ADK Bears
The Adirondack region is home to a healthy population of nearly 4,000 black bears, according to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. I’ve only seen a bear once, and it was when we were in our car driving along Floodwood Rd. in the St. Regis Canoe Area. Many local residents I talk with have had bear encounters at one time or another, and most are harmless encounters. The important thing we can all do when out in the wilderness is to make sure we store food properly. As the saying goes, a fed bear is a dead bear. That’s because bears that get a taste for human food usually end up becoming dangerous and are eventually euthanized. Case in point below.
Recently I reached out to the NY DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation to ask about bear canisters. Canisters are required when camping in the Eastern High Peaks Region from April 1 - November 30. Basically, if you’re working on the 46er peaks and camping overnight, you’ll likely be in the Eastern section. And frankly, even though canisters aren’t required, they’re probably a good idea when camping overnight in other areas of the ADK. You can rent canisters from the ADK Mountain Club and many of the local outfitters for a minimal charge.
Since Eric and I have started doing more and more camping, we’re looking to buy our own bear canister for the upcoming season. I wanted to find something that was as light weight as possible for backpacking, and I’d seen some YouTuber recommendations for an Ursak and other light-weight canisters. I’ve learned it’s always good to check with the local ADK rangers and DEC, as they have been super responsive and provide tons of context and recommendations. So, I reached out to ask more specifically about bear canister options. Since the response was so informative, I thought I’d share it with you. See below for the unedited response I received from a biologist with the NY division of Fish & Game. Needless to say, we’ll be going with a traditional hard-sided canister as recommended!
Lee,
Correct, the Ursak is not allowed in the Eastern High Peaks, but it would be allowed in other areas. I tested an Ursak AllMighty on a highly motivated 120lbs bear that had some time to work at the bag, and as you can see in the attached photo, it failed. Captive grizzly bears are not wild black bears. Wild black bears don’t get fed unless they “figure out the puzzle” and if they are given enough time to work at it, they’re pretty good at figuring things out. The bear got all of the food.
Also, there isn’t a plastic bag on earth that will defeat a bear’s nose. Such bags don’t beat drug sniffing dogs, so they surely are not going to defeat a bear’s nose, which is arguably better than a dog’s nose. Even if you put things inside the bag, the outside of the bag is often contaminated with food scent from putting items inside. In short, don’t buy the odor bag. Instead, buy a bear bell or fishing bell, and attach it to the Ursack so it rings when the bear is messing with it. You may even consider attaching a noise-making trip alarm (https://fithops.com/products/12-gauge-perimeter-alarm) which might scare the bear outright if it messes with your Ursak. Using these noise devices gives you an opportunity to protect your Ursak and scare a bear off using loud noises, such as an air horn, whistle, loud yelling, etc. If you do try to scare a bear, have bear spray ready as well just in case. Ursaks can be useful, but in my opinion, they are only a delay mechanism, so they need to be adequately protected.
The Lighter1 canisters failed in the past in the Eastern high peaks. A large male bear was specifically targeting the clear poly canisters regardless of manufacturer. He figured out the plastic was not thick enough and could be defeated, so he would spend ~20-30 minutes biting the bottom of the canister until a hole developed. Once a hole was started, it was all downhill from there and he would widen it and get all of the food. In at least one instance, he crushed the entire canister. That bear was eventually euthanized during the summer of 2020 due to human safety concerns, and there haven’t been any reported canister failures since he was removed. That being said, if you want a good at an affordable price, the Garcia Bear-resistant canister (https://www.rei.com/product/624081/garcia-bear-resistant-container) has withstood the test of time and I personally watched the aforementioned bear trying to get into a few of these with no luck. The only time people lost food from these canisters is when they didn’t have them closed (pro tip – ALWAYS close and lock your canister immediately after adding or removing items)…the bear would sneak in when people were cooking or eating and people who didn’t have their canisters locked lost all of their food.
If you have any other questions about canisters, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thanks!
