Off-RoadX Trail Report #2 - Bears Don't Care
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
BEARS DON’T CARE THAT YOUR COOLER WAS EXPENSIVE
You researched it for three weeks.
You watched a 47-minute video comparing ice retention.
You paid enough for it that your family assumed it came with groceries, health insurance and a small vacation home.
Unfortunately, the bear does not care.
To a bear, your expensive cooler is not rugged outdoor equipment. It is a lunchbox with handles.
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BEAR ACTIVITY IS INCREASING
On August 13, the U.S. Forest Service announced that incidents involving black bears are increasing across White River National Forest.
That matters to us right now because White River includes the Blanco Ranger District east of Meeker—the same general area where Rally Club members are exploring and camping this weekend.
White River National Forest also has a seasonal food-storage order in effect annually from May 15 through October 1 at specified campgrounds, picnic areas and dispersed recreation sites.
This isn’t merely a friendly suggestion to “try not to leave bacon in the tent.”
Violating the order can carry serious penalties.
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FIRST, THESE ARE BLACK BEARS
Colorado has black bears—but “black bear” describes the species, not necessarily the paint color.
They can be black, brown, cinnamon, blond or honey-colored. That brown bear you saw in Colorado is almost certainly still a black bear; Colorado Parks and Wildlife says there are no known grizzlies living in the state.
They are intelligent, powerful and equipped with a sense of smell that makes your cooler’s rubber gasket look more like a polite request than a security system.
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A CLOSED COOLER IS NOT SECURE STORAGE
Under the White River food-storage order, food and attractants must be attended by an awake adult within 100 feet and in direct line of sight—or secured using an approved method.
Approved storage methods include:
A closed and locked hard-sided vehicle
A Forest Service food-storage locker
An IGBC-certified bear-resistant container
A hard-sided building with secured doors and windows
A properly executed bear hang at least 10 feet above the ground and four feet away from supporting trees or poles
Notice what is not on that list:
A cooler sitting beside the truck
A cooler under the picnic table
A cooler with a heavy rock placed on top
A cooler hidden beneath a blanket at camp
“But I latched it really hard”
Your tent
Even a cooler advertised as “bear resistant” should be checked for IGBC certification and used exactly as designed. Some certified coolers only meet the standard when padlocked or secured with bolts.
If you’re relying on a vehicle, it needs to be closed, locked and hard-sided. Windows stay completely up. An open truck bed, soft cover or unsecured tonneau should not be assumed to meet the order.
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IT ISN’T JUST FOOD
Bears aren’t only interested in steaks and marshmallows. The White River order also covers garbage and items that contain food remnants or food-like odors.
That can include:
Food and snacks
Drinks other than plain water
Pet food and bowls
Trash and recycling
Cookware and cooking utensils
Coolers—even empty ones
Toothpaste and toiletries
Sunscreen, lotion and cosmetics
Scented soap
Fish and game
Clothing worn while cooking
Your tent should smell like a tent—not a combination restaurant, bathroom cabinet and convenience store.
Never bring food or scented products into the tent. Do not sleep in the same clothes you wore while cooking, especially if dinner involved bacon.
Yes, this means the pants can become bear bait.
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BUILD A SMARTER CAMP
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends keeping your cooking, eating and food-storage area at least 100 yards from your sleeping area when the location allows it.
At a minimum:
Cook as far from the tents as practical
Keep the cooking area downwind from where you sleep when possible
Clean cookware immediately
Pick up every scrap of food
Lock trash and attractants away before bed
Never burn food or trash
Use bear-resistant dumpsters and lockers correctly
Keep children from treating the bear locker like a kitchen cabinet that can remain open all afternoon
Before choosing a dispersed campsite, look for warning signs:
• Fresh bear tracks or scat
• Scattered trash
• Recently clawed trees
• Animal carcasses
• Berry-producing bushes
• Obvious wildlife trails
If the campsite looks like a bear has already checked in, let it keep the reservation.
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CAN A BEAR GET INTO A VEHICLE?
Absolutely.
Bears around campgrounds can learn what coolers look like and may recognize vehicles as food-storage containers. They can also learn to open unlocked doors.
Before going to sleep:
Lock every door
Close every window completely
Keep coolers out of sight
Remove trash from the cab
Check beneath the seats for snacks
Secure toiletries and scented products
Never leave pet food sitting out
That granola bar your kid dropped beneath the passenger seat three trips ago may now be applying for the position of “most expensive snack you have ever purchased.”
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IF A BEAR ENTERS CAMP
A bear casually spotted at a distance is different from a bear entering camp and trying to obtain human food.
If a black bear enters camp, Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends:
• Do not run
• Make yourself appear large
• Yell and make noise
• Bang pots, use an air horn or sound the vehicle horn
• Make sure the bear has an escape route
• Never corner it
• Do not surrender your food to it
If a black bear physically attacks, do not play dead. Get to a secure vehicle or building if possible. If escape is impossible, fight back aggressively and concentrate on its face and muzzle.
Bear spray should be EPA-approved, accessible and carried in a belt or chest holster—not buried beneath 36 pounds of emergency equipment in your backpack. Learn how to remove the safety and deploy it before you need it.
Bear spray is a defensive tool. It is not bear repellent, cologne or campsite seasoning. Do not spray it on yourself, your tent or your gear.
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WHY THIS MATTERS FOR THE BEAR
When a bear gets human food, the problem doesn’t end when it walks away with someone’s hot dogs.
Bears are extremely capable learners. Once one discovers that campsites, coolers, vehicles or trash cans provide easy meals, it may begin returning and lose its natural fear of people.
That can lead to property damage, dangerous encounters and, eventually, the bear being killed to protect public safety.
A careless camper can create consequences that last much longer than the camping trip.
Protecting your food protects your family—but it also protects the bear.
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THE OFF-ROADX BOTTOM LINE
Your cooler may be:
Rotomolded
Pressure injected
Military grade
Adventure tested
Certified to keep ice until your children graduate
But unless it is being actively attended or properly secured using an approved storage method, it is still an unattended box that smells like dinner.
Lock the vehicle.
Secure the food.
Clean the campsite.
Keep attractants out of the tent.
Carry bear spray where you can actually reach it.
And remember:
The bear doesn’t care what the cooler cost.
It only cares what’s inside.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
U.S. Forest Service—Bear Activity Increasing Across White River National Forest:
[https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../bear-activity-increasing...](https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../bear-activity-increasing...)
White River National Forest Food-Storage Order:
[https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../whi.../alerts/food-storage-order](https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../whi.../alerts/food-storage-order)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife—Protect Your Campsite from Wildlife:
[https://cpw.state.co.us/protect-your-campsite-wildlife](https://cpw.state.co.us/protect-your-campsite-wildlife)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife—Black Bear Information:
National Park Service—Staying Safe Around Bears:
National Park Service—Bear Spray and Firearms:
[https://www.nps.gov/articles/bearsprayfirearms.htm](https://www.nps.gov/articles/bearsprayfirearms.htm)
What is the most ridiculous thing you have ever found hidden inside your vehicle after a camping trip? Drop it in the comments—unless it was a tuna sandwich. In that case, quietly go inspect your truck.
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