This weekend's camping trip had a bear come through several neighboring camps. This trip we were much less diligent about keeping our camp free of bait so I'm surprised he didn't make a stop through ours. I didn't notice my dog our our neighbors' 5 feet from our tent barking at night, though people in cabins 100 yards down the hill reported theirs going crazy. Maybe she barked and I shushed her in my sleep.
I'm not going to fire blindly into the dark from inside a tent unless I'm being attacked, but that's seeming less unlikely. Particularly with DW's lotions, etc. that never wash completely off. Bear spray won't help in that scenario. There will be plenty of noise coming from inside the tent if it's being torn into that an airhorn is a non-issue. But I don't know what to do with a pistol. With a 4 and 6 yo climbing into parent sleeping bags in the night, I'm hesitant to just lay it next to me lest it get kicked around. The hanging pockets in the tent aren't very sturdy. If we slept on cots, there are hanging pockets for those that would work. As it is, it gets locked up in the car or secured in a backpack depending on what kind of a trip it is since it'll do eff all good if I can't have ready access to it and keep it safe from wandering kids. Any ideas?
With last year's Yellowstone grizzly attack on another camp the day we left, I've about decided I'll put my family in the tent and sleep with one eye and ear open outside with a 12 guage loaded with slugs next time we go. I don't know that I need to do that for Colorado black bears, though.
I'm not going to fire blindly into the dark from inside a tent unless I'm being attacked, but that's seeming less unlikely. Particularly with DW's lotions, etc. that never wash completely off. Bear spray won't help in that scenario. There will be plenty of noise coming from inside the tent if it's being torn into that an airhorn is a non-issue. But I don't know what to do with a pistol. With a 4 and 6 yo climbing into parent sleeping bags in the night, I'm hesitant to just lay it next to me lest it get kicked around. The hanging pockets in the tent aren't very sturdy. If we slept on cots, there are hanging pockets for those that would work. As it is, it gets locked up in the car or secured in a backpack depending on what kind of a trip it is since it'll do eff all good if I can't have ready access to it and keep it safe from wandering kids. Any ideas?
With last year's Yellowstone grizzly attack on another camp the day we left, I've about decided I'll put my family in the tent and sleep with one eye and ear open outside with a 12 guage loaded with slugs next time we go. I don't know that I need to do that for Colorado black bears, though.