There are a lot of things
to take into consideration when camping.
Don’t be lulled into thinking that just because you’re in a tent, cabin,
or are RV camping in a private campground or RV park a few miles out of town
that you’re safe, and that the laws of your nature don’t apply to you!
Camping history is full of stories about
bears getting into bird feeders, coolers, and tents. These encounters are generally a young bear,
newly kicked out of the den because mom now has a new cub, and who now has to
fend for himself. They quickly learn to
associate campers with an easy meal. The
teenage equivalent of a McDonald’s drive-thru.
The food source can be campers who leave
food on their campsite picnic table that can be right up under the awning of
the RV, unburned food scraps in a fire pit, or forgetting to put the
cooler away, a bag of garbage they failed to take to the dumpster before
nightfall, bird feeders they have out, and even grease from a BBQ grill or dumped
from a fryer.
These simple things can attract
bears. And the last thing you want is
you, your children, spouse, or pets having a face to face meeting with a
bruin. While attacks by black bears are
rare, they can happen and it’s important to remember that you’re in their
territory. They were here, in the
woodlots of Pennsylvania, long before RVs and campers were.
As their guest, we need to make sure
we’re doing our part to not cause them the heartache of being trapped out and
relocated. It isn’t fair to the animals.
So please follow these simple safety tips
when you are camping to ensure your safety.
- Never, ever
allow your children to take food in their tents. If the children are sleeping in a tent,
they need to eat at the picnic table, or in the RV. Never, ever, never take food in the tent.
- Never leave
food out on your picnic table, especially overnight. Put the cooler in the RV or trunk. You become a McD’s dive thru,
remember? It’ll entice them to come
right into your campsite for that easy meal.
- Never place
food scraps in the campfire. All
food scraps need to go into the garbage bag and to the dumpster every
evening. Cooking oil from fryers
needs to cool, and then go back in the bottles it came out of and placed
in the dumpster. Never dump oil in
the campground.
- Take the
garbage to the dumpster each night before retiring. Never leave garbage out overnight. A bag of garbage will attract, skunks,
raccoons, bears, opossums, dogs, etc. that can quickly turn a fun, family
outing into a bad experience. Not
only will they make a mess, but they’ll be back, and they become ever more
aggressive to get their meal. That
can place your family at risk of being bitten by a raccoon, skunk, bear,
dog, etc.
- Never try to
feed or entice bears or other critters.
While they may be cute to see at a distance, they aren’t cute if
they bite you and you have to go through a series of very painful rabies
shots.
- If you see
fresh bear skat while hiking, make sure you talk to your friends loudly or
if you’re alone talk to the bears loudly or sing a song loudly, keep your
head up, and be on the lookout for the bear. If you encounter a bear, give it lots of
room, and keep your distance. Never
run from one. Back away from the situation if you can. And try to keep yourself positioned so
you’re never between a sow and her cub.
That can be very dangerous.
- Don’t forget
that you need to know how to identify snakes too. You could encounter them while hiking,
camping, fishing, etc. Make sure,
like bears, you watch where you’re walking, and know your venomous snakes
from non-venomous snakes. Never
play with snakes. Even a non-poisonous
snake bite can be nasty and require medical attention.
- Make sure you know your surroundings and keep your pets
leashed. Small animals like cats
and dogs can and do become prey for coyotes.
- And last, but
certainly not least, know your plants.
Teach your children the old adage “leaves of three, leave it
be”. Watch for and stay out of
poison ivy, poison sumac, and other plants that can cause very
uncomfortable skin rashes.
The best way to have a safe and fun
camping adventure it to remember that the outdoors can have hazards that can be
difficult to navigate if you forget that you’re a guest in the great
outdoors! So have fun, but be smart and
stay safe!
By Robyn Chilson
