The Camp Setting

Campsite location

There are many things to consider when selecting a location for your camp which minimizes the chances of an unwanted bear encounter.  Not only do you want to avoid seasonal high-use areas but also avoid doing those things which may elicit bears’ attentions and subsequent curiosity.  Consider these site selection criteria: 

Issues of Previous Use

• Ask the land managers prior to striking out on your trip if there have been bear sightings, and certainly bear problems, in the area into which you plan to hike and camp.  This could be very valuable information and at the very least will assuage unfounded fears.

• If you are using a site which has obviously had prior use, check the area for signs of obvious bear activity: diggings, scats, and the like.  I'd check the firepit to see if any old garbage remained from previous campers.  If it appears that people before you have been messy and slack in their food handling, I would pack up and go elsewhere.  Similarly, let's say you find bear scat in the area with the debris of ingested trash.  Pack up and leave.  The last thing you want is a food-conditioned bear in your camp at 2 am.  

Sensory Issues (sight-scent-sound)

• avoid areas with poor visibility which may diminish the bear’s ability to see you ( and you them) at a safe distance (not only vegetation, but also topographic concerns)

• avoid areas which are naturally noisy such as those near heavy wave action, rushing streams or roaring waterfalls.  Such areas will deprive both you and bears the chance of hearing each other until very close... too close

• avoid windy areas if possible - areas which will whisk your scent away from the bear

Bear Habitat Quality

• avoid bear seasonal foraging areas (streams - berries - horsetail - sedges)

Bear Movement Corridors & Restrictions

• avoiding areas which concentrate bear movements (e.g., ridge lines, narrow valley constrictions, shortcuts from river to lake, etc.)

• use terrain and natural features to your advantage when possible: cliffs limit approach paths; knoll tops provide good view sheds but may well advertise your presence to bears which would otherwise pay no heed...consider that too; very thick brush can passively route bears around camp;  water is not necessarily a deterrent to bear approaches.

Avoid Piquing Bear Curiosity

• consider earth tone colors - use camouflage tarping when feasible so that your camp doesn’t broadcast its presence to the greater surrounding area with its loud colors and novel shapes

• manage the information you send out into the environment: sight/sound/smell; on of the hallmark traits of bears is curiosity and an insatiable urge to investigate the novel therefore don’t advertise your location with bright colors, oddly shaped ‘novel’ tent outlines; keep the noise down; keep smells under control.

Camp Layout  - the physical layout of campsites should be with bear safety in mind:

• place sleeping tents in the most secure areas - space them out linearly (not in a circular pattern) which not only provides the bear more options for leaving but is also safest with regard to hazing away curious bears.

• consider putting the most experienced people on each end of a line of tents so that someone with experience can deal with bears which may approach either end

• keep the cooking area, food and any scented objects at least 100 m downwind from your sleeping area

• when laying camp out, use the vegetation and topography to your advantage: extremely thick brush limits the possible approach routes for bears and focuses your attentions in the most likely directions just as a camp backed up to a cliff has 180 degrees less concern than one in an open meadow.

• brush in bear trails that come to camp so as to deflect their movements away from, rather than into, your camp

Food Storage & Preparation

• use bear resistant food containers (BRFC) for food storage when possible.  If you do not have a BRFC, then attempt to hang the food at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from the nearest tree trunk.  If not trees are available, hang the food from a cliff. If no cliffs are available, secret the food at least 100 m from your camping area but be aware that it may be gone by morning.  A word to the wise: if bears get your food, please do what you can to report this to the proper authorities. Your accidental loss can become someone else's tragic loss.  As Steve Herrero's book "Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance" clearly points out, common to the lion's share of National Park bear mauling fatalities was that the bears responsible had been conditioned to human food.  

• handle wastewater appropriately:all washing/cooking liquids should never be drained in or around camp (water from boiled pasta, etc) - bears will key in on it

• manage stove fuel carefully!  Fuel spills are strong bear attractants, especially diesel and kerosene - refill Coleman stoves and lanterns with funnels and over spill containment

• all excess food should be zip-locked and placed in BRFC’s when not in use

• make certain that personal tents are entirely devoid of all scented products: toothpastes, lip balms, snacks, etc.
• odiferous objects in any tent should be stored safely so as to minimize scent (e.g., pepper sprays should be secured - especially in unfenced camps)
• loud noises may work for/against you: bears find novelty in any form of interest so loud noises may not only alert them to your presence but may also attract them - this is also counter to a wilderness, low impact, ethic
• human excrement/urine attracts bears and should not be near your campsite.  If your camp is near the ocean, one of the most effective means of handling human waste is to discard the waste into the surf; keep a “pee bottle” (mark it well: NOT FOR DRINKING!) in your tent and discard later distantly from camp. Remember: when you are relieving yourself (particularly defecation) you are sending a potentially attractive scent signal downwind - be wary and beware of wind direction and approach! 

Other Bear Safety Considerations For Camp

• as a group, determine where your camp perimeter is and agree that when a bear comes within that perimeter that it will be hazed away; discuss a hazing strategy (begin with low level hazing and increase it until the desired effect is achieved) and agree to it
• as a group, discuss what you will do should a bear come to camp in the night: who will respond with deterrents and who will back them up; what if a bear is near a tent?  How do you respond as a camp? 
• discuss what to do should someone be attacked - these things should be discussed in camp and everyone clear on the action plan.
• as a group, discuss the use of bear hazing options and the need to carry them at all times; what is required/what is not; leaving camp unattended - who is responsible for what?
• what about headphones/walkman use?  These seem inappropriate for outdoor use...but if someone must have them then make sure that someone else is listening.
• make certain that bear deterrents are available while cooking - don’t get caught with nothing available or in its case... deterrents in packs are useless
• make certain that your tent is set up well at night before retiring:  have a flashlight handy, as well as pepper spray and a flare gun or other scare device.  Be prepared for the worst case scenario and you will sleep better
• If you are camping in particularly high use bear country, as we often find here in Alaska, you may opt to never leave camp unattended... if the probability of a bear entering your camp is high then I would seriously consider not leaving it unattended... or camp somewhere else.