Here in Eastern Ontario we are in a range where the bear density is about 40-60 bears per 100 square kilometers. Bears will travel up to 100 kilometers to a known food source. They don't forget.

In bear country, it is prudent, to be prepared with at least some knowledge. In my many years of experience, I have not had a confrontation with a bear. Probably, that is due to the fact that I have considered myself to be the intruder into bear country. As such, I accept the terms of the land, and that bears are silent, swift and powerful, and cannot be reasoned with.

I try to minimize the things that will bring insects and bears near me. While I like to travel quietly, I occasionally may sing aloud. Bears seem not to care for my singing style, for they have never come near me enroute through the bush. I don't carry food in my pockets. I don't wear scents. When I arrive at a campsite, one of the first things I do is to select a location for caching my food pack. All scented things like toothpaste, pots and pans etc. go there as well.

That means I leave the boat(s) at the shore. My sleeping zone is situated next, and last, the food cache is beyond that zone, somewhere distant from my camp. No food stays in a boat, and nothing is between me and my escape pod, the boat.

I string my food pack up very high above the ground and between trees. Now, when you do this, it is smart to again think like the creatures in whose territory you are a guest. Expect that not just bears want to taste your cuisine, but also squirrels and racoons. So try to arrange things such that small branches are not launching pads for jumping to your food. Be sure the pack is not near a place where a critter can just reach out and touch or drop down onto your cache.

Don't eat near your tent, nor feed the chipmunks, and don't leave scraps or pour waste anywhere near. It's all a matter of being prepared, but you're very unlikely to have such nomads visiting your site if you take precautions. It is foolish not to take precautions.

SAFETY

SAFE CAMPING PRACTISES

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A BEAR

BE SAFE IN BEAR COUNTRY

LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY

COMMUNITY SAFETY