PenMan
New Mexico
Senior Member
Joined: 05/31/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
 Offline
|
About the only time I don't see bears while camping is during bear season when I'm looking for them. Keep a clean camp and you won't have any problems.
Chris and Jane and two boys who use a tent
2007 Rockwood Roo 23B
2006 Dodge Ram 3500, 4x4, Crew Cab, 5.9 diesel
1996 Harley Davidson Electraglide
|
Champy2
Indiana
Full Member
Joined: 02/20/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Another suggestion for your personal safety is to park your tow vehicle as close to the trailer as possible and keep your key fob handy. If you get a bear sniffing around and you feel threatened, just hit your emergency button or the remote door lock.....for my truck this would start the horn blowing and possible scare off the bear.
2009 Jayco JayFeather 23B
2009 Dodge 2500 QuadCab 4x4 Cummins 6.7L; Prodigy; Equalizer WDH
|
Mountain Lover
Waynesville, NC
Full Member
Joined: 06/23/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
I guess I have to add my bear stories. Backpacking in the Smokies at camp 41 I believe, about 2 AM I was sound asleep in my tent and was startled by about 200 lbs. sitting on my chest. A black bear had become tangled in the guy-line for my tent and decided to just sit on his rump. He was outside the tent and I was inside under him. When I began shouting he slowly got up, untangled his foot and wandered off into the woods. The only damage was a tear in my new Northface tent. When my wife mended the tent, she pointed out the claw marks above the tear.
One other time in Cataloochee campground in the Smokies while in a pop-up, my wife needed to take a walk to the restroom around 11 PM. In the campsite next to us some tenters had left their cooler on the picnic table. A very large black bear had bitten down on their cooler and was banging it against the picnic table until he broke the cooler open. Needless to say, the next morning that young couple had to drive into town for a food run, and to purchase a new cooler. The next night their cooler was kept in their car.
Mountain Lover
2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel
2003 Nissan Frontier
2009 Jayco EXP 17C
.jpg)
|
campdaddy
Springfield Ohio
New Member
Joined: 07/17/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Two years ago we camped in Watoga State Park in WV in a popup. There were bears there but they really didn't cause any trouble. Black bears aren't really aggressive but they are determined scavengers. We did as the Park rangers suggested and had no trouble. We kept our food stuff either the refrigerator or locked in the TV. When we cooked, we always cooked out side and washed everything well before going to sleep at night. Also all trash was put into bear-proof trash receptacles at night. Bears did come into the campground at night but they just rummaged for anything left out. When the campers next to us left mid week they left some foodstuff in the fire-ring and that night we got a closeup of bear activity but nothing to be too concerned with. Three bears digging through the garbage.....that being said, we were adequately armed.
Gary & Sharon
DS '93
DD '03
CD's Camping Pics
05 Durango and 08 Cirrus HTT
|
pjs1660
ohio
New Member
Joined: 09/23/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
be careful about leaving coolers in sight in tvs. we were camping in the adirondacks a few years ago when a bear broke a vans window to get at the visible cooler inside
|
|
|
Chuck_S
Broadview Hts, OH, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/15/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
This a "you saw it" or "you heard about it" story? 
-- Chuck
'06 Roo 23SS behind '07 Expedition out of Cleveland
Our Photo pages
|
luvztheoutdoorz1
Lincoln, NE
Senior Member
Joined: 03/21/2006
View Profile
|
It is startling, though, to be awakened in the middle of the night by an animal going through a neighbor's trash. Luckily, the mountain lion that passed under my open bunk had his nose on the dog food that I had foolishly left outside in it's container. I slid off the bunk with heart racing at that one.
Linda
Scout, 2 year old Husky/Shepherd
2007 Jayco Jayfeather 23B
2001 Tahoe, 5.3
kayaks, sailboats, bikes
|
atreis
Yellow Springs, OH
Full Member
Joined: 08/29/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Ask the park rangers, listen to what they say, then do it. Really, they know the local population and what it's up to best.
|
pjs1660
ohio
New Member
Joined: 09/23/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
we saw the broken window and damaged cooler, they were in tents and were packing to leave. we stayed in a pop up for a week and only saw 1 bear all week never, saw or heard of any other problems that week
|
TheMcCullahs
Arkansas
New Member
Joined: 10/24/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
If you have the clicker to lock your vehicle doors with a panic button, keep the keys by the bed, if something comes prowling hit the panic button--it will make the headlights come on also.
Sheri and Mick McCullah
Russellville AR
Forest River Roo 21BH 
2006 Dodge Mega Cab tow vehicle
|
|
|
