Alley-kat wrote: "
People laugh when I say it...
Predator-Pee, Wolf Urine.
Wolves are at the top of the 4 legged kingdom's food chain.
I've seen foot print evidence of bears in the Southern Sierra outside the area I've sprayed, but, never inside or close to the camper.
The question is if I did nothing, would I get the same results, and the answer is, I don't know.
It's easy, safe, not harmful to anyone and is not that expensive."
Consider that humans are pretty much on top pf the food chain.
I was taught many years ago by very experienced outdoors-men that urinating a circle around their tent, camper, whatever will keep the critters away. They were adamant that it worked. So I started doing the same when backpacking.
When backpacking I normally sleep out without a tent. I have done a lot of backpacking trips and tent camper out of a car in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado Arizona and Canada (plus a few trips in Wyoming, Montana and Nevada) over the past 50+ years and the only time I have ever had trouble is when I didn't urinate a circle around my camp.
The one notable occasion is when I was tent camping from a car in a National Forest Campground. A gang (gaze) of raccoons came into my camp and went through everything that I left out. One even came over to my tent and urinated on it while I was in it! The next night I made my circle. The Raccoons came into camp again - but only as far as my circle then they stopped and chattered loudly while walking around it but came no closer. They finally moved on and I went back to sleep satisfied that I prevailed.
I have slept out on a Backpacking trip when a Bear has come into camp and I was not bothered by the Bear.
I am convinced that this technique works consistently. Will it work every time? I have no idea.
Seems to me that technique would work around a camper as well. Cheaper than Wolf urine. However, I'll bet the Wolf urine works too.
;-)
BTW: When backpacking I carry one of the light weight Bear canisters my company makes (I am refraining from plugging my product here but the backpackers among you will know it as the light weight carbon fiber and Aluminum Bear canister). I also carry one when car/tent camping in Bear country where I will not have access to a Forest or Park service Bear box in a campground. Black Bears, in particular, are very intelligent and more nimble than a cat. Once they get rewarded by obtaining food they can become relentless and very destructive in their efforts, As a part of the development of the Bear canisters I interviewed a number of Bear experts in the Forest and Park service as well as tested our products with Grizzly and Black Bears - I learned a great deal about these animals and I have a healthy respect for them.
Bottom line: Make sure Bears don't get your food by leaving waste water, trash or food where they can get it. If a Bear can smell it and see it, it will try to get it even if it is in your car. In places like Yosemite and Sequoia as well as a few other places Bears regularly break into cars and tents to to get food. Success just makes themmore determined the next time.
Craig