How do I get my wife to be less afraid of bears eating us when we go camping?
Following up on a few points about dogs: in most cases, bears and other animals, such as coyotes and food-stealing vermin, will smell the dogs from a mile away and make themselves scarce. By no means was I suggesting that the dog could physically fight off a bear. Also, those that said they were afraid the dog could “ingest parasites” or get sprayed by a skunk if taken out of its backyard habitat: I’d sure hate to be your dog! Finally, given all the discussion about bears, guns and mace and all that craziness, it should be noted that bear attacks are decidedly rare. You are far more likely be killed in a car accident on the way to your camping trip than on the camping trip itself. Of course, I understand statistics and irrational fears have no relation to one another. Happy camping!
That’s your opinion FFF and one I used to share before I started spending months every year in the backcountry. Nowadays I’ve run into way too many “problem bears” to expect them to act as wild as they should just about anyplace there aren’t strict controls on people. Mostly I don’t carry a gun because they’re heavy and inconvenient and I’m lazy and I don’t like guns much but if you’re scared of wildlife or have specific reason to worry it’s comforting to have. Bear spray is multi purpose and I almost always carry it. The question here is how to increase peace of mind, after all. FWIW I’ve probably had 20-25 bear encounters and not ever had to do anything other than keep a cool head. That includes having an apparently lonely grizzly cub try to crawl into our tent to snuggle at 3am one night!
First, if she is not afraid of Prospect Park at night then she is tougher than she thinks. There are many great day hikes north along the Hudson. One great one I did with a few couples was Breakneck Ridge just north of Cold Spring on Route 9. The wives were not too keen about camping out, so after a long day of hiking we went to a B&B in Cold Spring. (Something with a Pig in the name.) It was a start. I have also done with my wife what I do with my kids. Sleep in our back yard which has some very minor woods and a few regular deer. I know you don’t have much of a backyard in Spike Lee town, but maybe you have a friend with one or your in-laws on Long Island? Once she got used to sleeping outside with the various animal and bird sounds, she was much more comfortable. Lastly, the winealcoholbeerwhiskey thought go a long way. A few glasses and a long day of hiking with a good camping meal usually puts us right out.
Reason rarely works in these situations, but black bears are basically glorified racoons, they aren’t going to attack you. They aren’t grizzlies or polar bears. Actually black bears are MORE likely to attack you than brown bears are. Anyone who’s spent time around bears will tell you that. Step one: learn about bears. After that I’d suggest going camping with a group to start with. Or if you have a friend with a cabin go and camp in their yard or camp in a realy busy car camping site with lots of other people around. Get informed about bears and bring a bear container and bear spray with you and practice until you feel comfortable in the back country. If it will help, bring a gun. The thing that gives me the greatest piece of mind camping in bear country is a .44 and someone who knows how to use it. The odds are a million to one you’ll ever have to use it of course but it doesn’t hurt to have it as long as you know how to use it and you aren’t drinking* *if anyone is going to lecture m
Allow me to disagree with the tone above. Black bears are not basically glorified racoons. I’ve seen a black bear tear off a car door. I’ve seen a pissed off cinnamon bear roll a VW beetle on its roof. I’ve lost packs to bears that were hanging 6 yards from the ground (and got pictures of the bear doing it). While bears should not be irrationally feared and should not stop your activity, they are nothing to take lightly either. The suggestions for camping outside of bear country are the best. Save the adventuers in Yellowstone or the Nahani for when she’s more comfortable with the idea.
