Not your normal bear question

whaack

WKR
Joined
Dec 17, 2015
Messages
671
Location
Midwest - IL
I’m a very well controlled type 1 diabetic. Currently looping with Dexcom and omnipod.

This fall I’ll be hunting in grizzly country for the first time ever. Normally I keep some food in the tent with me at night in case of a low blood sugar but I’m questioning that strategy in grizzly country.

What do other diabetics do in this scenario?


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go_deep

WKR
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Messages
1,615
Never been in that exact scenario, but Walmart has liquid glucagon shots that are sealed and have about 20 carbs in one small bottle. Seems like if the bottle is sealed it wouldn't attract anything, but once opened it may become a problem.
 

bobr1

WKR
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
363
Food wise if you are worried about sleep or attracting bears and want to have a supply of glucose to keep from getting low blood sugar during the night then I would recommend Glutose15,( if you aren't already familiar with it.) We used them in the military, EMT, SAR for people with low blood sugar. As long as you have your meds on hand to counteract getting a blood sugar spike.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,341
Location
Alaska
Never been in that exact scenario, but Walmart has liquid glucagon shots that are sealed and have about 20 carbs in one small bottle. Seems like if the bottle is sealed it wouldn't attract anything, but once opened it may become a problem.

Bears can smell the stuff inside tin cans, I’ve even witnessed them finding a moose head that I sunk in a river channel.
 

Bighorse

WKR
Joined
Mar 15, 2012
Messages
539
Location
SE Alaska
Don’t sweat it…. That bear knows the whole story before it starts rippin apart a shelter. If you get a black bear rippin into your shelter when your in it, it knows your there and it’s not after M&M’s.

set out a known object, your bigger food bag and or game a respectable distance from the shelter and have it rigged for audible que upon disturbance. If a visitor arrives it will most likely be after the unguarded object and you’ll have an opportunity to intercede.
 

SaltyBowman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 7, 2020
Messages
115
Location
NC
I’ve eaten in tents from NM to the Alaska peninsula due to weather and slept like a baby. I keep a 10mm beside my sleeping bag but have never had an issue with anything coming in the tent. I’ve had a 7’ young boar brown bear standing 15ft from me when I left the tent to take a leak early in the morning one time but he didn’t give any trouble just skirted the camp and ran off.
 

gabenzeke

WKR
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
1,117
I’m a very well controlled type 1 diabetic. Currently looping with Dexcom and omnipod.

This fall I’ll be hunting in grizzly country for the first time ever. Normally I keep some food in the tent with me at night in case of a low blood sugar but I’m questioning that strategy in grizzly country.

What do other diabetics do in this scenario?


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Also type one. Unfortunately the only solution I've found is to either get a fence or keep the smallest amount of whatever you use in as air tight a container as you can. It isn't perfect, but I'm not real sure what else can be done.

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VernAK

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Dec 24, 2012
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2,009
Location
Delta Jct, Alaska
Bears can smell the stuff inside tin cans, I’ve even witnessed them finding a moose head that I sunk in a river channel.
I don't know if they can smell can contents but they are certainly tuned into the fact that cans usually contain food. I've had bear bite into oilcans etc so around our cabins we leave a few cans of some nasty aerosol product.
I particularly like starting fluid and I put a bit of bacon grease or PB under the cap. When they bite through the can, they get enough bad taste that they usually leave all else alone.

We have also used Critter Gitters alarms with success. They are designed to scare deer out of the garden but they also worked for us on bears.

But it's damned hard to beat a good rifle in most cases.
 

Blacktailaddiction

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
108
As a fellow diabetic who is heading into brown bear country for the first time this year definitely following… I use fruit snacks for Low blood sugar, would that still be a issue through their baggies?
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
56
I had buddies in HS & Earlier in college who had “airtight smell proof” containers for a particular flower that would fill, then Lysol wipe down, leading to stories that they were able to walk by drug dogs without issues. Not saying that would work perfect for your needs, but it might be something worth looking into.
 

Rangerpants

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 9, 2020
Messages
142
Location
Really Northern California
Bears' sense of smell is better than a bloodhound, so I frankly doubt any sealed containers or packages are going to completely eliminate odors they can find. Smells are going to get on the outside of sealed packages no matter how careful the packager is.

I think a bear fence and "bait" that smells better/more strongly than the food in the tent is the way to go.
 
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