Respect Wildlife: Food storage and easy steps for hanging a bear bag

As we are in the midst of camping and hiking season, it’s important to remember how we can minimize our impact on the wildlife that we encounter in the outdoors—particularly in regards to food and trash. At parks and natural areas where there are facilities, it’s as simple as throwing away our trash and taking home what we brought with us.

When camping in more remote areas, we have to use a different set of skills to ensure that our food and trash are stored properly. Human food and trash can cause many problems for wildlife, particularly bears. When wildlife obtains, become accustomed to, and seeks out human foods and trash it can quickly lose its natural instincts, such as foraging or hunting.

Also, you will have a much more enjoyable and safe trip if your food and trash is kept out of reach of animals!

One method for properly storing food, trash and other smelly items is called a bear bag hang. Here are simple steps to successfully completing a single tree hang.

1. First make sure you have equipment you can use, which includes: durable Bags—nylon stuff sacks work well; 50 ft of rope; carabiners—this will help you clip your bags together and on to the rope.
2. Gather all of your smellable items to store in the bags. This includes food, trash, dirty dishes and cookware, deodorant, toothpaste and bug repellant.
3. Choose a tree that is 200+ ft. away from the cooking and sleeping areas of your campsite. Ideally, the cooking, sleeping and bear bag areas will form a triangle with 200ft. along each side (show picture on white board).
4. Choose a tree with a sturdy branch at least 12 ft. off the ground, and a minimum of 6 ft. from the trunk of the tree or nearest branch.
5. Attach a rock to one end of the rope and throw over the 12ft. branch, making sure it is 6 ft or more from the trunk. (This may take a few tries. Remember, safety is important, so make sure to clear the area of people when throwing the rock).
6. A variety of knots can be used at the end of the rope to attach the bag(s). Then clip the bags together and to the knot using your carabineers. Hoist the bags into the air—again, 12 ft. up and 6 ft. out. You may need a friend or two to help with this part.
7. Tie the free end of the rope to the tree, making sure it is secure and will not become undone overnight.

Remember, this bear bag hang is just one way you can properly store your food, trash and other smelly items during an overnight camping trip in the backcountry. By following these simple steps and using a few materials from your backpack, you can do your part to help Respect Wildlife.

Bears, bears everywhere...

October is a great month in Colorado. The air is cool, the leaves are changing, the fly fishing can be stellar and bears are on the move. I recently hiked into a little known creek near the Wyoming border to go for some big trout I'd heard stories about. As we left the trailhead, you could immediately tell this place was wild. Really wild. I've spent a lot of time in the woods in my 35+ years and I'd never seen the amount or size of bear scat (almost as big as my fly reel) that I saw on this day.



Needless to say, all senses were on high alert. In addition to the bear sign, there was a disconcerting amount of mountain lion sign as well. Scat, tracks, scratches, you name it. It has been some time since I felt that I was in such a wild place in Colorado. It was wonderful and unnerving all at the same time.

After a recent trip to the Tetons, I started carrying bear spray when fishing the wilds of Colorado, especially when I'm fishing by myself. It gives me a realistic way to defend myself in the event of a negative bear encounter as well as makes me feel a little less like a potential meal for a hungry bruin.



That brings me to a few points about being safe in bear country:

Bears, both black and grizzly, are most dangerous when surprised or threatened. Therefore, the first step to peaceful coexistence is to avoid an unexpected encounter. Make noise when you are traveling in bear country, especially in spots where visibility is limited by vegetation. Travel in groups of three or more and stay close together. Watch for bear sign—tracks, the smell of carrion, clawed trees, etc. If you smell a carcass, go out of your way to avoid it. Be particularly wary of a female with cubs. You don't want to come between mama bear and her babies, or any bear and its dinner.

When you camp in bear country, separate your cooking area from the place you plan to sleep by at least 100 yards. If possible, cook close to rivers where the smell of your pan-fried fish will be carried away by winds that move up and down valleys. Concentrate all odors in the cooking area. Do not bring food back to your tent. In some cases, you may even consider storing the clothes you cook in with food and other odorous items. Anything that smells should either be hung up overnight or stored in a bear-proof container. This includes toothpaste, soap and bug repellant.

Hang food from tree limbs 12 feet off the ground, 6 feet from the tree’s trunk, and 6 feet below the supporting limb, or store it in specially designed bear-resistant canisters or on-site lockers. Canisters are available for rent and sale at sporting goods suppliers and some land management agencies. Used properly, they ensure a good night’s sleep for you and a natural diet for bears. Hanging food can be tricky, so practice hanging techniques before venturing into the backcountry and allow yourself plenty of time before dark to get set up. Check with land managers about specific food storage requirements for the area you are visiting. The various national forests and parks in the Rocky Mountains have different regulations. Methods appropriate for one area may not be allowed in another.

Around camp be extra meticulous with food scraps and wash water—or anything that smells. Avoid creating leftovers because cooked food has a stronger scent than dried pasta, uncooked oatmeal or freeze-dried beef stroganoff in a sealed-foil package. Food scraps should be double-bagged, stored with your food and carried out of the mountains. Leave a clean campsite so that you don't inadvertently endanger others who come behind you.

Disposing of wastewater in bear country is tricky. Once again, your main goal is to keep odors out of camp. If you are camped by a large volume river—at least 10 feet wide with substantial depth—you can pour strained wash water directly into the river to help disperse any odor. If you are not by a river, consider digging a small hole and sumping your wastewater. This practice concentrates odors in one safe location well away from your camp, however, animals may be attracted to the smell and dig up the hole in search of food. For this reason, sumping is not recommended in areas of high use. In these places, you should walk well away from camp and scatter your wastewater.

There's nothing quite like spending time in the woods where large predators live. There's just something almost indescribable abut it. It can quickly make one realize how we, humans, are just one part of the big picture. It's a pretty amazing feeling.

Trip Planning 101

Hello all!

Thanks again for those who participated in this week's poll.

The question was: "When planning your food supply, you should..."

The answer with the most votes was also the correct answer (nice job!) or B: "Re-pack dried or freeze-dried food into lightweight plastic bags."

What's the rationale? Repackaging food helps you conserve space and minimize waste when you are on an outdoor trip. Many food products come with several layers of packaging (a plastic bag, a cardboard box) and by repackaging, or taking out a layer, you'll free up more space for other gear and you'll have less trash to pack out.

The other choices brought up some interesting points. Stuff sacks are great for food storage and bear hangs. Containers that minimize food smells are especially important at your campsite, to avoid attracting wildlife, as well as to properly store food. Fresh foods may be okay for a short trip, but they can add weight, and trash if they spoil, so make sure you use these items first.

For more information about planning for trip, check out the Leave No Trace principle Plan Ahead and Prepare on our website.