Would adding a visual barrier inside a BearVault lower the motivation for a bear to tamper with it?

[u/SuperEstrogen]

Specifically the BearVaults are see through, and I'm wondering if preventing a bear from seeing the food would lower the length a bear decides to tamper with it. If they can't see the food would they have less motivation to break inside and/or give up faster?

[u/HobbesNJ]

A bear's sense of smell is so acute that they know exactly what's in there without needing to see anything. They know you have a can filled with food from far away.

You can't really fool the bear, just take advantage of their lack of thumbs.

[u/Present-Resolution23 → u/HobbesNJ]

And even THEN, the clever buggers might still just learn they can bash it on something to get at your food anyway..

[u/aboothemonkey → u/Present-Resolution23]

I got a free REI bear canister because of a defect. So I have one without the defect, and one that doesn’t properly snap shut. I best the shit out of the defective one with a sledge hammer and it didn’t break, it just bounced around like crazy. I have no idea what they’re made of but I’m not too sure a bear could smash one open. Granted I’m not an 800lb walking tank, so maybe they could.

[u/SeattlePurikura → u/aboothemonkey]

There's a bear who learned to roll them off cliffs to smash them open. But generally, they can't break them open.

[u/HobbesNJ → u/SeattlePurikura]

A number of years back there was a bear in the Adirondacks that learned how to actually open the Bear Vault canisters. Her name was Yellow Yellow. She apparently taught her cubs how to do it as well. As a result, those canisters were not accepted for use in the region.

She's no longer around and I don't know if there are still bears there that know how to do it.

[u/Jolly-Slow1164 → u/SeattlePurikura]

The black bear certification is much newer than the grizzly bear cert. Black Bears are tricky and dexterous. They have been chewing through bear vaults in the Adirondacks. I think that's more of a characteristic of polycarbonate's hardness than it's transparency. It's a big part of why I decided not to get a BV one.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/HobbesNJ]

Eh, makes sense. I did learn they can practically see smell so they could be blind and basically still see Daredevil style except via nose lol.

[u/slicxx → u/SuperEstrogen]

I feel like having a visual que is in your advantage. If a bear ever gets hold of it in the first places, there is two options: either you're up and well, ready to back off, or the bear has dinner served already.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/slicxx]

Didn't think of that. Visual barrier will de-motivate me to snatch it back!

[u/slicxx → u/SuperEstrogen]

Real market opportunity for the kids that like to learn the hard way. Had a good laugh from your comment, ty

[u/Capital_Escape_8095]

I have a Bearikade, which is carbon fiber, and thus can't been seen-through. I cover the outside with stickers that have realistic pictures of honey pots and pic-a-nic baskets. Not one bear has gone for it, even in Jellystone Park.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/Capital_Escape_8095]

Nice lol. I would get that one if I had deep money pockets.

[u/RemarkableDebate4631]

I'd guess it makes little difference, since bears track food by smell far more than sight and the odor gets out either way. I think what ends the tampering is the bear learning the lid won’t open, so a properly closed canister matters way more than hiding what's inside.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/RemarkableDebate4631]

Got it. Gorilla glue to the lid 👍

[u/Tight-Vacation8516]

I don't think it would really matter much, but I usually kind of put mine in a little bush depending on the terrain. I've never had it tampered with really to my knowledge. 

[u/Past-Customer4511 → u/Tight-Vacation8516]

i agree, i put mine in a little bush. partly because it makes me feel better and partly because i know to know when theyre messing with it. Every once in a while they come around and roll it around and try to get inside and i get peace of mind knowing when they are, because one time i woke up and it was moved and had to go hunt it down lol

[u/QuantumAttic]

I usually place something on it. A rock and some forest debris. Everything with this subject is a roll of the dice anyway.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/QuantumAttic]

That's actually good to cover it up because it humanproofs it.

[u/-JakeRay-]

You know you don't have to put every post you write into 3 different subreddits, right?

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/-JakeRay-]

Mods in some subreddits power trip and remove my original post so I'd rather it not say "Post removed" on literally every repost lmao.

[u/-JakeRay- → u/SuperEstrogen]

You are a lot less likely to be reported and removed for being spam if you don't spam your post across so many subreddits. Pick one or two subs that are most likely to give you good answers. There's no need to bother the same people (there's a lot of crossover in membership in the outdoor/hiking subs) in four places. 

It's obnoxious. At best it feeds your own anxiety about needing an answer, at worst it's straight-up karma farming, and either way the mods are right to remove it.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/-JakeRay-]

Gotcha 👍

[u/GeneInternational146]

Bears aren't real good at seeing. It's the smeller you gotta be worried about

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/GeneInternational146]

Bear spray tripwire.

[u/GeneInternational146 → u/SuperEstrogen]

Seems like overkill

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/GeneInternational146]

'Tis satire.

[u/gregorytoddsmith]

I just tape over the labels so they can't read the ingredients.

[u/SuperEstrogen → u/gregorytoddsmith]

That wont work because they won't care. Instead I opted to put all caps "NOT FOOD" on the canister.