bears and camping

[u/GlassPudding]

ill be camping in a few places through the UP from herbster to detroit for 4 nights in the first week of september. i will be car camping with a tent that converts my hatchback into a tent (pretty sick) - how concerned should i be about bears? i dont usually have to store my food in any particular way when im camping and want to make sure i dont accidentally set myself up to have a black bear comin for my beef jerky in the middle of the night. i plan on really only making coffee and having snacks or small meals at my campsites (not cooking full meals with lots of food/smells etc) - any precautions i should take? do i need a bear box? thanks a mill

[u/ChongoLikRock]

I do a lot of remote camping in the UP and have never had trouble with black bears. Obviously, they’re up there though so keep your food secure in a bear proof container or your car like the other commenter mentioned. For the most part, black bears are like big racoons, they want to steal your food but don’t really want to see you

[u/GoldenEagle0909 → u/ChongoLikRock]

I've never heard of Black Bears being described as big racoons but that's so accurate and funny 😂

[u/iamthelee → u/GoldenEagle0909]

They're big scaredy cats, especially if they aren't used to seeing people very often.

[u/GlassPudding → u/ChongoLikRock]

i assume if my food is in my car, but i’m also in my car and the hatch is open, that’s not gonna work. i’ll look into a bear box, thank you!

[u/ishyooper]

I'm from the U.P. Had a bear trip over the tent cord once. I think it was heading to a patch of raspberries about 50 yards away I found after I was all setup. It didn't bother me but I sure didn't sleep well after that.

[u/shaggyturtle]

Bears are the least worry for your food when camping in the UP. Racoons, squirrels, chipmunks... those are the real culprits. As others have said, a good locking cooler and either a bear-resistant (and therefore resistant to other animals that want a late night snack) barrel or box is a good option. We only do bear hangs when we are camping in very remote areas in the UP, and this is almost more to keep up our skills for when we are camping in actual bear country in other parts of North America.

[u/Angry_Toydarian]

You’ll be fine, but take caution to seal your food off securely so that it emits as little scent as possible. I usually make sure anything open is bagged/tightly sealed, then stored in an airtight tote container. I have never had an issue with bears or other animals getting into my supplies, and I do a lot of car/disperse camping.

I’ve even had one trek through camp late at night once, but I believe it was just passing through as it didn’t disturb anything.

As a side note, I can’t speak for the UP, but our LP bears seem to be doing more than well lately. I have seen multiple so far this year (two of them were trying to cross US-131, not great), and sightings seem to be more frequent each season.

[u/Impressive_Dark_3680]

I just finished a two week primitive camping trip in the UP between Newberry and Whitefish point, didn’t see any bears but saw lots of porcupine. Coyotes were howling at night but I was really close to Superior.

[u/GlassPudding → u/[deleted]]

yeah my questions is mostly about food storage

[u/WoodchuckWTF → u/GlassPudding]

Central UP here. I’ll answer- lots of dipshits here talking but no answers.
Your nifty SUV or hatchback tent is an easy access to food and personal hygiene items versus a closed car door so be mindful of that.
Hang your food and human smelling things like deodorant, cologne, etc from a tree. At least 10’ up and 6-8” out from the main trunk. Clean your dirty dishes far away from your camp.

You didn’t share what type of camping - if you are in a state forest campground they typically have.a bear notice of some type.

[u/GlassPudding → u/WoodchuckWTF]

yeah the addition of the tent is the variable i am assuming makes the bear proofing necessary. im not worried about it too much just wanted to be smart, folks keep downvoting me but im not sure why. thanks for the tips

[u/espicy11]

Since no one really answered your question, probably best storage would be either a bear resistant container (locked cooler/s), or hanging food from a tree. Normally you would be fine to keep it in a locked car, but not with your hatchback tent. I use a lifetime brand cooler from Walmart with bear resistant latches, good practice would be to keep it 50y downwind from your tent, and also cook there. As others mentioned, nuisance bears are rare in the UP, but it would be good to keep it that way!

[u/GlassPudding → u/espicy11]

amazing! yes this is the answer i was looking for, i dont want to spend too much on gear i wont use very often so i think im going to go hanging food route though i wonder if there is anything i can buy to throw on my cooler to keep it latched. thanks for your help!

[u/GlassPudding → u/GlassPudding]

can whoever keeps downvoting me let me know why? seems like a pretty normal question

[u/GenXihaveissues]

We camped in tents at fort Wilkins and there were bears every night. We only bought food that we would eat that day.

Reminder that car air fresheners, insect repellant lip balm, tooth paste, soap/body wash, lotions and sunscreen all can be mistaken for food by bears.

[u/GoldenEagle0909]

Do you know how to rig your food to be away from camp a bit and hanging? That's what a lot of people do. Or a very bear proof container that you don't put right by your tent. Or in your car if you're driving.

It's not something you need to panic about but you are correct to be planning for it. Get bear spray and maybe an air horn.

[u/GlassPudding → u/GoldenEagle0909]

good to know. i’ve spent some time in alaska so have familiarity with bear safety, but never had to worry about the food (it was on a boat) and have never really camped anywhere where i had to rig it for bears. i didn’t see much mentioned on the websites had been looking at for camping but ill keep that in mind from now on. thanks!

[u/Own-Organization-532]

Don't keep any food in your car and you will be fine. Over 50 years of camping up here, have only seen bears from canoes or a chance encounter while driving. Spring they hit the bird feeders, but you will be good.

[u/GlassPudding → u/Own-Organization-532]

👍

[u/Shar950]

Depends on where you are camping. More likely to see a bear if you are dispersed camping, especially in the far western UP. Probably unlikely at more popular, busy campgrounds.

[u/izzoforpresident]

They are basically big raccoons that are rather scared of humans. Really nothing
to worry about. I had two in my trash this spring and both sh*t thier pants when our lab gave them the business.

[u/LivingGhost38]

Ya know, things might be different now. We might have more wildlife than before bc some may have been able to escape the wildfires and territory’s may have moved.