Sleeping peacefully in griz country

[Zootownelk]

Definitely cook/ store food, lotions, hygiene stuff away from where you sleep. I think the recommended distance is 100 yards or maybe more. I've never used a fence, but would consider it if in a high-density area of bears. I'm normally a spray guy rather than gun, but when camping in Griz country, I have both. When I'm hunting, I only carry spray, but I sleep with a .454 pistol and spray handy. If a bear comes into your tent at night, that's a predatory behavior, and you need to fight back with everything you've got.

 

[Sytes]

Part of my retirement plan is to amass a savings to last me 30 years, then when that runs out go camp in grizzly country Ala Legends of the Fall....

By then I shouldn't have to drive too far and the whole Rocky Mountain front should have a good bear population....

Sytes were you USFS? What years? I 've been in BTNF during elk season just about every elk season from 2006-2015 Wonder if I ran into you in that time....

Sorry, I didn't see this until the recent post. I was in '02 & '03. You had a great stretch, 9 years! Blackrock Ranger Station. We were funded off the initial Grizzly program. Received cash awards to pay us what the big wig felt we should be paid as they could not bump us beyond the GS 5 as seasonal employees.

If it was not a seasonal position w/o benefits, I would have married a pine tree. Best time!

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I know that a tent doesn't give much protection, but I feel it provides the barrier so that you can have a second or two so one can wake up grab their pistol, hatchet, machete, knife, etc to try protect themselves. I sleep with headlamp on head and pistol handy. When in Yellowstone I have hatchet on right side and machete on left side. I never get to worried or have trouble sleeping, but it never hurts to be prepared with a plan if the worst case scenario happens.

 

[Slam]

As far as I know there has never been a person attacked in a tent by a grizzly.

Terror at Soda Butte

Electric fence looks pretty attractive.

 

[wyoelkfan15]

As far as I know there has never been a person attacked in a tent by a grizzly.

What I do worry about is one destroying my camp when I'm out hunting, or running into one while hiking.

I don't leave any food, fuel or cook in my tent, and if I can, hang my stuff in a tree away from the tent. Bears like vinyl, rubber and petroleum products.

Grizzly Bears Captured After Fatal Mauling Near Yellowstone

A mother grizzly and two of her three cubs have been captured after killing a Michigan man and injuring two other people during an overnight rampage through a campground near Yellowstone National Park.

www.foxnews.com

It is rare, but it does happen.

 

[Gerald Martin]

One of the main reasons I have no desire to tent camp in established campsites in national parks. I don’t have a problem camping in grizzly county while hunting but have no desire to be a soft shell burrito around habituated bears.

 

[Sytes]

One of the main reasons I have no desire to tent camp in established campsites in national parks. I don’t have a problem camping in grizzly county while hunting but have no desire to be a soft shell burrito around habituated bears.

Dependency on other camper's habits... and that's a roll of the dice.

 

[RobG]

Pitched a tent at an outfitter camp on the NF Sun only to find a bunch of dog food left by the previous group.

 

[wyoboypt]

I know that a tent doesn't give much protection, but I feel it provides the barrier so that you can have a second or two so one can wake up grab their pistol, hatchet, machete, knife, etc to try protect themselves. I sleep with headlamp on head and pistol handy. When in Yellowstone I have hatchet on right side and machete on left side. I never get to worried or have trouble sleeping, but it never hurts to be prepared with a plan if the worst case scenario happens.

Why not A pistol in Yellowstone?

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Why not A pistol in Yellowstone?

For some reason I thought you weren't aloud to carry in Yellowstone, but I was wrong. So I'll be taking the pistol to Yellowstone from now on to. I guess I should of checked the laws instead of listening to people.

 

[FI460]

For some reason I thought you weren't aloud to carry in Yellowstone, but I was wrong. So I'll be taking the pistol to Yellowstone from now on to. I guess I should of checked the laws instead of listening to people.

I don't think you would have been wrong a few years ago. I recall congress changing the rules about firearms in national parks not too many years back.

 

[Dinkshooter]

No signs of why bear attacked couple in Alaska

A 300-pound grizzly bear that killed an Anchorage couple along a river in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was a normal 9-year-old male...

www.seattletimes.com

As far as I know there has never been a person attacked in a tent by a grizzly.

What I do worry about is one destroying my camp when I'm out hunting, or running into one while hiking.

I don't leave any food, fuel or cook in my tent, and if I can, hang my stuff in a tree away from the tent. Bears like vinyl, rubber and petroleum products.

 

[LopeHunter]

As far as I know there has never been a person attacked in a tent by a grizzly.

What I do worry about is one destroying my camp when I'm out hunting, or running into one while hiking.

I don't leave any food, fuel or cook in my tent, and if I can, hang my stuff in a tree away from the tent. Bears like vinyl, rubber and petroleum products.

Some fatalities are found after a destroyed campsite is encountered. The point of attack is not always obvious so likely not inside the tent but perhaps. Here are some tent and sleeping bag attacks:

Kevin Kammer, 48, male

July 28, 2010

Wild

Gallatin National Forest, Montana

Kammer was in his tent at Soda Butte Campground when a mother bear attacked and dragged him 25 feet (7.6 m) away. Two other campers in separate campsites were also attacked: a teenager was bitten in the leg, and a woman was bitten in the arm and leg. The bear was caught in a trap set at the campground using pieces of a culvert and Kammer's tent.[45] Later, the bear was killed, and her cubs were sent to ZooMontana.[46] The mother bear's unusual predatory behavior was noted by authorities.[46]

Brigitta Fredenhagen, 25, female

July 30, 1984

Wild

Yellowstone National Park

Fredenhagen was dragged from her tent during the night and killed at a backcountry campsite at the southern end of White Lake in Yellowstone National Park.[144][145]

Roger May, 23, male

June 25, 1983

Wild

Gallatin National Forest, Montana

May was dragged from his tent, and eaten at the Rainbow Point campground, northwest of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was captured and killed with an injection of poison.[146][147]

Mary Pat Mahoney, 22, female

September 23, 1976

Wild

Glacier National Park, Montana

Mahoney was dragged from a tent and killed at Many Glacier campground. Rangers killed two grizzly bears in the area a few hours after the attack.[166][167]

Julie Helgeson, 19, female

August 13, 1967

Wild

Glacier National Park, Montana

While camping near the Granite Park Chalet, Helgeson was dragged from her tent. Her boyfriend was also severely mauled. This incident became widely known as "Night of the Grizzlies" when two young women were separately attacked in Glacier National Park, Montana, by grizzly bears.[190][191]

Michele Koons, 19, female

August 13, 1967

Wild

Glacier National Park, Montana

Koons was camping with a group at the Trout Lake campsite. A bear invaded their camp, and while other campers climbed up trees, Koons was caught in her sleeping bag, and attacked. This incident became widely known as "Night of the Grizzlies" when two young women were separately attacked in Glacier National Park, Montana, by grizzly bears. Although Helgeson and Koons were killed on the same night, these were separate attacks by different bears approximately 9 miles (14 km) apart. Both bears were killed two nights after their attacks.[190][191][192]

Brown bear so not quite same as grizzly and was up in Alaska.

Rich Huffman, 61, male Kathy Huffman, 58, female

June 23, 2005

Wild

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

The Huffmans were attacked while in their tent at a campsite along the Hulahula River 12 miles (19 km) upriver from Kaktovik.[89] Two days later the campsite was discovered by three rafters while the bear was still nearby. The bear chased the rafters down the river for over half a mile (800 m) until it finally gave up. Later, a North Slope BoroughPolice officer investigating the scene shot and killed the bear at the campsite.[90]

 

[Redside]

If you added up all the attacks in tents and all the nights people sleep in tents in Grizz country over the years what do you think the % is? Less than 1%?

I'm more worried about walking up on one and surprising them than a tent attack. I sleep pretty good, but I don't sleep 100% carefree each night either.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

If you added up all the attacks in tents and all the nights people sleep in tents in Grizz country over the years what do you think the % is? Less than 1%?

.00007% for backcountry camping in Yellowstone
.000004% for campgrounds in Yellowstone

Per the USNPS website.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

So about the same as a kid drawing a sheep tag.

In every state, in the same year

 

[dragginwood]

I recently spent some time around the Tom Miner Basin in MT on an Elk Hunt. I packed in an old 2 person Marmot that is light and I believe it was worth having. Based on my limited experience I have a couple recommendations -

1. Put on enough miles and you'll sleep fine regardless.
2. Don't bring your wife unless you're sure she can hack it. My wife came, which I am grateful for, but the first night she woke me up every 5 minutes asking "Did you hear that? There's a bear out there..."

 

[JLS]

Whiskey helps too

 

[Bambistew]

Damn, thats crazy all those bears around the NPs eating tourists. I had no idea there was so many. I had forgot about that couple in ANWR, I didn't think they were killed in their tent, I think I must have been remembering the rafting part and getting chased. That's some hungry country up there.

Either way, I'm not going to lose any sleep over not having a fence while camping in bear country.

 

[OzzyDave]

Those stories just put the wind right up me. We don’t have a land based apex predator like bears.