subject: Camping- The Wildlife Factor [print this page] Camping- The Wildlife Factor Camping- The Wildlife Factor
You wake up after setting up camp the night before and you can't wait until that first cup of coffee hits the wake-up button. However, in your rush to set up, you left your food supplies out and everything is on the ground or has mysteriously vanished.
Camping in the great outdoors to "get away from it all" only means you are trying to reduce or remove the human element from around you. The great outdoors is the domain of the wildlife society and one of the basic instincts of all creatures great and small is not to go hungry.
Even while camping, there are some best practices to follow to minimize the wildlife factor on their terms.
There are four areas to follow when camping out in the wild:
- Food Storage
- Food Preparation
- Cleanup after a meal
- Preventive Measures
Food Storage
If you can drive up to your campsite, plan to keep the ice chest and all other food items locked away in your vehicle, especially at night. The hours of operation of the Wildlife Society are fairly simple: sleep during the day and feed at night.
If hiking on the trail, the best bet is to store food in a sealable bag taking extreme care not to allow any drippings or crumbs to be on the outside. Suspend the bag at least 10 feet above the ground and try to place it from a rope between two trees. The key is keeping any food from contaminating the bag where it can be sniffed out by a hungry raccoon or larger animal.
Food Preparation
When cooking anything at your campsite, take special care to clean up any spills of grease or oils that spatter. Take along some handi-wipes and at the very least, wipe down your portable stove or cookware (including your table) at the end of every meal. Other items to be careful with are the peels of vegetables or trimmed fat from meat. Make sure this all goes into a garbage bag and take extra care not to touch the top or outside of the bag. A garbage bag with a draw screen or being able to place it into a "critter-proof" garbage can can go a long way.
Cleanup after EVERY meal
As discussed above, all food scraps should be placed inside a garbage bag and never hit the top or outside of the bag. Police the area after every meal for dropped food as well and don't forget to throw away any open soda or other food containers that are empty. If you have dogs and have fed them bones or other table scraps, try to keep track where they eat and if not everything was eaten, pick it up and dispose of properly.
Preventive Measures
Generally, the best way to keep animals from an unwanted visit is to clean up after any meal or snack. While not always possible, try not to eat in your tent at all. Remember that animals use their keen sense of smell to find food and it is your job that there is nothing for them to get wind of.
