Bear Country

[Marshall]

I live in the mountains of North Carolina. In other words I live in bear country. I would love to hear of any precautions you guys have taken against bears.ing else

I know I need to keep the grill clean and keep the grease pot empty. Anything else?

 

[Plumberguy]

Consider carrying a sidearm outdoors; revolver -- .357 magnum or .44 mag

 

[Marshall]

Consider carrying a sidearm outdoors; revolver -- .357 magnum or .44 mag

I'm not worried about me but I don't want him messing with my 590 overnight.

 

[C. Keeper]

I live in the mountains of North Carolina. In other words I live in bear country. I would love to hear of any precautions you guys have taken against bears.ing else

I know I need to keep the grill clean and keep the grease pot empty. Anything else?

You should probably use these:

 

[AlphaPapa]

Interesting question. We have had a cabin in the north GA mountains for over 12 years. Up to this year we had seen only 3 bears. This year I have lost count! Probably close to 10 sightings. Two at once one time.

We don’t keep an outdoor cooker up there. Probably a good thing since this problem wouldn’t have occurred to me. I’ll be interested is seeing what advice you get.

Here is a pic I took from the safety of my elevated deck…

Here is one from our Ring camera…

 

[Marshall]

You should probably use these:
View attachment 19992

Do those pellets repell or attract bears?

I plan to use Bear Mountain for my serious cooks.

 

[Marshall]

Interesting question. We have had a cabin in the north GA mountains for over 12 years. Up to this year we had seen only 3 bears. This year I have lost count! Probably close to 10 sightings. Two at once one time.

We don’t keep an outdoor cooker up there. Probably a good thing since this problem wouldn’t have occurred to me. I’ll be interested is seeing what advice you get.

Here is a pic I took from the safety of my elevated deck…

View attachment 19993

Here is one from our Ring camera…
View attachment 19994

We have a bear that wonders through our gated community along the Green River. Causes minor damage hunting for food to trash cans and bird feeders etc.
Plenty of sightings but we haven't seen him yet or captured him on camera. He is just scrounging for food to fatten up before winter hibernation.

My 590 is scheduled for delivery next Thursday and I don't want to get it damaged. I should probably check to see if my homeowners insurance covers bear vandalism.

 

[Gonefishin]

We get bears frequently in the spring, they ignore my grills and go for bird feeders and folks trash. it would make sense if they got into one of the grills, but they don’t, and I don’t keep them spotless.

 

[AlphaPapa]

I knew about the precautions you have to take with trash bins. But, we always bring our trash back home and throw it away. So, we don’t have external garbage cans.

I wonder if they would climb up on my deck to get to a grill if I had one. Most of the deck is 8-10 feet off the ground. But, there is one spot on the driveway side where the deck is only about 5 feet up (plus another 2.5 feet of railing). So far, I haven’t caught any using our hot tub.

 

[Jim6820]

I lived in “bear country” for more than 20 years and I can tell you that the only sure-fire way to keep bears from messing with your grill is to lock it up in a secure place. I’ve had bears destroy bird feeders, garbage cans, grills and anything that smells like food.

Whatever you do, don’t shoot a bear except as a last resort to protect life and limb. The only thing more dangerous than a bear is a wounded bear. And, unless you are an expert with a high-powered handgun, don’t even consider using one against a bear! You may not live to regret it; emphasis on “may not live.”

 

[BillsCamino]

 

[Pacman]

Not to outdo @C. Keeper , but this is what immediately came to mind.

 

[Jim6820]

Not to outdo @C. Keeper , but this is what immediately came to mind.

View attachment 19996

Been there, done that. Wicked, nasty little things! Heed the warning on the front!

 

[Marshall]

We get bears frequently in the spring, they ignore my grills and go for bird feeders and folks trash. it would make sense if they got into one of the grills, but they don’t, and I don’t keep them spotless.

That is good to know. I had my bird feeder destroyed by a raccoon. Captured it on camera. But everything that happens around here is blamed on the bear as he seems to be the boogey man for all of my neighbors. But unless it is on camera I just take it with a grain of salt.

Having said that, he has been showing on cameras over the last week. Just not at my place.

 

[Plumberguy]

We have a bear that wonders through our gated community along the Green River. Causes minor damage hunting for food to trash cans and bird feeders etc.
Plenty of sightings but we haven't seen him yet or captured him on camera. He is just scrounging for food to fatten up before winter hibernation.

My 590 is scheduled for delivery next Thursday and I don't want to get it damaged. I should probably check to see if my homeowners insurance covers bear vandalism.

I have canoed the Green River a few times as a kid, love that area of the country, my folks have a place in Brevard! Congrats and enjoy it!

Was kinda joking about the sidearm, some good advice elsewhere ITT. I must confess that I don’t always have the energy to clean the grill after a big cook., but if you can at least bring the grates and drip bucket in the garage, remove and dispose of foil if you foil the drip pan (or store drip pan, too), would probably help.

 

[C. Keeper]

Do those pellets repell or attract bears?

I plan to use Bear Mountain for my serious cooks.

Let us know

 

[SmokeZilla]

I’ve lived in northern Maine, upstate NY, western MA, and do a lot of camping (think Yosemite and other parks and open lands). The only sure fire way is to winch that puppy into the air with a block and tackle (I prefer the 12v electric version) away from your living quarters on a branch 15-20 feet off the ground and 4 feet from the tree’s trunk and watch the bears go crazy trying to figure it out, In my opinion, once used, you will never be able to “clean” any cooking device enough to remove the smells and scents. I’ve seen bears walking from campsites with cast iron in their teeth. If you have smaller rodents encroaching, use some “hot wire” electrified small gauge wire and that will be a game changer.

Just come thoughts,
’Zilla

 

[Motodad1776]

Smoker would be kept in the garage, if that is an option for the OP.

 

[SmokeZilla]

Smoker would be kept in the garage, if that is an option for the OP.

Bears don’t care about garages. They love knocking down doors and smashing windows. I don’t advise putting it in a garage or near any occupied dwelling where they interact with humans. Grills equal bait where I come from.

 

[Motodad1776]

Bears don’t care about garages. They love knocking down doors and smashing windows. I don’t advise putting it in a garage or near any occupied dwelling where they interact with humans. Grills equal bait where I come from.

So they are also a problem getting into people's homes, ya know since there are typically strong smells inside which bears may find very appealing? So many who live in bear country all over the US and Canada, cannot say I have heard of widespread issues with bears getting into or destroying a person's grill. I could very well be wrong on that, otherwise I haven't a clue how someone would go about grilling/smoking in bear country.