Ridiculous if you don't know how a bear smells. First and foremost lets clarify something, I am not assuming anything about the readers this post is for information for those who have an interest in other things to think of when hanging your food in bear country.
As most of the experienced hikers already know there are two popular ways to hang food. Suspending the food between two trees as well as using a pulley system to accomplish the same objective. And we all probably know its best to keep it a ways from our tents about 90 or so feet. As some of you possibly already know bears are thought to have the best of smell of any animal on earth. Perhaps what you did not know is the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than humans, a blood hounds is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound or 2100 times better than a human.



As these pictures show hanging does not always work. Look at how strong this bear is holding his own weight with it's teeth.

So when we hang our food we have to think of ways to trick the bear about the smell. Each time we pack our food for the night as you all know some put it in a sack or barrel. Before you hang the sack or barrel always have some new black plastic bags and put your food sack or barrel into the a plastic bag and seal it as best you can. When your campfire is smoking at it's best attempt to get the plastic bag smelling of smoke as best you can. Now the bear can't smell the food.........

Very wise tips.

A lot of it common sense as per the bear's keen sense of smell, and thanks putting it so clearly for all to consider.

K

I wonder what that rope is made of or tied to??? or is this a light weight bear? determined bear though...

I've always hung my underware from the food bag? Not likely to start changing stratagies at this stage of the game. Most bears don't like what I drink anyway.

2100 times more sensitive smell than humans?

And you think putting food in a smokey plastic bag will actually fool them?

Any proof of this?

I don't know about the rest of you, but i'm sure as shit not going to trust a smoked black garbage bag to try to block odour. Double or triple seal it in some thing more sealable, or better yet use those Opsack bags...

By the way, given that alot of info out there says to hang your food, you're title would lead one to beleive that you are trolling. The latter part of the first sentence clears it up, but not to the reading comprehension impaired. Points over all for getting people to think about not attracting them in the first place, but potential fail on the smoked garbage bag.


No wonder why your last post went to pot with attention grabbing titles like that. Tsk tsk didn't you learn from the last one?

Those pictures are priceless.....

Baxter, please don't take this as overly critical but maybe you should be a little more circumspect in your topic headings (and, indeed, in the body of your posts). There's some interesting stuff here but I don't think it really adds up to showing that "the hanging of your food is ridiculous".

Having read your post a couple of times you seem to be saying that, if you are going to hang food, you should disguise the smell. You don't appear to be saying that hanging it is ridiculous per se. Is that right?

Following on from that, is it only "ridiculous" in cases where the bear might possibly reach the food, such as in the photos of the example you gave. What if it is not possible for the bear to reach the food, such as the food caches at Taylor Meadows, which I don't think any bear could get at (though I can't prove that)? Is hanging "ridiculous' in this situation?

Perhaps you could suggest an/some alternative(s) to hanging if it is ridiculous? Maybe it's not really ridiculous but the 'least worst' solution?

Just some thoughts.

I actually never understood about hanging the food bag.

I would think that the smell would dispere further out carried by the wind if you hung an object with food smells up high.

But i do usually hang my bag so it doesnt get "stolen".

Thanks Seboyle for your commnent. I certainly was not suggesting that one does not hang their food as we all know its done all the time. It was a catch phrase and after reading your post I realize its something I will consider in the future.......It will take some time.

Ex-smokers and non-smokers alike will understand smoke and getting rid of smoke smells and smoke odors. Whether the smell of smoke is in your home or in your car, you know it's one of the worst odors imaginable. So common sense would tell you just how much it would take to mask smoke smell. It also works in reverse. Try it. Get close to someone who smokes, can you smell anything else on them, you decide…I really don't care if you choose to ignore it or not it's just something that I was taught by an old Game Warden friend of mine who I respected and I thought it would be good to share.

Oh by the way in my other first posts I learned one thing as a result of several senior members giving me guidance. Don't get hooked by people who are just out looking for an argument. I don't argue.....If I wanted an argument I will just go to the local bar...Thanks to the members who had the courtesy to take this hint as just that another idea yours to use or not, all I know is it has always worked for me.

To hang food to this extreme you either have to be camped in the same spot for a long time, meaning many days, or the bears/bear are/is aware already that there is food hanging.

Most bears will scent the ground looking for the good smells and seldom look above.
Yes, bears have a very keen sense of smell but trying to locate and find one faint smell from 500 others it can smell at the same time the smell has to be more disticnt and stronger.

Those are great sitistics but like all the rest they never include the obvious and the experts think we are stupid.

Here's the rest of the pictures of that set which came out a few years ago on the net.


Most people on this forum don't make camp fires and are totally against them.

When I camp and have a camp fire I try to hang my food where the wind blows the camp fire smoke at night and I don't hang it very far away within 50 feet.

Smoke does not neccessarily hide the scent of food but bears in general do not like the smell of smoke.

Booeewen.....thanks for your interest, I now just typed in bears and scent smells on a Google search and was directed to this site. www.sectionhiker.com. In some of his comments he also used this same quotation that in itself gives the Old Game Warden comment to me some merit….enjoy the night

One truly effective way to store your bag of goods is to lower it far down off the edge of a cliff...
until Bears evolve opposing-digits and learn to pull a rope.