RE: [Paddlewise] Bear Bags

I use the same system as Dave Kruger when camping in the Boundary Waters, 
where black bears tend to be more habituated to human food. Had only one 
bear in camp that I know of in over 40 trips averaging three nights each, 
and that one didn't get the food pack, though it did take a couple of 
non-food items I left on the ground. When camping on the Canadian shore of 
Lake Superior, where bears see fewer humans, I leave food in the kayak. In 
the Apostle Islands and other places where they are provided, I use food 
lockers.

One advantage of the two-line system Dave described is that you don't need 
a perfect tree. Two trees about 20 feet apart with branch stubs 15 feet off 
the ground work just fine. It's important to follow the rules for hanging 
food: at least 6 feet from the nearest tree trunk, at least 5 feet below 
the branch it's hung from (if using only a single tree), and at least 10 
feet from the ground. Most people who lose hung food violate one or more of 
these rules.

Cliff Jacobson tries to stack the evidence in favor of his method of hiding 
food on the ground by citing cases where bears got into hung food, but I 
remember the cases in his article in the old Canoesport Journal all 
violated the above rules. A friend of mine, Paul Smith, used to be in 
charge of the Forestry service crews in the western part of the Boundary 
Waters. These crews, who were frequently out for days at a time, always 
hung their food, yet Paul could remember only a handful of times they lost 
any food to bears. The one time Paul tried Cliff's system, a bear found the 
food.

In treeless terrain, where Cliff makes most of his trips, there is no 
alternative to hiding food on the ground, but where trees are big enough to 
hang food, I recommend hanging it. The Ursack, which I had never heard of 
before this thread, looks like it would be extra protection in either case.

Chuck Holst


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