[pct-l] new cheap bear can

[calliger@infolane.com (Richard Calliger)]

Sorry..as an engineer I analyzed your design idea and commented becasue I
certainly >>>did not<<< miss the whole point. First, I did not
say the cans were laying on a picnic table, they were in a grocery
bag out of sight apparently due to the remnants of the bag laying around.

THE **point**  is that the bears in Yosemite have learned that cans contain
food even if they cannot smell it. They have learned to associate can
containers with food..for whatever reason, they now know, and have passed
that onto their cubs. It will take a generation to break the cycle; however,
that genration has not yet occured!

Best,


Rich

At 12:27 AM 11/9/02 -0600, Bruce Warren wrote:
>Richard,
>
>Thanks for your input. I agree that people who leave typical food cans like
>tuna fish or a canned ham laying on a picnic table will probably see the
>result you cited. But you miss the whole point. The bear will never SEE or
>SMELL the stealth can. You keep it in your pack, or in your tent.  You don't
>leave it out like the Garcia or Bearikade or Ursack, which all leak plenty
>of food odors that attract animals and ants, so you do not want them in the
>tent with you.
>
>This is the bottleneck I am facing. The SIBBG folks have a hard time
>thinking out of the box. I say why keep teasing the bears with delicious
>smells and then waiting years for them to learn a canister is too difficult
>to open? Let's stop the problem at the source... Leave No Trace, including
>no food odors in the air both while you are hiking and while you are
>stopped. Why do you think those stories of bears tracking human hikers
>happen? Without a stealth can, you are trailing delicious food odors like
>pixie dust as you hike down the trail.
>
>If you are initially worried about stealth technology, just hide the stealth
>can under a pile of brush or leaves or a big rock overnight until you are
>confident it is indeed invisible to bears and other hungry animals. That's
>what I did in the New Mexico mountains where the bears are very human food
>aware.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Richard Calliger" <calliger@infolane.com>
>To: "Bruce Warren" <warren@valcourplantation.com>;
><pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
>Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 8:28 PM
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] new cheap bear can
>
>
>> I have a very stunning picture of many hermetically sealed cans
>> slashed open by a Yosemite bear including choice chicken,
>> tantilizing tuna, some Bud-wiser (yup!), a coke can,
>> and even a can of SPAM!
>>
>> As to the pre-slashed odorous condition I cannot testify to; however it
>> was apparant that the cans integrity was presetn prior to slashing
>> open by the bear becasue the bear did not even have the common
>> coutesty to use the pull top or a can opener and the slashed can sat
>> there, empty, in all its gory, with the lid still attached and it's
>> sides open!.... just slash and rib open
>> and eat.
>>
>> I beleive that the walk-in cg has a prominent picture of a canned
>> ham being slashed open with the lid intact evidencing a hermetic
>> intrusion occured! :-)
>>
>>
>> Oh well..back to to the drawing board! Sorry...but the bears have
>> become habituated to canned goods as well, at least in YNP!
>>
>> R
>>
>> At 07:18 PM 11/8/02 -0600, Bruce Warren wrote:
>> >This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>> >--
>> >[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>> >This is my first post on this board after reading the recent thread on
>bear
>> cans.
>> >
>> >I have developed a food can with the initial mission of preventing boy
>> scout injury and death from Texas Fire Ant Tent Invasions. The can has
>> worked well, proving to be invisible to fire ants and racoons since no
>> smells leak out. Its big feature is low price... $35 to $55 and light
>> weight. See more details at www.stealthcan.com. My email address is on the
>site.
>> >
>> >I am looking for 5 people to test these cans on the PCT. I have never
>hiked
>> the PCT, the Grand Canyon being as far west as I have gotten (the cans
>> worked well against the hungry ground squirrels down in the Canyon). They
>> are not approved by the SIBBG, but I am trying. Their test requires that
>you
>> smear your can with honey and toss it into the cage of a trained zoo bear.
>> My can leaks no odors and is not made to resist a bear slash and crush
>> attack. I am trying to convice them that a low cost can is the best way to
>> increase compliance. I am trying to get a new test added for hermetically
>> sealed cans, but need your help to do more preliminary testing of various
>> sizes and coatings.
>> >
>> >These stealth food cans were tested in New Mexico last summer and were
>> totally ignored by the bears wandering through the Philmont camp grounds.
>I
>> have a Bearikade and a Garcia and have tested them, and they both leak a
>lot
>> of odors, thus attracting bears and other animals. The Stealth Can leaks
>NO
>> odors and a bear will walk right by a can filled with food.
>> >
>> >I'll send you a can at no cost. You'll have to use it for at least 200
>> miles or 20 nights where bears are known to roam and send me lots of
>> pictures and a written report and I welcome seeing your feedback posted
>> here. You will have to send it back so I can do a leak test and see how
>beat
>> up it gets.
>> >
>> >Thanks,
>> >
>> >Valcour
>> >...when in doubt, gas it!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>> >
>> >
>>
>
>
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