In
well traveled areas, animals have often come to associate
campsites with free food handouts. There are few things
you can do to reduce problems with animals.
Keep
food in airtight containers when not in use. The large
blue "food barrels" available from most outfitters is a
good way to do that. Other well sealed containers can
also be effective.
Bears
are not the most common animal problem. Racoons, mice,
squirels and chipmunks are more likely to be a problem
than bears. Keep that in mind when handling and storing
food. An unsealed gorp bag left unattended in a pack
while the canoe is being portaged may prove too much
temptation and result in hole where a squirel or
chimpmunk has gained entry.
If you
decide to hang your food to protect it, do that well away
from any trees. Tying butterfly knot in the middle of a
rope strung between two trees is a good way of getting
food packs away from a tree. If you are concerned about
bears, you may want to hang your pack just high enough to
keep a bear busy for a while. You don't want them to go
exploring a tent just because they couldn't get into the
food pack. Instead, hang it high enough to be a problem
and tie your pots on the bottom to act as an alarm. Might
scare the bear away with luck, if not, at least it will
wake you up in enough time to figure out what to do. If
you do hang your food, use a pulley. Ropes dragged over
branches damage the trees. Many paddlers feel comfortable
keeping their food in air-tight barrels and moving those
away from the campsite for over night.
Be open
minded about what could be considered "food". Animals
don't read labels, they use their senses to detect food.
Some items that we may not think of as food can attract
animals. For example: bars of soap are often nibbled by
rodents. There's a verified report of one grizzly bear
that walked past some freshly baked muffins cooling on a
rock, but stopped and ate the bar of soap near the
river.
Don't
wipe your hands on your pants while cooking. Wear an
apron or keep a cloth handy to wipe your hands. If you've
been preparing meals and have wiped your hands on your
pants, you're bringing all that food smell into the
tent.
