[pct-l] Bear deterrence thoughts (long)

[jmertes@xxxxxxxxxxx (John Mertes)]

re: peeing around your tent to deter bears.

Maybe peeing works, maybe it doesn't. I know first-hand it doesn't always. Was
camped at the upper end of Lyell Canyon on JMT in 70's with some friends. We
hung our food in a tree and tied off the line to another tree upslope. Before
crawling into my sleeping bag at the base of the tree in which the food was
hung, I peed around the tree. I woke up early next morning to see and hear a
bear up in the tree pawing at the limb over which our food was hung. bear
couldn't break off limb and wouldn't go out on the limb to get our food. We
eventually lowered our food and moved away from the tree until bear came down
then we drove off bear.

Moral: don't depend on (human) pee to protect food.

BTW, there has been previous discussion of using coyote pee for this purpose.
don't know if it works.

John