Tie a small stuff sack to the end of your rope and fill it with a heavy rock. The heavy weight makes it more accurate to throw and less likely to hang up in tree branches.

The stuff sack is also lighter than hauling a special rock around.

Just want to make it clear that I don't support the pet rock idea either, lol.

Like Packrat suggested, just put a rock in a ditty bag, works great.

To suggest just leaving your food bag on the ground is totally irresponsible in my books! How tough can it be to set up a secure bear hang, really?

When in alpine areas or places where trees aren't suitable for hanging food, look for bluffs and steep rocky places to hang your food off from. Bears are better tree climbers than they are rock climbers.

Mice, on the other hand, can climb any tree or cord and easily climb rock up to 5.11. Hang your food upside down, with the SECURED opening on the bottom, with a piece of tinfoil just inside the opening (to discourage teeth) and a tin "hat" on the uphill cord (to discourage down climbing mice". This will help "some" with mice, but does wonders when it rains.

I've been thinking of getting one of those canisters.. But they're pretty heavy, and you can't get much into them, looks like..

I usually put all my food into the other persons tent we camp with..
If alone, its within a few feet of my RMT 870 [)]

Sure if you cant hang it proper, like it can be in many Alpine situations, either keep it on you, and stay up all night guarding it, or keep it out reach as best possible 100m+ away, and try to scare off any intruders if you can..or just bring no food at all and threaten to eat the bear instead.

We were on a moraine, and dug a hole and then lined it with rocks. Then piled rocks on top. PITA, but saved our food from very aggressive rodents.

I hang as best I can depending on the local tree or rock bluff situation but it can be pretty slim pickings in the alpine or subalpine. However. I've never had a problem with bears, mice or other critters. What's worked for me is to store all food in freezer grade ziplocks and then all those go in a dry bag for hanging well away from camp.

In many ways, neither do I. I don't suggest it but it is what has worked for me. If I were hiking longer distances, I wouldn't. At any rate, it's not hard. It'll take a few tries, but it's well worth saving a bear's life. You don't need an excessive weight, but you need about 4-8lbs to counter the friction of the branch on the rope. A necessary skill for a backwoods camper, anyways. It's nonsense to think it doesn't discourage wildlife.

I have the bear canister....it is a bit on the heavy side but holds more than you might think. It also makes a nice stool or table. The only place I didn't use it is Yellowstone because they've built very robust, "H-style" structures at each back country campsite. They take they're bear/food control very seriously.

Also, what do you do with it? Do you still need to hang them, or can you just set it somewhere away from your tent?

I like using my bear canister at times also. I just stash it on the ground somewhere out of obvious sight away from the tent.

I like my bear can too. I love that I can cram everything smelly into it and just huck it away from my tent with no worries. Yes, makes a great stool...and nice to put it into a lake or creek to keep things cool (if you need to). Big drawback is the weight, and space it takes to carry...but that's what my son is for! ha

Seen this today:

http://www.backpacker.com/ask_a_bear...s/nature/15179

It depends where I am and how likely I consider a bear encounter, but I will either suspend from a limb that reaches far enough out that a bear can't reach it from the truck, but small enough as to not support a black bear. If no suitable trees are around (ie sub-alpine) I will generally suspend between two smaller trees so that at least marmots and mice will have to work for it. In that case you are screwed if a bear comes by, but at least it deters some smaller varmints.

I also shoot a warning shot at any bear I see, not to try hit them [outside of bear season], but to scare the shit out of them so that they are afraid of humans. Hopefully they learn to associate humans with pain, even if it is just pain in the ears. I do NOT recommend this if it is a sow with cubs, if you are in a busy area, if you don't have a safe direction to shoot, or if it is your last bullet. The few times I have done it, it seems to work pretty well though. The bear takes off running like there is a crazed madman with a gun chasing him. [}]