Always left in camp in the tent meant for if boo boo decided to come into camp.. Which never happened even with a meat pole full of hanging meat.
We had some bear problems at the campsite back on the early '90s. Ever since we have left a radio tuned to one of the local talk-show stations, and haven't had bears raiding the campsite, but no idea if the radios have done the job or not. Maybe the snores of my hunting friends nearby keep the bears away
Anyway, we have had fresh moose meat hanging from trees at night, right in the middle of the campsite, and so far no more bear problems.
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Most hunters in the areas I hunt carry sidearms of various calibers. But then we don't pack meat out since we have ATV's and meat trailers. We usually hunt the ridge where there are wide open areas and cat. trails, while other hunters go down toward the water through thickets of black spruce and birch.
Some of these areas in the interior are on fire at the moment, so who knows if we will be able to hunt there this year.
