[at-l] Propane's attraction for bears.

[papa_bear_nyc@yahoo.com (Papa Bear)]

I'd be careful with this conclusion and course of action.

Bears are smart, especially their nose and their ability to learn where the
food is.  Witness their quick learning that shaking bear cables brings them
food, or stealing packs does the same.  In this case smelling cooking fuel
seems to attract them: a good assumption (although hard to prove - can't ask
the bear) would be they are looking for the food associated with the fuel
smell.

So why do wilderness guides use propane canisters rather than zip stoves to
attract bears?  Same reason backpackers use canister stoves (or for that
matter why home barbequeuers use propane grills in their back yards) :
light, clean, instant on and off, long lasting, etc.. Could you imagine a
guide hanging a zip stove in a tree to attract bears?  Seems the hard way to
do it when a canister is available. Turned on very low, the canister would
probably last a couple of hours.  How long does your zip burn?  8 minutes
maybe.

Just my take.
Pb


----- Original Message -----
From: "Shane Steinkamp" <shane@theplacewithnoname.com>
To: "Steve Adams" <stephensadams@hotmail.com>;
<at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 1:11 PM
Subject: RE: [at-l] Propane's attraction for bears.


> > Bears love the organic carbon smell of propane or
> > other bottled gases.
>
> Ah, another argument for using a ZIP stove...
>
> Shane