Camping with kids....What to do about bear encounters?

We are planning a drive to Alaska on the Alcan through British Columbia. We may tent camp along the way in various roadside campgrounds. Do we need to be concerned about bears coming into camp? We will be traveling with young children, and the prospect of dealing with bears concerns us.

If bears do come into camps from time to time, what can we do to protect ourselves, or at least make ourselves less appetizing to the bears.

We are planning a mid-June departure with a return in early July.

Camping with kids....What to do about bear encounters?

First and foremost......keep all food products and toiletries out of the tent.......most campgrounds have bear poles.......hoist anything that tastes good (or smells) up that pole at all times......cook and eat away from the tent.....wash all dishes (yourselves) down good before retiring to the tent......Basically keep a clean clean camp.....also don%26#39;t keep any food in your car.......

You cannot have firearms in Canada but you may want to keep the following at close hand......

Pressurized Air Horn.....Noise in a can, gets a bears attention and I have heard it scares them off....

Traffic Flares......We have carried many many miles hiking in Alaska....They are inexpensive, readily available and water resistent.......They give off a hissing noise with sulphur smell and fire that is supposed to scare them.....

The bear spray has mixed reviews.....some bears actually like the smell of the pepper spray (and any wind could blow it back on you).....it%26#39;s also very expensive and I don%26#39;t think you can take it across the Canadian border.....

We have encountered many bears over the years and have been fortunate that they have all chosen to leave quickly when they were aware of our presence.......Just relax, keep a clean camp, make lots of noise in the bush and you should have a great time......

Camping with kids....What to do about bear encounters?

Also, do not approach moose. Although they may appear ';cute';, a mother with her calf is very dangerous and she will charge.

Bear spray DOES work. A bear%26#39;s snoot is over 700 times more sensitive than a human%26#39;s snoot, so a shot of bear spray is like a lightning bolt in a can. I%26#39;ve had the scary task of spraying a couple bears in my day. One was on the Glory Hole road near Hanes. That bear was MASSIVE. It was behind a clump of devil%26#39;s club leaves and partially hidden until it stood up to smell us. We fired one solid stream right at his head and he turned and shot into the brush like he was on fire. The second bear did nearly the same, but initially just laid on the ground in a weezing pile of fur before the second shot sent him lumbering into the woods. A third roadside spray had similar results with really little spray actually contacting the bear.

Okay...here%26#39;s the disclaimer. If it HAD NOT worked, I wouldn%26#39;t be here to tickle these computer keys so there aren%26#39;t many stories of it not working. I%26#39;d also add that bear spray is a last chance, mess your pants, plan Z proposition. Aviodance is your best bet. For those who discount bells, and spray...I will say first hand, they work.

And don%26#39;t expect your car doors to survive if there%26#39;s food SENT inside your car. When cubs get to about 2 years of age, they go to a special school to learn how to grasp the top of a car door and peel it down like a tin can. If you wondered, a 700lb bear WILL fit in a Civic.

Hide the food.

Moose tend to worry me more than bears. Like previous post suggest keep a clean camp. If flares or pepper spray make you feel better then bring them along, but they do not keep you on top of the food chain. If you are worried about bears then use your head and avoid them.

I wouldn%26#39;t lose sleep over the prospect of a bear visiting, but you need to be smart. Always keep food WAY out of reach of bears, hidden in your car, hoisted up a tree, or in a bear box. Without the food incentive a bear would be less likely to make a visit. Also, when hiking make noise so as to not startle a bear.

While in Denali a ranger filled me about BMW (Bear; Moose; Wolf). If you do come across a bear, the rangers tell you do not look into its eyes and back a way slowly. If necessary, use and air horn/pepper spray. Never actually approach a bear.

With meese it%26#39;s different. Most of the times they just want to go away, so it%26#39;s okay to just run away, they won%26#39;t charge. I forget what to do with a wolf encounter...

This should answer your questions:

nps.gov/lacl/鈥earsafe.pdf