I've heard rumors about Polar Bears chewing up hydraulic lines on tractors and loaders and lapping up the hydraulic fluid. It doesn't seem to bother them a bit. High calorie snack I expect.

Battson wrote:

Oregon180 wrote:My plane seems to attract bees. Might be the bright yellow.

That's funny, I have the same thing. Insects of all sorts love to be on the plane...

So who here regularly leaves their plane tied down and walks away, in the middle of nowhere?

Part of the joy of going to a backcountry strip is being able to explore the area, take pictures, do some fishing, and in general, take in what the wilderness has to offer. I can't imagine being stuck on the strip to watch the plane all the time. I do worry, but I have not found a viable alternative to the risk involved. I am always armed and just hope that I can catch the evil doer in the act. That's not likely, but I don't know what else to do. Locks won't work and only invite damage. Animals are going to do what they want and all one can do is to remove the incentive to enter the plane (food). A pet rattlesnake sitting on the pilot seat might be a good deterrent. I wonder if a fake one would do the trick. If it looked like it was sleeping, I doubt that anyone would want to wake it to find out if it was real. Just a thought. However, that sure wouldn't work in Alaska - no snakes. There, one would need a grizzly bear in the seat. Wait, how about a pet skunk? No, the lack of scent might be a dead giveaway. Perhaps just put a Malamute in the pilot seat.

Part of the joy of going to a backcountry strip is being able to explore the area, take pictures, do some fishing, and in general, take in what the wilderness has to offer. I can't imagine being stuck on the strip to watch the plane all the time. I do worry, but I have not found a viable alternative to the risk involved. I am always armed and just hope that I can catch the evil doer in the act. That's not likely, but I don't know what else to do. Locks won't work and only invite damage. Animals are going to do what they want and all one can do is to remove the incentive to enter the plane (food). A pet rattlesnake sitting on the pilot seat might be a good deterrent. I wonder if a fake one would do the trick. If it looked like it was sleeping, I doubt that anyone would want to wake it to find out if it was real. Just a thought. However, that sure wouldn't work in Alaska - no snakes. There, one would need a grizzly bear in the seat. Wait, how about a pet skunk? No, the lack of scent might be a dead giveaway. Perhaps just put a Malamute in the pilot seat.

I think one of the solar panel charged battery driven hot wires (electric fence) placed around the plane and camp (as mentioned previously) would solve the large 4 legged animal problems. Choosing a remote location will typically (hopefully?) solve the problem of the 2 legged variety.....?

lc

Heading to grizzly and possible polar bear country - I see a few references to electric fences.
Does anyone have experience with this portable kit? I'm a bit skeptical that it would deter a polar bear.
Or better to buy electric fence material, carry a small generator to drive a full line energizer.
Should be in lodges most of the time but would like a safe option for camping out.

http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm

Good video here of Nols research on fences & bears - pretty convincing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2G-aRDvyY&feature=relmfu

Some their research here. http://rendezvous.nols.edu//content/category/46/263/739/

A detailed test report here with recommended vendors http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Curriculum/research_projects/Risk%20Management%20Reports/MTDCfoodfence.pdf

Park so someone else can land. I carry a parang to hack bush if I need a little extra room. Food and garbage goes into a bag tied to the top of a bent-over sapling that will spring it into the air - some distance from the plane.

I lock it. No misunderstanding, if you're in my plane you broke in, same as locking your front door instead of leaving it open. Also would evidence someone in the airplane and the need for a thorough inspection. Pitot cover, wing tie-downs if there's wind. Some effort not to leave desirables in plain sight in the cabin, but no window covers. 1-2 days away with no problems so far.

A couple of years ago I was working on a property and one of the back paddocks had a nice creek running through it. So I grabbed my Rod and took the station plane, another drifter, and went to cast a line.

I didnt manage to catch a feed but the stock in that paddock did, a heffer had a chew on the 582's exposed wiring and as I arrived back at the plane a horse was eating the elevator!

All ended up being suprisingly ok though. Was able to strip out enough wiring from an old land crusier that had broken down in that paddock 20 years before, and the RFDS first aid kid had some emergency plaster in it. I had heard of people using it before on sail material before so I thought I'd give it a go. It worked so well the owner left it there another 6 months!

So while it meant an unplanned night in the bush (and dickhead here didnt take his swag!) it turned out to be a great campfire story! Though doesnt compare with a bear eaten super cub fixed with gaffa tape!

cbfraser wrote:Heading to grizzly and possible polar bear country - I see a few references to electric fences.
Does anyone have experience with this portable kit? I'm a bit skeptical that it would deter a polar bear.
Or better to buy electric fence material, carry a small generator to drive a full line energizer.
Should be in lodges most of the time but would like a safe option for camping out.

http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm

Good video here of Nols research on fences & bears - pretty convincing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2G-aRDvyY&feature=relmfu

Some their research here. http://rendezvous.nols.edu//content/category/46/263/739/

A detailed test report here with recommended vendors http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Curriculum/research_projects/Risk%20Management%20Reports/MTDCfoodfence.pdf

I have a lot of experience with electric fences and brown bears and black bears, but none with polar bears. That said, bears are bears, and electric fences do work. And, no, you don't need a generator to run them.

We ran manned camps in country with a LOT of bears all summer with chargers equipped with solar panels in Alaska. The only time we had a fence breached was when, in the middle of the night, the crew was awakened by loud noises, and came out of their tents to watch a cow moose running through the camp, well adorned by the electric fence, with a grizzly bear in hot pursuit. Neither the moose or the bear had the least interest in the camp.

Our camps always had food and cooking, etc within the wire, and no problems. Well, okay, there was the one time a black bear came to dinner after someone left the gate open........he was invited to leave and did so.

I've left planes for a few days at a time in the boonies with no problems, both surrounded by a fence and not. Never a problem. I have had problems with two legged vandals, however.

And, if you ever are involved in an incident/accident in the boonies, that will require salvaging the plane, be sure to pull EVERYTHING of any value out of the plane before you leave it, including radios. I've seen so many radios stolen from damaged airplanes that it's crazy, including some that required some pretty challenging landings to get there......... As our 76 year old clerk in Kodiak used to say: "People are just no damn good!".

I've been present when two different black bears "tested" a fence....wished I'd been holding a video camera instead of a shotgun . Fences work. Even the small ones......try one sometime.

Which reminds me of a story.....A fishery research camp was run by a gent who didn't believe electric fences were either effective or necessary. So, they didn't have one, and the camp was in an area with a LOT of bears. The inevitable happened, and a black bear came into camp....and was shot and wounded.

Someone had to go up there and kill the bear, and then install an electric fence around the camp, since the office supervisor laid down the law to the camp boss. I went up there with the big boss, and did the deed.

After the fence was set up, the big boss and I were discussing things, when I noticed the camp boss verrrryyy gingerly touching the fence with his finger..... After which he announced that "This thing doesn't do anything at all!" I told him that, since he was wearing rubber boots it wouldn't work well, but if he wanted to really test it, he should get down on hands and knees--ie: act like a bear. I went back to my conversation.

A few moments later, the project leader from town signaled to me that I should look behind me.....and I turned to see the camp boss, on his hands and knees, about to touch the fence with his nose.....

Fortunately, the guy could swim, because that fence tossed him right in the river.

Epiphanies come in all shapes.....but I assure you that gent will testify to the effectiveness of electric fences. So will his boss, who nearly died of a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

MTV

When I start camping with my Zenith I'll use the same trick I used on my tent or Jeep when I'd be gone all day. I hung a note on the tent or Jeep that said "Mark, I'm on the hill in the blind, I can see you with my scope, wave your arms if you want me to walk down"

Never had any people problems

This is the fence I have
http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm

It weighs 3.7 lbs. and encloses an area 27' X 27' after the first time you set it up it takes about 5 minutes to set up and uses 2 D cell batteries

Not sure how much of a zap it gives (have not got drunk enough to try it or convince someone else to) but there are a bunch of youtube videos of it in action

FWIW
Roamer

How about putting a game camera in the trees nearby to at least ID the 2 legged critters afterwards?

I always sort of figured that if you caught one of the bad guys and hung his carcass upside down off the wing strut till he decomposed it would be a real disincentive to other bad guys.

On the electric fence, we ran a multiple boat fishing charter operation for many years and tried everything to keep bears off the boats. We had four of them demolished over the years. Once we installed a good hot fence on the dock gate with a wire grounding grid for them to stand on we never had a bear problem again. When ole fuzzy sticks his nose on the wire for the first time he will blow shit eight feet behind him and bounce three feet off the deck. After one treatment of the hot fence they can smell the ozone from the wire and will not try it again. It works on smoke houses, gardens, garbage sheds and airplanes.

Yes, but the key is getting a good ground connection.

We had a bad ass black bear who thought he was king shit of the Upper Yukon. I really thought I was going to have to shoot the bastard and skin him....a task I really hate......But, he got up real close to that fence, and I thought he was going to put his wet nose on it....

And, then he stuck out his tongue, and touched that fence. I have heard bears make a lot of different sounds, but I've never heard another one make that sound. And he continued to make that sound for about ten minutes as he departed the vicinity.

We slept well that night.

MTV

Had an interesting experience last weekend. Landed on the Knik River and was gone about 30 minutes hiking with my dog. Saw a 4 wheeler come up and take a look at the plane. I started back and he apparently never saw me, rode away. When I got back home that afternoon, there was a phone message - the guy said he found an "abandoned airplane" with my number on it (it's for sale & I have a sign) and hoped everything was ok. I assume he was making sure after hearing about several recent mishaps/crashes. Glad he was just concerned and not a problem.

Battson;

I would think the Keas would be a scourge in NZ. I had some try to eat the rubber off the windshield wipers on our van and they totally destroyed a bicycle seat.

TD

TomD wrote:Battson;

I would think the Keas would be a scourge in NZ. I had some try to eat the rubber off the windshield wipers on our van and they totally destroyed a bicycle seat.

TD

Yeah they'll do that to ya, especially in places frequented by visitors (some of whom feed them, which is practically as unhelpful as feeding a bear, only smaller and green).

I've never had one come near the plane on the ground, typically the remote places mean they don't get fed.
Although have had an occasional air-to-air fly by.

Left the S7S here unattended for a few hours just last week. There most assuredly were no vandals, at least the two-legged variety, within 50 miles.

Nice shot GB!

The OP says "back country strips". The fuzzy part is when one lands off airport, as in where no planes are expected. I for sure do not want someone thinking I "need help", and calling in a plane crash. I leave a lawn chair out and sometimes even a note (gone mountain biking). I'd say I give that need help scenario a lot more thought then I worry about someone stealing something, I also don't lock my home or vehicles, I just don't see the need to buy a new door or window in addition to whatever else a truly bad person will steal. Free range cattle can be a major concern in many areas I frequent. Besides, my S-7S doesn't have any way to lock the doors, so no problem!

I have had some close calls with other aircraft flying by, when I've been parked on top a mountain. The wrong kind of pilot (meaning one not even aware of all this off airport foolishness we indulge in) could raise all kinds of unwanted hell, thinking he was helping out. I go so far as to hide the airplane if possible if there a while, at least try and get off a bare ridge top and get under some trees if possible. I've even thought of hand signals to give if circled by another airplane "rescuing" me. After much thought, the only one I could come up with would be the one finger salute, seriously, that'd piss another pilot off enough to where he's probably just say to hell with you, and fly off. Anyone else think of another way to signal "all is OK, nothing to look at here, go away, thanks anyway?"

Other then that the more remote the better, usually no people= no problems. I'll be damned if I'd let worry about the unattended airplane keep me from having fun when out there, may as well stay home and watch TV, that's safer.

I never had a visit in a backcountry airstrip. I never leave any kind of food, and I don't have door locks.


It is another thing on a backcountry river... Float compartiment was smeling a little weird, like Javel weird..








I now close my float compartiments....

courierguy wrote: I have had some close calls with other aircraft flying by, when I've been parked on top a mountain. The wrong kind of pilot (meaning one not even aware of all this off airport foolishness we indulge in) could raise all kinds of unwanted hell, thinking he was helping out. I go so far as to hide the airplane if possible if there a while, at least try and get off a bare ridge top and get under some trees if possible. I've even thought of hand signals to give if circled by another airplane "rescuing" me. After much thought, the only one I could come up with would be the one finger salute, seriously, that'd piss another pilot off enough to where he's probably just say to hell with you, and fly off. Anyone else think of another way to signal "all is OK, nothing to look at here, go away, thanks anyway?"

I have been thinking about the same thing.
It seems like an obvious attempt to cover or "park" the aircraft is the best bet.
I am looking at getting a token camouflage net, to cover some part of the fuselage or wing, to make it look like I want to be there and be left alone.

When others fly over, I resist the temptation to wave hello, if I am somewhere the other aircraft can't land.
Like you say, from 500ft a wave can be interpreted as a frantic signal for help.

I was under the impression that:

one hand waving means "Hi"
two hands waving means "Help"

If you have one broken hand, then you're screwed.