beginner wrote:
> With reading that bears will break into a car simply upon sight
> of anything resembling food or a food container ... do dark
> tinted windows or even putting dark material to cover the
> windows (blanket or something) make any positive difference?
> Or would it have the reverse effect, maybe even make the bears
> more suspicious (are they that smart??). Or no difference at
> all?
I somewhat disagree a previous post. Bears can be visual. They have been known to recognize coolers, and can sometimes break into a car when they've seen a completely unused cooler that has no food smells. They have been known to completely ignore wilderness bear canisters, even if they can smell the food inside. They know there's no likely payoff and give up before even trying.
> We will be extremely vigilant and remove EVERYTHING from the
> car and not even eat in the car on the (long) drive up to the
> park or have anything scented for at least a week prior (my
> husband is very concerned about the bears). Plus giving the
> car a good thorough vacuuming prior to arrival. But just in
> case we miss something ... or if a curious bear might take the
> old stains on our seats as spilled food (melted crayon, etc)
> ... would covering the windows even help? Or should we cover
> the seats with something (because of the stains).
You need to do what you can. I think a lot of the stories have been overblown. For the most part, bears are looking for a payoff and won't go through the trouble if they don't sense there's a reasonably amount of food to be had.
> Or am I overthinking all of this??
I've certainly overthought this. The basic rule is that food can't be stored in your vehicle when it's dark and bears. I've seen a ticket handed out for someone who stored "cleaning supplies" in a car overnight at the Yosemite Lodge parking lot. The bears will allegedly associate those smells with food. I was at Grant Grove (Kings Canyon NP) last year waiting for my cabin to be ready. It was 3:30 PM and I had food stored in my car, which I was going to put in my cabin. The area is known for bears that will break into cars. I asked a ranger about it, and she said I shouldn't really have to worry about it for the time being. It was plenty bright and there was a lot of foot traffic that would tend to keep the bears away.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm
Quote
How to Store Your Food...
In your carYou may store food inside your car (with windows completely closed) only during daylight hours. Do not store food in your car after dark: use a
food locker. Remember to clear your car of food wrappers, crumbs in baby seats, and baby wipes. Even canned food and drinks must be removed from your car.
The Sierra black bear is generally different than black bears in other parts of North America. I remember going to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. The basic recommendation there was to store your food in a closed trunk and out of sight if you didn't have a hard-sided cabin. Some other parts of the Sierra Nevada range aren't known for bears breaking into cars. In the Cascades, bears don't typically break into cars. This is a learned behavior, which other black bears haven't learned in other parts of the continent.
Another thing is the apple orchard in the Curry Village parking lot. Some people have found their cars dented when bears climbed on their cars in order to reach some of the higher apples.
. I know that the bear boxes in Little Yosemite Valley can't be relied upon because there just aren't enough.
