Bear Canisters - Pacific Crest Trail

imported
#1

Reading about the bears on the PCT in the Sierras who are so tuned into hikers and their food that they have begun roaming over the high passes, and that lots of PCT hikers quoted in Yogi’s Handbook said that they didn’t carry canisters. ; most say that now one must ?? Any 06 PCT thru hiking nobos have thoughts to share ? Is it that the bear is coming for certain to your tent and when he finds your canister he just slaps it around and leaves it and you alone after that? Are the bear proof boxes at some of the Sierra campsites crowded with weekend folks and bears all hovering around the metal boxes, er what ?? Is it an offense punishable by fine for those who don’t carry a canister and plan/hope to use bearbox campsites ? Bearspray, Airhorn, firecracker,whistle ?? Assuming that most who read this have had experience with black bears in other states as well, whatzup with Sierra Bearras ? Muleskinner

Muleskinner

#2

“My” Sierra bear was so blase and workmanlike, that he didn’t even slap the canister around. I think by now many of them recognize the canisters and don’t waste too much time fighting with them. I had a whistle but i couldn’t find it, and truthfully i doubt any amount of noise would have phased the bear. This is the opposite of my Adirondack bear experience. It tried hard to get in the canister, and when we finally found and blew the whistle, it ran away.

Save the bear spray for grizzly country. And don’t worry about crowds before July.

markv

#3

The never-ending debate on countering Sierra bears…My biased opinions - gained from 19 years of hiking in the Sequoia / Kings Canyon backcountry.

There are campground bears and wild bears. Wild bears will generally avoid you - unless you are stupid enough to provide them irresistable enticements. Campground bears - particularly in Yosemite and the Kearsarge areas - will get your unsecured food. Almost always.

Don’t camp in established campgrounds - there are zillions of potential campsites in the Sierra - particularly if you are willing to haul water to a dry camp.

Canisters are effective, but heavy and with limited capacity. Don’t bring the canister into your tent - leave it outside, some distance away.

I do stealth camping, zip-lock bags, stuff sacks, into the pack, topped with sweaty stinky socks and clothes (I go solo), into the tent. Keep a whistle, pots to bang together, bear spray and trekking poles handy. Have never had bear problems.

Bear boxes are effective - and a list of locations is published. First come, first served. Arriving at a site already occupied by a scout troop probably means no room in the bear box.

If you are really worried and in a group, establish a watch schedule with someone awake all night to safeguard your stuff. Most wild bears will run from noise and thrown rocks - but think through what you’ll do if your bear doesn’t.

Don’t let bear concerns ruin your trip. Think it through, but also remember that these critters are amazingly intelligent and adaptive - and life is indeed a lot harder when you’re stupid.

booger

#4

If you leave food dust or crumbs around the cannister seals and dust/crumb particles lead back to your tent, the bear will enter your tent because their attention is focused solely on the food. If you’re inside and especially if you have food odor on you, the bear will eat YOU. Trust me, it happened to a friend … late friend, that is. :frowning:

John G

#5

There’s only one flaw to the camp bear-wild bear reasoning. The flaw is that many camp bears are being relocated into the “wild” areas. From what I remember reading, because these bears were returning from the wild to camps, they are being relocated further and further into the backcountry. That means you can’t guarantee the types of bears you’ll see.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Bear cans aren’t for human benefit. They’re for the protection of bears who have become too used to human presence. Bear cans are a pain- I’ll totally agree with that. But for the 2 weeks I spent on the JMT last summer, the bear can wasn’t THAT big of a pain.

Most hikers profess to love the wilderness. I think (my opinion only) we should show it by taking the necessary steps to protecting local wildlife.

Sharon

#6

You’ll want to set the can away from the tent. The Yosemite rangers gave a great talk at the KO in 06 on this. The bear will smell the food in the can, bat it about a bit and give up in short order IF you’re not a threat (eg it’s far enough away from your tent). Besides, you kind of want the bear to stay away from your tent. The bears know that the boxes can’t be broken into so they don’t bother.

Common wisdom is that the Sierra bears are like no others in the country. Your local bears might run, but the Sierra ones are quite bold in their desire to get at your food. A 06 gal had quite the experience with one stealing her pack (or food bag) when she was all of a few feet away from it.

Something else the rangers told us at the bear talk - they don’t (or no longer) relocate trouble bears. They’ll just mosey back to where the easy pickings are. They get shot. The cans aren’t all that bad - only a few pounds. The fixed boxes are liberally supplied where you’ll most likely need them. I carried the can from Kennedy Meadows up to Sonora Pass / Bridgeport and was glad I had it for the peace of mind - I would set it off 100’ away from my tent, knowing that a bear would go there instead of sniffing around me in the middle of the night.

Token Civilian

#7

I can echo what Token Civilian posted. The 2.5 pounds was worth the piece of mind. I also liked the flexibility to camp wherever I felt, instead of in established sites.

I think last year most of the bear close encounters happened closer to Sierra City and Belden than anywhere else for some reason.

Snail