Kind of off topic, but figured this forum might be a good resource. Do any of you have real world experience with the electric bear fences? Thinking maybe outfitters trying to secure their meat until your transportation arrives. We are just trying to keep them out of the garbage at our raft base without building a shed. What I would really like is something to put around our wooden stockade fence that we keep the trash bins behind as a deterrent. I don't want to build something that will just take on a odor and nastyness of it's own after a few weeks. We have tried everything from bleach to rat traps with no luck. Everything I read online has mixed reviews. I have so far held off on the hot lead injection solution.

Pete

Pete,

We used electric fences around our field camps for years, with food, stored and cooked within the camp. Only breach we ever had was a moose who ran through one camp in the middle of the night, being pursued by a grizzly bear. Neither the bear nor the moose were interested in us, but it made for a kinda sleepless night.

We used electric fences in a camp on Kodiak that arguably has the highest density of brown bears anywhere, at least seasonally. Again, fook, cooking, etc. All of these camps were often left unattended during the day when crews were working.

Before we adopted electric fences, we literally had bears in our camps nearly every night, and many days. We hung food up from trees, but the bears still came in.

ANYone who worked on our area out of a camp was required to use electric fencing around their camps.

These were not elaborate fences either, though if I were fencing a serious attractant, I'd use a bit more serious fence, at least two strands.

We ALWAYS used the ribbon wire, which flutters in any breeze. That flutter often gets a bear's attention, and it puts its nose on the ribbon.....bam! Trained bear.

The single biggest failure point with electric fences is getting a decent ground, which can be a bit tough, depending on soils. But, if this is a longer term (as opposed to a backpackers camp for a day) you should be able to drive in a good ground rod.'

Here's a pretty good selection and variety of fence materials: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=electric+fen ... hzzxikn5_e

But, the short answer to your question is, yes, they work.

Can confirm that one sleeps better behind electric wire in big bear country. I used one in the Torngat Mountains, Labrador where the big white bears roam. They work.

This is a version that a firm in Vancouver is marketing for hikers - everything you need in a 2.5 pound package, including the energizer and batteries. I've not used it, but it gets good reviews, and seems to have the right specs:

https://bearwatchsystems.com/

Boreal1 wrote:Can confirm that one sleeps better behind electric wire in big bear country. I used one in the Torngat Mountains, Labrador where the big white bears roam. They work.

This is a version that a firm in Vancouver is marketing for hikers - everything you need in a 2.5 pound package, including the energizer and batteries. I've not used it, but it gets good reviews, and seems to have the right specs:

https://bearwatchsystems.com/

I've been using a Bear Watch Systems fence for the past couple of years and agree - we slept easier at night and it is a well made product that's compact and lightweight.

Thanks guys!

Really appreciate to info. Now I have to think about how to keep the raft guides from getting liquored up and playing grab the fence...

Pete

I have one question, do you play rock/paper/scissors in the camp to decide who tests it for functionality once it's all been set up !!

Mapleflt wrote:I have one question, do you play rock/paper/scissors in the camp to decide who tests it for functionality once it's all been set up !!

That might be fun but a meter is provided that you use to test the voltage and confirm the quality of your ground.

offroute wrote:

Mapleflt wrote:I have one question, do you play rock/paper/scissors in the camp to decide who tests it for functionality once it's all been set up !!

That might be fun but a meter is provided that you use to test the voltage and confirm the quality of your ground.

I had a flashback to younger days and pranks played at the electric cattle fence on my grandfather's farm, very "uplifting"

You find out who the absent minded and/or dumb ones are fairly quick.

mtv wrote:You find out who the absent minded and/or dumb ones are fairly quick.

Today's winner of the Darwin Award goes to ..........

Mapleflt wrote:

mtv wrote:You find out who the absent minded and/or dumb ones are fairly quick.

Today's winner of the Darwin Award goes to ..........

There's actually a story that goes with that comment:

A group of our Fisheries Biologists were in a camp on a tributary of the Yukon in our managemt area. This was a fairly large camp....six or eight people. I'd tried to get them to use an electric fence, but they were too busy, or?? A black bear got crossed up with them, into food/garbage, and one of the crew shot him, but didn't finish the job.
We took care of the bear, and I took the Fisheries boss with me, along with an electric fence for their camp. We installed the fence, and I was standing nearby talking to the the boss, when I noticed the camp leader gently touching the fence, which was energized. He said "this thing doesn't do anything" to which I responded "bears don't wear rubber boots, get down on all fours and put your nose on it." I am a smart ass, through and through, BTW.
To my amazement, said biologist got down on all fours and approched the fence. I got his boss's attention with a head nod in that direction.

In short, nose touched fence, biologist was thrown into the river. His boss looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "let's get out of here".

I put two fences up, one around the airplane because bears seem to thiink bushwheels are doughnuts, and the other aound the tent. I also run three wires, hot/ground/hot just in case the bear isn't grounding itself well. I bought it all at a local fencing store was super easy to put together and saved a couple bucks over buying a pre-made kit.

Probably not an ideal solution for your intended use,

but to help my wife sleep on very remote travels I bought a dozen of these;

cut them in half (2" taller on the top half), and then swage on a 4" piece of tubing half way down the top of the lower piece (think fishing pole). That's for my OCD... they all net the same length

Then in the sprit of fishing poles, buy a grip of these (think rod guides) just clip 3 on per pole and run the line through them;


I don't like my line so light I lose every other 'fish' or so heavy I'll want to leave it at home so I run this through the 'guides';


You'll then want one of these to hang on the string, kind of like an old 'strike indicator';


Lastly, if you're over 60, you'll get up at night to... er... and you'll want some of this, lest a very personal appendage get's to test the whole shootin match out... your wife will not be impressed, and the only solace will be that she will pee the bed laughing at your misfortune


It will all fit in a sleeve like for tent poles of an average backpacking tent.

She WILL sleep better with one around your tent / plane / camp. Does it work? Dunno, but I've woke up to many bear prints, and never had to 'phone a friend' for a case of duct tape or a loaner Bushwheel.

Take care, Rob

mtv wrote:To my amazement, said biologist got down on all fours and approached the fence. I got his boss's attention with a head nod in that direction.

In short, nose touched fence, biologist was thrown into the river. His boss looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "let's get out of here".

I just read this again. What picture! Makes me laugh every time.