Written By - Myrtha Chang - 10/4/2007
Link to Original Article here

If you are camping in bear country - which includes many of our beautiful National Parks - you need to take some extra precautions. Bears have a tremendous sense of smell, and they are so strong they can rip out a car window or tear off a car door a lot easier than you might think.

Here are some bear-proofing tips:

• Don't store any food inside your vehicle or tent.
• Instead, use specially designed bear canisters, which are lightweight, durable plastic canisters that are virtually indestructible and bear-proof.
• Most parks recommend these bear canisters for all food, and some even require them.
• Bears have learned how to get to food caches suspended from tree branches, so do not rely on the old backpacker trick.
• If you're going camping in an area with bears, carry bear canisters, bear repellent, and watch out for bears near the campsites.
• Keep food prep to a minimum.
• Finally, please, oh, please do not feed the bears.

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