Camping in Bear Country 

Before you head out on a camping trip, research the area and plan ahead. The Sunshine Coast is bear country; bears are active from March through to December, primarily at dawn and dusk, but it is not unusual to see bears in the daytime foraging for food. Bears have an incredible sense of smell and can easily detect food items in backpacks, picnic coolers and vehicles. Whether in a serviced or back country campsite, managing your attractants is essential. Bear savvy camping practices help keep you and the bears safe!

This video is just as relevant to camping in back bear country.

Serviced Campground 

KEEP A CLEAN CAMPSITE

Never leave any food items, cookware or scented products unattended; store them in bear proof containers, or in a locked vehicle when you leave your site and at night, preferably in your trunk and/or out of sight. Bears can readily open unlocked car doors; soft top vehicles tent and hard-top trailers are not bear-proof! Never store food in your tent.

FOOD AND COOKING

• Never cook in your tent or tent trailer

• Cook 100 meters downwind from your sleeping area.

• Clean up promptly after meals and dispose of dishwater in washrooms or a dumping station.

• Dispose of garbage in the park’s bear-proof garbage containers.

• If you have no choice but to store garbage at your site, keep it in a locked vehicle.

• Do not store food, food wrappers, beverage containers or scented personal items in your tent or tent-trailer.

• Do not sleep in the same clothes worn during cooking.

back country camping

BEFORE YOU GO

• Pack low-odour, dry, compact foods; they take up less space and are less attractive to bears. 

• Pack biodegradable soaps and unscented personal care products when possible.

• Carry BEAR SPRAY and know how to use it.

SET UP A BEAR SAVVY CAMPSITE

Before setting up camp, check for bear sign: fresh scat, paw prints, overturned rocks, smashed logs, etc. and if there is evidence of bear activity, find another site. Camp in an open area and choose a spot away from animal and hiking trails, berry patches and rushing water. If you can’t relocate, be extra vigilant. When bears have previously been rewarded for coming into camp, they will often come back.

Designate three separate sleeping, cooking/eating and food storage areas with at least 70 strides or 100m between each one. If that is not possible, cook, eat and store food as far away as you can from your sleeping area.

FOOD AND COOKING

Store all food and other attractants in bear-resistant air tight containers, or suspend them between two trees (minimum of four metres off the ground and one metre from tree trunks). Avoid smelly foods: dried or prepackaged food is favourable. Cook at least 100 metres/yards downwind from your sleeping area. Plan meals carefully to reduce leftovers and store all dishes and pots with your food and at least 100 metres/yards from your tent. 

• Cook and pack up food and attractants before dusk. Bears are more likely to explore between dusk and dawn. 

• Never cook in or near the tent as lingering food odours are an invitation to bears.

• Don’t use, eat, drink or store anything with an odour in your tent or sleeping bag, including bug spray, deodorant, toothpaste, lozenges and lotions.

• Wash pots, dishes and clothes with food spills or odours well; dry them in your cooking area, not in your tent or sleeping area.

• Store the clothing you cooked in with your food in air-tight bags or containers away from your tent.

• Keep tent pads clean and free of food and garbage.

Pack out all food scraps, peels and garbage 

Burning food in the fire pit can attract bears and will not completely destroy odours, placing the next campers at risk. Odours and remnants remain long after you have moved on.

WASTEWATER AND GARBAGE

• Dispose of wastewater from cooking or doing dishes in a well-drained area downslope, away from your campsite and fresh water.  

• Do not bury garbage as bears can easily locate and dig out. Store garbage in air-tight bags or containers.

• Pack all garbage back out of wilderness areas

SLEEPING

pack your bear spray

Bear Spray is not a replacement for preventative safety measures but it is an effective deterrent to have in the event a bear is behaving assertively or is actually charging towards you - as opposed to what is known as bluff charging when the bear is warning you that you are too close and need to back away and give him/her space.

Do not spray your tent, gear or surrounding area with the bear spray: the dispersal of the capsaicinoid oils in the spray can actually act as an attractant. Only use bear spray in the unlikely event of a bear charging towards you. Refer to the section on bear spray for more information.

bear proof containment

Note, coolers are not bear proof, in fact, in some instances bears are so used to obtaining rewards from them that they have investigated empty, unused coolers. Your campsite may offer large bear proof lockers for food and supply storage. You can purchase waterproof hanging bags or bear proof canisters from a variety of outdoor stores. These are especially helpful if you are going camping in the back country.

L to R: Bear Proof Recycling and Trash Bins, Bear Proof Lockers, Bear Canister, Waterproof Hanging Bags