Parking at Trailhead in Montana

[Recurve Man]

Basically the bear rules are to give the FS something to leave you a warning about. The wrote me a warning for a cooler outside my wall tent. I told them it was out there so hopefully the bears wouldnt destroy my whe camp. They said well tie it 10ft off the ground. Guess they didn't really understand that if a bear wants it they'll get it. Whatever its in. Just go hunt. FS is the only people that I've ever dealt with never have seen a warden in MT in 8yrs.

 

[Packin_packout]

Find a way to secure it. Few years back on drive up to Wyoming stop to spend night at sugarite canyon State Park in New mexico. Freezer on utility trailer behind truck and I am crashed out in bed of truck. Wake up to black bear straddling my open chest freezer trying to figure out why some idiot (me) is shining a bright light in its face. It broke the hinges on freezer door. Not good. All I could do was yell at it because I could see a fifth wheel directly in line behind it. Freezer was empty but had been used for meat storage repeatedly. They are curious and will get into what they can if the opportunity presents itself.

Took same freezer into yellowstone to feed a troop of 40 scouts doing a summer trip..there they wanted a real secured setup but that is way different than FS.

 

[Indian Summer]

Yeti coolers are certified bear proof. They claim, or did when they were first marketed, that they were the only certified bear proof cooler. The one and only thing that made them bear proof were the holes on the corners that allowed them to be padlocked shut. I would take two metal lock hasps and screw them to both corners of the lid using heavy sheet metal screws AND padlock them so nothing can get inside.

One question I do have is are you actually hunting in an area with grizzlies? I’ve never known the USFS to have or enforce any bear regs where there aren’t signs at the trailheads alerting forest users to the presence of grizzlies.

 

[Paul B]

I have this on my chest freezer and then i can also run a chain from the padock down to the tie down in the bed for a little extra deterrent on road trips. Mainly from humans..

Amazon.com

 

[Thisisdenny]

Basically the bear rules are to give the FS something to leave you a warning about.

This is not true.

S.Clancy already covered this but it’s worth repeating:

The bear rules are an attempt to stop bears from ever getting food rewards from humans. If they do, they try to do it again and become an increasing hazard to other humans until usually the bear is killed to remove that hazard. Hopefully no human beings are injured or killed in the process.

If you care at all about humans OR bears, then don’t feed the bears. Complying with ALL of the rules (even when the cooler is empty) just makes it clear to the Forest Service that you are doing everything you can to not feed the bears.

Keep a clean camp, follow the rules, and the odds are very high you’ll have a great trip.

 

[black dawg]

One question I do have is are you actually hunting in an area with grizzlies? I’ve never known the USFS to have or enforce any bear regs where there aren’t signs at the trailheads alerting forest users to the presence of grizzlies.

They have signs pretty much everywhere now......

 

[Indian Summer]

They have signs pretty much everywhere now......

That’s sorta communism. Signs signs everywhere a sign. Do this don’t do that. I kid you not if I pull up to a trailhead where I’ve been hunting for 20 years and I know for a fact there are no grizzlies and there’s a sign….. I’m using the fkn thing for firewood!

 

[black dawg]

That’s sorta communism. Signs signs everywhere a sign. Do this don’t do that. I kid you not if I pull up to a trailhead where I’ve been hunting for 20 years and I know for a fact there are no grizzlies and there’s a sign….. I’m using the fkn thing for firewood!

I dont know if they are going off of sightings by people that cant tell black bears from grizzly bears....or they know something we dont?

Have seen several posts on facebook with tracks to prove and have seen several trail cam pics in areas that I have been hunting my whole life that grizzlies havent been since the early 1900s

 

[tntrker]

Yes. Completely empty. They said they had no way of knowing if it ever had food in it.

answers my question completely. Thanks

 

[Seeknelk]

Just put the cooler in the cab so you don’t have to deal with thieves are any FS LEO.

He's asking about a freezer. Like a chest freezer I believe. A totally empty one.

 

[KOK]

That’s sorta communism. Signs signs everywhere a sign. Do this don’t do that. I kid you not if I pull up to a trailhead where I’ve been hunting for 20 years and I know for a fact there are no grizzlies and there’s a sign….. I’m using the fkn thing for firewood!

aluminum doest burn well