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When preparing for a camping trip, it is essential to plan for what you may encounter in the wilderness. One of the most dangerous animals you may come across while camping is a bear. Bears are powerful, letting very little get in the way of their search for food.
Bears will break through car windows to reach food. Their sharp vision and excellent sense of smell allow them to see and smell food from far away. You must adequately secure all food to prevent bears from finding it.
This article will explain some basic information about bears, including how bears get food and what they usually eat. I will also discuss how to protect yourself and your belongings from being disrupted by bears and what you can do to keep yourself safe while in the wilderness.
Why Bears Break Car Windows to Get to Food
A bear’s relentless search for food can put you, your campsite, and your vehicle in danger of being attacked. Let’s take a look at the different things that spur bears to break windows to get to food.
The Diet of Bears
Although most bears are technically considered carnivores, they usually do not eat other large animals. The majority of a bear’s diet consists of plants and insects. If they eat another animal, it is usually a small one, like a fish or bird.
Because bears primarily eat plants, their food is scarce during colder months. During this time, many people encounter bears rummaging through campsites and garbage, looking for something to eat. Bears will also forage in areas where people often leave food out or feed bears. The bears get accustomed to eating food that humans eat, making them more likely to ransack campsites looking for sustenance.
How Bears Get Their Food
Bears usually hunt for their food. They often find their meals through their sense of smell. Bears have a powerful sense of smell, which means they can smell food and other animals from hundreds of yards away.
Although bears usually try to steer clear of humans, they are known to become aggressive if they are hungry and hunting for food. A bear’s strong desire for food means that if it smells something in a car, it will do whatever it takes to get into the car to take the food.
How To Stay Safe From Bears
Because bears tend to avoid humans for the most part, staying safe from them is simple and requires taking a few basic precautions.
Camping Safety
First and foremost, make sure you follow all the rules and regulations for any campsite at which you’re staying. Here are a few others tips for camping safety:
Keep Your Campsite Clean
If you keep food and garbage out on your campsite, it can attract bears and other animals. A clean campsite is vital in preventing bears from rummaging through your belongings and keeping yourself safe.
It is also unhealthy for bears to consume food made for humans, so keeping a clean campsite will prevent them from digesting something they shouldn’t, or that could cause long-term health issues.
Honk Your Horn
If a bear tries to break into your vehicle while you are inside of it, honking the horn is an excellent way to scare it off. Loud noises frighten bears, and a car horn is a perfect sound to make sure they stay away from your car. Loud noises also teach bears to avoid humans in the future, keeping others safe from potential attacks.
Stay in a Group
Staying in a group has many advantages when camping, especially when staying safe from bears. Bears tend to avoid groups of people for two main reasons. First, groups tend to create more noise than an individual, which deters them from approaching. Groups also make bears feel threatened, so the chances of a bear attacking a group of several people are very low.
Supplies To Bring on a Camping Trip
There are also a few common supplies you can bring with you to help cut down on the likelihood of a bear attack.
How Bear Spray Can Help Keep Your Safe
If you happen to come in direct contact with a bear and need to escape, bear spray is a great way to distract the bear long enough for you to make a run for it. Though it should only be used in case of an emergency, bringing bear spray with you on your next camping trip can help ensure you stay safe against bears.
Bear spray works like pepper spray for humans. It irritates the eyes and respiratory system of the bear enough so that it deters them from attacking people.
When selecting a bear spray, you want to make sure that you purchase one that is effective, easy to use, and adheres to the EPA’s guidelines for bear sprays. Selecting a quality bear spray ensures that it works how it should. The bear spray will stop a bear attack without causing severe long-term harm. Guard selfAlaska Bear Spray from Amazon.com is an excellent option because it adheres to the EPA’s regulations and sprays up to 20 feet away.
Accurate & effective, the Mace Guard Alaska Bear Spray has an advanced delivery system with a powerful formula to protect you from bears and outdoor threats. The power fogger spray pattern provides long-range protection up to 20 ft.
Use Bear-Resistant Storage Options
Properly storing your food and other personal belongings is the best thing you can do to avoid a bear breaking into your car. Because of their excellent sense of smell, standard food containers do not work to prevent bears from smelling whatever food you have at your campsite or in your car.
- CRITTER PROTECTION: The Major is critter resistant; the updated version features a tighter weave and more than double the tear strength of previous models
Keeping your food in a bear-resistant food sack, like the Ursack Major Bear Resistant Food Sack from Amazon.com, can prevent them from getting into it. This roomy sack holds about five days of food for one person, making it the perfect supply for an extended trip. You can also save any liquids in a special canister, like the BearVault Bear Canister from Amazon.com, which is considered an approved container by the National Park Service.
Lightweight Solo or Weekend Size: Lightest canister in this size category; Stores approximately 4 days of food; perfect for a couples weekend, or a 3 to 4-day solo trek.
Final Thoughts
Bears have a superb sense of smell and excellent vision, making them good hunters. Their sense of smell means that no matter where they smell food, they will attempt to get to it using any means necessary. A ravenous bear is no match for a car window, and they will break them to get to food if they smell it.
Keeping your campsite and vehicle clean and storing any food in containers can help avoid encountering a hungry bear. You can also prepare by bringing bear spray with you in case of an attack.
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