Prevent Bears From Coming Near Your Campsite

There are plenty of things to take into account ahead of going for that camping trip and the most important of all is preparation what gears should be brought along.  These important camping equipments include tents, sleeping bags, food, and other small but equally important equipment such as bug repellants, flashlights, and mobile phones for emergencies.

These customary camping gears will continuously be part of the open-air experience but when venturing and settling yourself and other individuals in the wilderness, there are some dangers related to it.  Deers, raccoons, and squirrels are not the type of creatures campers are likely to worry about but other predatory creatures like bears is another matter.

Although bear attacks are rare, it wouldn’t hurt to take precautions particularly in a place such as the wilderness.

There are a range of things where running into bears can ensue because of the activity of campers.  One of the most common is the smell of food campers bring or cook.  Bear attacks come about when they feel they are in danger and the most dangerous of all are mother bears whose cubs are in close proximity or wild bears who are not afraid of people.    Bears seeing people as food could also transpire especially if those bears are in their young adult stage and have not seen people before.

Before you establish yourself on a certain campsite, be attentive of your surroundings first and look for any bear activities like bear tracks or animal carcasses which are signs of a wild animal just having its dinner.  There is a possibility that the carcass might attract other scavenging animals or the animal who killed and fed on that carcass itself. 

In a site where there are ample berries, you may also want to get as far away from that site seeing as bears are also voracious feeders of berries.  Bears also like to be close to water, dark and thick forest, and cliffs.

Upon setting up a campsite, make sure to lessen your food scent emission or, if possible, you can also hang your food high up on a tree where bears can’t get to it.  When cooking food, make sure your tent has a considerable distance from where you’re cooking and you may also want to change clothes afterwards to get rid of the smell of cooked food on you.

Eating your food inside your tent could also invite a bear encounter.  If food becomes the reason why a bear gives you a visit, you can attempt to make it go away by making noises or shining your flashlight in its eyes.  On the other hand, if these things don’t work let it delve on your food or try to climb up a tree if you can.  You should focus on your own safety above anything else.

It is also better to camp with others than just by yourself.  The more you are in a group, the less chance of bear encounter could occur.  If you have kids with you, don’t let them out of your site, specially duriong the night.

Getting a bear deterrent spray is one way to prepare for going camping.  You can get bear sprays on most camping equipment stores.

If a bear visit your campsite and you don’t have a bear spray, climb a tree if you can or if you have bonfire, pick up a torch to discourage the bear to come near you but don’t make any aggressive actions unless the bear is really coming after you.  Do not run away as this will encourage it to chase after you.  The best course of action is to stand your ground. 

If worse comes to worse and a bear is already trying to maul you down, curl up in a fetal position and protect your neck and face with your arms and hands.  If you have an opportunity to hurt its eyes, go for it.

A safe camping experience will always require a camper to always be ready for anything.