooking or have taken your meal. Take your food waste away from your camp before going to bed. When camping with others, remove your garbage from the campground’s main trash can before retiring for the night.
The trash smell can also give the bears a hint that somewhere there are humans, and they can tend to follow you. Also, if possible, try to wipe out the place a little bit so that the bears cannot get any smell by sniffing. A bear will be less likely to visit your camp this way.
Takeaway
Next time you plan camping, you must ensure that you have taken care of all the essential things to have safe camping. All the tips discussed above will work for you as a guide and help you keep your food safe from bears.
