So….when cooking while camping – how do you deter animals from coming into camp?
Posted: September 1st, 2010 | Author: Mitch | Filed under: Camping Recipes | Tags: amp, aromas, bathroom facilities, dirty water, grease | 5 Comments »We’re camping in an area that is remote (25 miles off highway) – but in a campground that is well populated. There’s a lake nearby, bathroom facilities.
I will be cooking foods such as meat that will give off aromas & he grease after ward will linger I’m sure.
Also – if I wash the pans w/ water & pour the dirty water out that too will smell like food (the spot the dirty water is poured).
I get that everything should be washed, food should be tightly stored – but the cooking & cleaning has me stumped.
I’m a wilderness camper. There are really two different concerns. One is small animals like raccoons, and the other is bears. The small animals can be annoying, but aren’t a real threat. But bears can be. The problem is that you are going to be in a spot that has campers all the time, or at least a lot of the time. So, you have to deal with the stupid things others before you have done. Bears learn where they can get food easily. So, even if you don’t do stupid things, bears can still be a problem. We NEVER cook near out tent. We keep NO food in our tent. We hang ALL food high up in trees. I’ve been wilderness camping for about 30 years. I’ve had bears right in camp many times, but only a couple times did the bears actually become threatening. Only once did I have to kill a bear. I personally wouldn’t camp without weapons. But, millions do without a problem. I do recommend you get one of those aerosol can fog horns. A blast from that will usually scare a bear away.
Do not cook foods in or near your tent. If possible store your food away from your tent, in your car if it is with you. Old camping guides recommend you haul it up a tree branch and store all cooking utensils away from the tent.
1. Obtain a dry bag for your uncooked food to go in. These can be obtained at Wal-Mart at an inexpensive price. You will also need a length of rope (1/4 or 3/8" nylon is fine). Throw the line over a branch that is at least 15 feet into the air, tie an end to the handle created when you close the bag, and hoist it up at least 10 feet. That takes care of the food supply.
2. For cooking, if the animals are large predators that you are concerned about, you need to cook 100 feet downwind from your campsite, and dispose of the scraps and grease at that distance as well. If the critters you are concerned about are racoons and such, cook over your campfire, and eat there as well. DO NOT carry the food into the tent…they will find a way in, whether you are in there or not.
3. Washing: discard the wash water in accordance with cooking requirements above, based upon the situation.
store everything in the same, animal proof container or try to store them in a secure building.
How are those things working for you?