Food Storage Requirements
A food storage order requires specific food storage practices across the Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Priest Lake Ranger District, and portions of the Sandpoint Ranger District to reduce the potential for human-wildlife conflicts. The food storage requirements described in the order are mandatory from April 1 to December 1 annually and apply to all Idaho Panhandle National Forest lands north of the Clark Fork River, Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River.
Food, carcasses, and attractants must be stored in a bear-resistant container or stored in a bear-resistant manner if they are unattended. In the front country these same items must also be stored in camp at night, unless they are being consumed, prepared for transport or storage. For specific information on the new order and to view specific locations of backcountry and front country areas for each district, view the food storage order.
If you have additional questions related to food storage requirements on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests please contact your local Forest Service office.
Approved Storage:
A bear resistant container is one that has been approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC). Please see their website at http://www.igbconline.org/. Additional information on bear resistant products, including pictures and links to commercial providers can be found in the IGBC's report on Certified Bear Resistant Products. Most bear-resistant containers sold in local outdoor retail stores meet these requirements.
Stored in a bear resistant manner means hung 10 feet off the ground and four feet horizontally from a tree or other structure; stored in a hard-sided camper; vehicle trunk, or cab or trailer cab: in a hard-sided building or stored using an electric fence.
Wildlife Carcasses:
Carcasses that are within a half mile of any camp or sleeping area must be stored in an approved bear-proof manner during nighttime hours. If a carcass is within an attended camp during daylight hours, it may be on the ground.
Burning Attractants:
Attractants are things like leftover food, bacon grease, etc. They cannot be buried, burned in an open campfire, or left behind in camp. All attractants must be stored in a sealed container and packed out with garbage – or disposed of in a bear resistant garbage container.
Store your food and attractants, livestock food and garbage in a bear-resistant manner or use a bear-resistant container
Attractants such as leftover food, bacon grease, etc.
Any harvested animal carcasses, including fish, birds, or other animal parts that are within a half-mile of any camping or sleeping area must be stored. If an animal carcass is within an attended camp during daylight hours it may be on the ground.
Other Safety Tips
- Keep a clean camp.
- Store only sleeping gear and clean clothing in the tent. Never sleep in the clothing worn while cooking.
- Hang all food, garbage, cooking gear, and cosmetics in a tree at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet from the tree trunk or nearby branches. If there is a device provided for storing or hanging your food or other items, use it. If you are camped near your vehicle, store these items in the trunk. Use PVC-type float sacks for storing items to minimize odors.
- Never use the stuff sacks for tens or sleeping bags to store food, garbage, cooking gear, or cosmetics. This may transmit smells attractive to bears to tents and sleeping bags.
- Where hunting is permitted, store game meat as you would human food. Dispose of fish entrails by puncturing the air bladder and dropping them in deep water, allowing natural decomposition.
- Dispose of used tampons or sanitary napkins by packing them out in a sealed plastic bag.
- Pitch your tent 100 yards uphill from the area where you're cooking and storing food, if possible.
- Never bury or burn garbage.
- Never cook in or near a tent.
- Avoid cooking strong-smelling foods; use dehydrated foods when possible.
- Use a stove instead of a cooking fire whenever possible.
- Store horse and pet feed the same as human food.
- If dogs are permitted in the area, keep your dog on a leash; a free ranging dog may lead a bear back to you.
- Stay informed about recent bear activity in the area.
- Leave a travel plan with a friend and sign in and out at the trailhead so that someone will know when to expect your return.
- Avoid sudden encounters and destruction of habitat. Stay on trails.
- Hike in groups to avoid surprising bears.
- Hike in daylight hours only.
- Make human sounds by talking, singing, or clapping your hands. Avoid high-pitched voices.
- Stay alert. Be aware of your surroundings. The potential for a bear encounter always exists. Look for paw prints, droppings, fresh diggings, torn-apart logs, and rocks that have been turned over. These may signal that a bear is active in the area.
- It is easy to become absorbed in photography, bird watching, or sightseeing. Stay alert.
- Bear food supplies such as berry fields, fish spawning areas, and animal carcasses should be recognized and avoided.
- Watch for noisy streams and wind directions that may mask your sound and scent.
- All bears have the ability to climb trees, some better than others.
- Just because you don't see bears doesn't mean they are not around. Grizzly bears hide or make daybeds in thick brush, often near trails.
- Always carry a used bandana, shirt, or parka that you can drop easily. Avoid dropping food, this will only encourage the bear's aggressiveness toward other hikers.
If you see a bear, stay calm and give it plenty of room. Do not startle it; detour slowly, keeping upwind so it will get your scent and know you are there. If you can't detour wait until it moves away from your route before proceeding.
When a bear first detects you, it may stand upright and use all of its senses to determine what and where you are. Once it identifies you it may ignore you, move slowly away, run, or it may charge. A wild bear rarely attacks unless it feels threatened or provoked.
On four legs, a bear may show agitation by swaying its head from side to side, making huffing noises and clacking its teeth.
A charge or retreat may follow. Flattened ears and raised hair on the back of the neck indicate aggressive intent. If a bear runs with a stiff, bouncing gait, it may be a false charge.
Never run, and do not try to climb a tree unless you are sure you have time to climb at least 10 feet before the bear reaches you. Bears can run very fast.
If attacked by a bear, do not run. Bears can easily outrun you. Try playing dead. Lie flat on your stomach or lie on your side with your legs drawn up to your chest. Clasp your hands over the back of your neck. Bears have passed by people in these positions without harming them.
Find more information online: Grizzly vs. Black Bears: Key Traits for Differentiation