Bear Damage - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-21-2011, 07:25 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Bear Damage

My friend Sandy who's a Bolerite sent me a message about a posting on Bolerama... and the picture .

"The bear ripped out the small window above the stove, then pulled out a chunk of fibreglass below the window to make it bigger so he could get in. He then wrecked the stove (pulled off the cover, and bent the burners), ripped off the fridge and freezer doors and generally made a mess.
and no, we were not at the trailer - it was parked in while we were doing about a week backcountry out of our canoe."
Click image for larger version

Name:	BearDamageToABoler.jpg
Views:	85
Size:	73.8 KB
ID:	39284

It's Gina D., that's said about molded fiberglass trailers "Hard and crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside." YEOW!
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 07:40 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: 2008 Casita 17' SD
Washington
Posts: 1,997
Registry
I kinda wonder if maybe he smelled something that he thought would be good to eat, since it was in the vicinity of the stove. Perhaps some remnant of spilled grease, or some other "attractant". After all, their sense of smell is a lot keener than ours is.

Maybe we should hang our trailers from a rope over a tree branch to keep them out of the bear's reach...

Sorry to hear of your damage.
Casita Greg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 08:04 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Robin G's Avatar
 
Trailer: 2007 Casita
Posts: 3,428
Wowser! Glad your friends were not napping in the trailer during it all. Thanks for the picture!
Robin G is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 08:11 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
I don't know these people... evidentally the bear destroyed the door on the refrigerator.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 08:28 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
honda03842's Avatar
 
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
We carry bear spray when hiking. In Alaska it was not unusual to see a sign at the head of a trail that said "grizzle sighted on trail today". As a result we bought a can of bear spray available at Walmart in Alaska. Maybe we need a second can for the trailer.

I will say we saw a grizzle standup in the road while in Denali. They are huge.
__________________
Norm and Ginny

2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
honda03842 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 08:39 PM   #6
Member
 
Name: Hillary
Trailer: 1974 ECO ~ Just purchased!
California
Posts: 32
Bears have definitely been on the list of concerns for me! I'm so glad that they weren't in there when it happened. In my head I envisioned bear spray right next to the fire extinguisher in my imaginary home on wheels!
AuntHoodoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 09:06 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
reeves99's Avatar
 
Name: Philip
Trailer: Escape 13 /Hyundai Santa Fe
British Columbia
Posts: 471
Registry
Oh Oh

Donna,
My partner thinks he's gonna be safe from the bears in our little trailer. I'm definitely NOT going to show him your post.
P


Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
My friend Sandy who's a Bolerite sent me a message about a posting on Bolerama... and the picture .

"The bear ripped out the small window above the stove, then pulled out a chunk of fibreglass below the window to make it bigger so he could get in. He then wrecked the stove (pulled off the cover, and bent the burners), ripped off the fridge and freezer doors and generally made a mess.
and no, we were not at the trailer - it was parked in while we were doing about a week backcountry out of our canoe."
Attachment 39284

It's Gina D., that's said about molded fiberglass trailers "Hard and crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside." YEOW!
reeves99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2011, 09:10 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Phil, I think campers/rvers/popup owners should ALL be careful when in bear county. Fortunately except for in some areas, bears are as afraid of humans as we are of them. It pays to be aware and prudent.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 08:15 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
LukeP's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1972 13 ft Boler American
Posts: 262
Registry
Donna, did your friend or the post mention where this happened?
LukeP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 08:41 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Name: Hazel
Trailer: Trillium
Saskatchewan
Posts: 588
Obviously I don't know the whole story here - so hesitate to point fingers or anything. For what it is worth we NEVER cook anything in our trailer, nor do we store food items there. Anything that goes in the camper goes straight into the fridge sealed inside something. Pots/pans and food go in the trunk of the car.

Actually I'd love to be able to buy a small trailer that gives us more space and no stovetop/sink.

We too have bear spray - one in the car, one in the camper, two more for when we are walking away from the campground. We've never actually had a bear problem even though we live in bear country - but like Boy Scouts, we like to Be Prepared.
Hazel in Sk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 09:51 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Robin G's Avatar
 
Trailer: 2007 Casita
Posts: 3,428
Bear spray is great line of defense (if your that close ) but truth be known, I don't care to be that close to start with . Spraying Bear spray from a 100 feet away, doesn't work .



Best line of defense is to avoid a get together to start with! Make noise, talk, sing, whistle, clap, etc when hiking/running/walking/biking in bear country.

Of course not knowing why the bear decided this egg was worth getting into, it's hard to say how they could have protected it to avoid such a issue.
But would wonder if there was anything left out, such as a piece of fruit, candy bar, cracker, even a box of cereal, left on the counter will entice them. The slightest odor will bring them investigating. I have lived in Bear country on and off for years. And have had only one issue. Of course it was at our back door .
While Dh was walking some trash out to the bear proof container the phone rang, instead of letting it go to voice mail, he sat the trash down just outside the back door and answered the phone, when he finished the phone conversation he decided to finish reading the paper so he could add it to the trash before unlocking the bear proof trash container (God forbid you make 2 trips ) . We had 2 bears within 20 minutes of him sitting it out the door. Boy that was fun! Thankfully we got them on their way, before animal control got there. Though I almost got shot by a neighbor in the process! (dumb a$$!)........



Best line of defense is to avoid them. As beautiful and majestic as they are, I respect the fact that they know I am scared of them.
Robin G is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 12:39 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Carol H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyGee View Post
Actually up here in Canada , BC & Alberta in particular are trying to have laws regarding handguns changed to allow fishermen, hikers and campers to carry handguns while in bear country.
Hehe where in BC??? most communities in BC are actually adopting the Bear Aware program and bylaws that result in big fines to people who leave out things that attract bears such as their garbage (cant be outside unless it is garbage day), bird feeds, dirty bq's and any fruit that has dropped to the ground from trees etc. They have a pretty good write up on what you can do to avoid a conflict with them - seeing one in your yard is not considered a conflict but if they come into the house thats another matter ( 3 have recently in my area) :-) Conflict Prevention | BearAware

Call to report a bear in your yard in most areas of the lower mainland - city or not - and the bear will live to the tell the story about the guy who got a big fine for feeding him. :-)

I leave my trailer in the driveway but it has no food in it and I clean the fridge and stove well after every use. Yup I saw more bears in my yard in the week I came home from Yellowstone than I saw in 10 days in Yellowstone (did not see one). Heres a video that a fellow took in my area:

Only problem with the video is the guy is doing everything wrong - we are taught not to take pictures but to yell and bang pots to scare them -he gets mad at his neighbour for scaring them off - he also has a bird feeder out which is like candy to the bears and although it appears that it is garbage pick up day so his garbage can be out he has no latch on his cans - actually the bears around here know the garbage schedule better than me.
Carol H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 12:48 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Carol H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
It's Gina D., that's said about molded fiberglass trailers "Hard and crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside." YEOW!
A few years ago while kayaking in the Queen Charlotte Islands came across a couple of guys who had been stranded on a beach for a fews days (radios did not work in the area) as one of the kayaks had been ripped apart by a bear as they had made the mistake of stowing their food in the boat over night.
Carol H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 12:48 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
honda03842's Avatar
 
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
Fruit

Carol,

If you pick up all the fruit that hit's the ground, do the bears simply shake the tree or pick the fruit?
__________________
Norm and Ginny

2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
honda03842 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 01:19 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Carol H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
Carol,

If you pick up all the fruit that hit's the ground, do the bears simply shake the tree or pick the fruit?
The ones around my place for the most part have learned to be lazy and go from yard to yard looking for easy pickings off the ground but from time to time they do go up into the trees. They have no problem climbing trees and 6' fences. Currently have the biggest boy I have seen in my 20 years here showing up once a week the night before garbage pick up waiting for my neighbour to put her garbage out the night before - ends up with everyone on the block waking up at midnight to the sound of garbage cans being rolled down the lane way. The big guy then drags all the garbage onto my back yard and chows down. I have recently been asking her to clean it all up the next day along with his big poop piles in hopes she gets the message! :-) Myself and another neighbour have taken up shining big spot lights on him and yelling at him. He moves on. The bears often get sick from eating the garbage as well - there was a story the other day in our local paper about a guy dealing with a sick bear in his yard Eight bears killed - and counting

Its really not funny as we have already had issues this year with the bears being a little more assertive than normal due to the bad berry season (to much rain) and low snow pack - the bears are currently going on their big feeding time to stock up for winter and some have started going into houses. Sadly 8 have lost their lives in the past couple of weeks as a result (some years none have been shoot - which is the way most people here like it) they are only shoot if they have a previous record of being a problem & their behaviour is such that they do not scare away fast (normally a black bear is pretty easy to scare off).
Carol H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 03:37 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
honda03842's Avatar
 
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
Black Bears

BC has a large and thriving Black bear population.

British Columbia's black bear population is currently at an historic high. The Wildlife Branch estimates that 120,000 to 160,000 black bears live in British Columbia, having increased from around 80,000 in 1870. (Demarchi 1999). This is nearly 30% of the 443,000 black bears in the Canadian population and approximately 15% of the 803,000 black bears in the North American population (Samuel and Jackson 2000).


The greater ability of black bears to adapt to human activities compared to that of grizzly bears has contributed to their success. Black bears have been trapped and hunted continuously by non-natives for nearly 200 years and by First Nations peoples for uncounted generations, yet populations persist in most areas. Black bears in some parts of the province may experience loss of forage as second-growth forests shade out berry producing plants and as large logs, root boles and stumps are lost for denning. These factors may lead to increased cannibalism and some localized population declines (Davis and Harestad 1996)


STATUS OF BLACK BEARS

North America

Black bears are the most common large carnivore in North America. At a recent black bear workshop for the U.S. and Canada, scientists concluded that black bears are long lived (20+ years), adaptable, highly mobile and more productive than previously thought. The current range of black bears includes all of the Canadian provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, most of the continental United States in the less-settled forested regions and the northwestern mountains of Mexico.

Historically, black bears occupied most of North America except the treeless barrens of northern Canada and the desert regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico (Seton 1929). In Canada, black bears occupy 85% of their historic range (Kolenosky and Strathearn 1987). They have been displaced from the southern farmlands of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In the United States, black bears have lost habitat wherever hardwood forests have been eliminated.


__________________
Norm and Ginny

2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
honda03842 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 03:54 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Greg H's Avatar
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: 72 Boler American
Indiana
Posts: 1,557
I've just got to say this " that bites ".
Greg H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2011, 05:16 PM   #18
Member
 
mike_bc's Avatar
 
Name: Michael
Trailer: Bigfoot 25B25RQ
BC
Posts: 98
Quote:
Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
Carol,

If you pick up all the fruit that hit's the ground, do the bears simply shake the tree or pick the fruit?
Hi Honda Bears are excellent tree climbers.

Oops sorry, I re read Carol's post and she does state that.
mike_bc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2011, 05:56 PM   #19
Moderator
 
Frederick L. Simson's Avatar
 
Trailer: Fiber Stream 1978 / Honda Odyssey LX 2003
Posts: 8,222
Registry
Send a message via AIM to Frederick L. Simson
Gun Discussion - Split from "Bear Damage"

The gun discussion has been split off and moved to it's own thread. If you want to talk about guns, continue that conversation in the new thread.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...age-48098.html

Discussion not involving guns can continue here.
__________________
Frederick - The Scaleman
Frederick L. Simson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2011, 12:51 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Joy A's Avatar
 
Trailer: 2001 13 ft Scamp / 1993 Jeep Cherokee
Posts: 1,294
When I found myself traveling to Alaska alone, the caravan had changed the dates at the last minute, I lay awake at night thinking about a solo trip and Grizzlies. They are much bigger than the bears in the lower 48. I had heard somewhere that a Grizzly could stand 7 feet.

I was thinking, that's to the top of his head. How long are his arms?? How far around my little 13 footer can he wrap them?? Bears are very strong...could he lift it up and toss it??

So I found myself camping in populated campgrounds and RV parks on the trip rather than very rural unpopulated campgrounds and roadside rests. I had made the decision prior to the trip not to cook in my trailer. I did worry about the dog food, though. I really don't want food in the tug either, because you lose it you got no transportation. I live near Yosemite but never take my trailer there to camp, however I do know that over the years they've had bear problems with lots ripping cars open.
__________________
Joy A. & Olive
and "Puff", too
Fulltime
2019 Ram Longhorn
Joy A is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Sun/heat damage to fiberglass? pindraak Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 19 08-18-2011 02:42 PM
Frost damage? Wilder Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 4 12-06-2009 09:48 AM
Hail Damage and the death of the Scamp DanMurphy Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 1 06-05-2008 06:23 AM
Does this look like water damage? Rebecca H. Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 14 07-16-2007 11:14 PM
Fiberglass damage and dry rot Andrea in Oregon Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 17 02-15-2007 12:50 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.