Electric fence around your camp???.

[Smokinyotes]

In the past we had a tent wrecked from a black bear. With grizzly numbers increasing I’m wondering if anyone else puts up an electric fence around their camp. In 2015 I bought a new 16x20 tent and thought I’m not taking any chances on having this one destroyed so every fall I have been putting up 3 strands of electric wire around it.

[fatboyz]

I use a portable solar fencer. Only in heavy griz areas where we're a long ways back. My main worry is coming back to camp after a long day out on foot and finding everything trashed.

[elkhunter11]

We used a battery powered fencer with a solar panel at sheep camp, and our camp was left alone, while a nearby outfitters camp was destroyed by a grizzly.

[Smokinyotes]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

I use a portable solar fencer. Only in heavy griz areas where we're a long ways back. My main worry is coming back to camp after a long day out on foot and finding everything trashed.

This is what happened to us. Returned to camp at 11:00am to find our brand new 16x24 $3200 Montana canvas tent with some additional doors and windows. The tent was brand new and had only ever been slept in 1 night.

I definitely sleep better at night with the fencer going.

[Battle Rat]

When a bear makes contact with it they make some noise that will wake you.
If nothing else they are an early warning device.

[senderomag]

What electric fences do you guys run? What is there weight and cost ? Thanks

[Smokinyotes]

You can pick up a 12 volt electric fencer that is good for 25 miles of fence for about $175.00. I just bought one the other day to keep the cows out of the lake and it works on 12 volt or 110 volt. I paid $179.00 for it at UFA

[starvin]

My biggest worry is if my inflatable boat got chewed up. I don’t fish out of it and try to keep it clean but the bastards just love to wreck stuff I swear.
I use the boat to get where others can’t so a rescue would be difficult.
A small solar fencer like beekeepers use should do the trick.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by starvin

My biggest worry is if my inflatable boat got chewed up. I don’t fish out of it and try to keep it clean but the bastards just love to wreck stuff I swear.
I use the boat to get where others can’t so a rescue would be difficult.
A small solar fencer like beekeepers use should do the trick.

It helps to run a separate ground wire close to the hot one. Fur can be a good insulator.

Grizz

[4extreme]

Could you hook the fence up to a vehicle? Just incase someone wants to check your doors while you are away.

[freeride]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

It helps to run a separate ground wire close to the hot one. Fur can be a good insulator.

Grizz

I don't run a fence so not from experience, rather what I read about them....

Some guys put flagging on the fence to arouse the bears curiosity and they smell then fence, getting the snap on the nose instead of trying to go through the fur.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by freeride

I don't run a fence so not from experience, rather what I read about them....

Some guys put flagging on the fence to arouse the bears curiosity and they smell then fence, getting the snap on the nose instead of trying to go through the fur.

Bears feel with their nose which is why electric fences work well to keep them out. The big thing is you need multiple wires. If you only have a few then yes chances are they will make contact with the fur and push right through. The IGBC has recommendations on how many wires and the spacing if your going to make your own bear resistant fence.

On a side note, I'm seeing more and more hunting camps setting up electric fences around their camps. So far I've seen 3 this year.

[bessiedog]

Bonus fun fact…. It also trains ALL of us fellows to take them several steps away from the tent at night to pee……


Cause Yowza!!!!!

[Smokinyotes]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Bonus fun fact…. It also trains ALL of us fellows to take them several steps away from the tent at night to pee……


Cause Yowza!!!!!

Yup. I learned not to do that when I was about 5 years old. My dad talked me into taking a leak on it. He was a bugger. When I was about 6 he told me to grab the wet grass. He immediately grabbed my hand and grabbed the electric fence. It went to ground pretty quick.

[TheFall]

I run a cattle electric fencer off a 12v car battery on solar (I can not remember the distance it is for, we bought the most powerful one we could find when we were having trouble with the cattle pushing each other through the fence, didnt see the point in purchasing a smaller one when I had that one) , but we usually sleep in the Roof Top tent on my pickup box so the 12v battery is not a issue to take with us. I run a hot wire and a ground wire, and I also run a ground spike. The only issue with running this setup is it is way way to powerful for the small space and if the ground is wet and you get too close to the fence with something conductive in your hand, like a metal flipper you are cooking with, it will "jump" into your body through what you are holding and drop you to the ground... Hard and painful lesson to learn, but you only need to learn it once. I wouldn't even play the "touch this" joke on my brother in law with this fence.

They sell backpacking units that run off 2 D batteries that are supposed to be very effective as well. If these bear specific units work, the entry level 12V ones from Peavy mart will definitely get the job done.

I have never had a chance to confirm if this setup works on bears or not, it is mostly for my own piece of mind/helps me sleep easier. Figure if cattle and bulls beller and run away and never come close again after one hit, at the very least I am going to wake up with the noise after the first hit on a bear. And from experience that thing fudging hurts.

They often use electric fencers to keep bears out of beehives and dumps, from what I have read it only takes 1 shock and it trains the bears not to go past the wire as the second time they will put their nose closer and closer until they can feel the tingle of the electricity and not want to get the shock. If it keeps them from pushing through the wire in those situations, I would imagine it would keep them out for a hunting camp.

The fence is still not an excuse for not keeping a clean camp though.

[Albertadiver]

Some good options here....

https://www.margosupplies.com/us-en/...ctric-fencing/

[Moosetalker]

Originally Posted by starvin

My biggest worry is if my inflatable boat got chewed up. I don’t fish out of it and try to keep it clean but the bastards just love to wreck stuff I swear.
I use the boat to get where others can’t so a rescue would be difficult.
A small solar fencer like beekeepers use should do the trick.

Had a Barren ground grizzly chomp on the camp Zodiac a couple of times on a guided caribou hunt in the NWT 2006... Not our day to use the boat so other guide and clients had to spend time patching the holes.
It also made a circuit around the Client Alanak tent giving my corner a wide berth as I had been urinating there for the first couple of days after arriving...Not my first dance with Effing Grizzly regardless of subspecies designation.

The questions and disbelief as to why was I doing this ceased and the other fellers hit up copious amounts of liquids to pre treat there corners LMAO
There might have been a little too much exuberance expended doing this. I let them fold the tent as I gathered and bagged poles and pegs when we helped the guides tear down camp.

[fatboyz]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

When a bear makes contact with it they make some noise that will wake you.
If nothing else they are an early warning device.

I also hang empty tin cans on the wire in a few places. Took a page from the Vietnam vet book, you wake up hearing the cans clanking and you know Charlie's in the wire!

[Smokinyotes]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

I also hang empty tin cans on the wire in a few places. Took a page from the Vietnam vet book, you wake up hearing the cans clanking and you know Charlie's in the wire!

Not a bad idea. I may have to bring a few empty beer cans to hang on the wire.

[Red Bullets]

If you leave a vehicle parked in camp and you leave hunting for the day hook a couple wires from the electric fencer to the vehicles door handles and hood latch too. Make sure the fencer is set to high.

[nimrod]

We use a trip line around our camp, we use a 209 primer or a 12 gauge blank to wake us up if something trips the line

[270person]

I find claymores very effective. Bonus furry slippers in the morning and a nice mat outside the front door.

[fatboyz]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

Not a bad idea. I may have to bring a few empty beer cans to hang on the wire.

2 empty beans cans on strings so they hang 1" apart works perfect.

[7magtime]

When we’d tent in the backcountry sheep hunting; we used to bring a small roll of twine, make a circle around camp with it and hang bear bells around the perimeter. Never had anything test it thankfully…..

[Smoky buck]

But you have never really lived till you poke a bear in the nose with your barrel for sniffing your ten

Really guys where is your sense of adventure

[TheFall]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

But you have never really lived till you poke a bear in the nose with your barrel for sniffing your ten

Really guys where is your sense of adventure

I believe the hip, woke people call that a "snoot boop", a bear must be the top accomplishment level

[starvin]

Going to take a little mist bottle with a bleach mix next time. Apparently bears detest the smell and will stay off your boat, quad seats etc.

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

Not a bad idea. I may have to bring a few empty beer cans to hang on the wire.

Pro tip - if you bring full ones with you then empty them at camp it saves space when packing

[EZM]

Yup they like quad seats.

Funny thing was he peeled/tore back the vinyl cover on both quad seats and ate all of the foam.

Bizzare behavior ..... don't quite understand it.

Maybe he likes the smell of bums .... I dunno

Could have used an electric wire then.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Few years back grizz drank few liters of motor oil from a guys boat in BC. They will eat almost anything.