By: Cliff Jacobson

Cliff Jacobson — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:17:44 +0000

I would NEVER put a food pack in my $4000 Kevlar canoe then anchor it off shore. Remember: if a bear can’t SMELL your food or SEE your food he won’t get your food. If he smells it and finds it, he WILL capsize your canoe to get it. You will then have a delightful mess and possibly a damaged canoe. Bears see very well. If one has learned that food comes in packs and he sees a pack in your off shore canoe, BYE BYE food. He may then take the pack in his mouth and swim it shore or a nearby island. It will be much easier for him if you’ve lined it with waterproof bags so it floats. You will never see it again. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing these make-shift, supposedly brilliant ways of deterring bears. I’ve canoed and camped all over Canada and Alaska for more than 60 years. I’ve had close encounters with scores of black bears, grizzlies and polar bears (once, during a four day “stay” (bad weather) on Hudson Bay, we counted 13 polar bears walking by our camp. In all my years of camping and canoeing I have never had a bear or any other animal get into my food. NEVER! Most people think that bears are stupid so they continue to try simplistic methods that don’t work. Truth is, unless you do something terribly dumb—like leave fish guts in camp, toss uneaten food in the woods near your camp or down the “throne”, etc., you probably won’t have trouble with bears. The exceptions are popular campsites in the Boundary Waters or Quetico, where people are careless with their food, and bears make daily rounds. Even in these places, you will probably be safe if you vacuum-seal your meals (to minimize odors) and properly dispose leftover food. I just don’t understand the huge disconnect that people have with the simple fact that black bears climb trees! And they climb very well. In fact, in Great Smoky Mountain Natl. Park, the black bears overwinter in nests they build in trees! If you’ve spent much time in the woods, you’ve probably observed female bears sending their cubs up trees when danger threatens. Indeed, a favorite technique used by fat momma sows (who have difficulty climbing) is to simply send the kids (cubs) up the tree that contains the hanging food pack. In the western U.S., park managers call these hanging packs “bear pinatas”. Really! You’ll find a dissertation on bears/food/safety in my flagship book, CANOEING WILD RIVERS, 5th Edition. Cliff Jacobson

By: Miro

Miro — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 23:25:12 +0000

Bears swim well like most animals. I read a blog post by someone who canoed over night between mainland and a group of islands 2 km away in Lake Huron / Georgian Bay in Ontario. They saw mamma bear with a cub swimming to the same island. During the day there is a heavy boat traffic in the area, so bears swim across over night to graze on blueberries then swim back. Also, in ALgonquin Park, a couple camping on island got killed by a bear that swam across over night. One more argument to not leave food in the canoe, unless zero smell comes from it ,which many times is not the case.

By: Chip

Chip — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:34:59 +0000

Or you could, via a game of rock/paper/scissors leave a guard in the overnight canoe?

By: Tom+Watson

Tom+Watson — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 15:41:39 +0000

Isn’t that method of anchoring called a Siwash anchor or similar?

By: Darren Bush

Darren Bush — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:25:01 +0000

“Now, forget that you’ve just sent your only means of transportation out to sea and sleep soundly.”

Perfect.

Comments on: The Bear Canoe: A Risky Way To Store Food Overnight

By: Cliff Jacobson

By: Miro

By: Chip

By: Tom+Watson

By: Darren Bush