Hundreds of campers and hikers lose their food to animals, cutting the trip short, or at the least, having to go buy more.
Animals have no understanding of what food belongs to whom. If they’re hungry, they’ll take it. That’s why it’s a bad idea to store food in the tent with you while you’re sleeping, even small snacks. You could stand to lose more than the food if a wild animal gets a whiff of what’s in your tent. And most backpacks won’t keep larger animals out, either. The best place to keep non-perishables like bread, cakes and chips, is in the trunk of the vehicle. Store perishables, like milk, juice and butter, in a cooler, then put it in the vehicle. Unless it’s locked, a cooler won’t stand between a hungry animal and your breakfast. For hikers, or other occasions where there’s no vehicle, keep everything in a locked cooler, then tie to a tree, but do not put cooler in the tent.
For those without a cooler, wrap non-perishables in a knapsack, tablecloth or towel, then tie a rope around the pack. Throw the rope over a tree branch and tie it to another tree, or lay rocks on top of the rope end. Or tie a counter weight to the rope end for easy lifting and lowering of the sack. Since many animals can climb trees and rope, the food isn’t guaranteed safe, even in the tree. Use fishing twine instead of rope to make it a little safer - many animals can’t grasp the fishing twine. Twine will break easier, though, so use several strands, wrapped together. And don’t use plastic bags to store the food. If an animal does get to the sack, by jumping from the limb to the sack, it will be much easier for him to claw into the plastic than through a tied towel.
Put perishables in a cloth or plastic sack and place in a stream. Build a rock barrier around the food, then stack more rocks on top. Poke small holes in the plastic bag to allow water to pass through. As a decoy, some people place raw bacon or fresh vegetables in a sack and hang it in a tree, several yards away from the stream food. Some animals will smell the fresh food and ignore the creek food.
Most canned foods are safe from animals, but wild creatures have been known to try to open them. They can’t get into the can, but you could wake to find your canned goods scattered around the campsite. Tie canned goods together in a bag to make them heavier to move.
Animals come to your campsite because they smell food. Keep campground clean and never leave dropped food lying. The food will intrigue the animal enough to look around for more.
