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#151352 - 06/11/11 03:46 PM Perimeter around tents?
Rayman1968 Offline
member

Registered: 06/12/10
Posts: 30
Loc: Ventura, CA.
This pic from google earth is in an area I frequently hike in. I've never seen someone put something like this around their tents before.

Is this supposed to keep animals out or something?

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/52891745

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#151353 - 06/11/11 03:52 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
It would appear to be intended to deter animals. If it is electrified, the electrical source is not immediately apparent, but if it isn't electrified, it is guaranteed to be useless. Probably going to cause some terrible cursing if somebody need to leave the tent in the night to stumble to the bathroom. eek

People do all kind of strange things. Hard to say if this scheme was someone's personal brainstorm, or if they were the victims of an overzealous salesperson.

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#151354 - 06/11/11 03:58 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
Rayman1968 Offline
member

Registered: 06/12/10
Posts: 30
Loc: Ventura, CA.
OK, looks like it's an electric fence...

http://www.udap.com/bearshock.htm

WAY overkill for that area, lol.

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#151358 - 06/11/11 05:31 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Quote:
WAY overkill for that area, lol.


That's for sure laugh

I used to wonder around that area a lot in the `80s. I don't think there was a single bear left around there back then. I know there weren't many. Are there any now?
_________________________
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"You want to go where?"



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#151363 - 06/11/11 08:09 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: billstephenson]
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
I would think claymore mines would do a better job with less fuss, just be really really careful...
Jim
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

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#151365 - 06/11/11 08:43 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Jimshaw]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
This side towards bears->

laugh
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#151370 - 06/11/11 11:03 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: billstephenson]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
This is absolutely ridiculous. I hike in this region a lot (home base is Ventura) and there is no need for this silliness.

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#151372 - 06/12/11 12:22 AM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
dkramalc Offline
member

Registered: 09/19/03
Posts: 1070
Loc: California
Afraid of mountain lions, maybe? Or maybe it was lighter than their bear canister...
_________________________
dk

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#151374 - 06/12/11 12:40 AM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: dkramalc]
lv2fsh Offline
member

Registered: 04/27/08
Posts: 111
Loc: socal
Can you imagine going out for a nature call and ............... hahahahhahahaha

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#151375 - 06/12/11 02:15 AM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: dkramalc]
GDeadphans Offline
member

Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 382
Loc: Maine/New Jersey
Originally Posted By dkramalc
Or maybe it was lighter than their bear canister...

lol
_________________________
"To me, hammocking is relaxing, laying, swaying. A steady slow morphine drip without the risk of renal failure." - Dale Gribbel

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#151377 - 06/12/11 10:43 AM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
Haiwee Offline
member

Registered: 08/21/03
Posts: 330
Loc: Southern California
O.K. I have now officially seen everything.
_________________________
My blog on politics, the environment and the outdoors: Haiwee.blogspot.com

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#151383 - 06/12/11 01:49 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
wow and i thought i was parnoid peeing on the trees that are around my camp.<< poor tree huggers
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

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#151418 - 06/13/11 08:54 AM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Samoset]
BradMT Offline
member

Registered: 08/23/04
Posts: 151
What is wrong with people...
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There Is No Bad Weather, Just Bad Clothing...

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#151430 - 06/13/11 12:00 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
Mudflap Offline
newbie

Registered: 04/25/11
Posts: 13
Wow that is so lame! Talk about paranoia!! Don't people realize that animals will just leave us alone unless they have a good reason to bother us in the middle of the night; i.e leaving good smelling things in the tent. And let's be honest if a bear actually wanted to go into the tents, that dinky little perimeter is not going to stop him, electrified or not. Puhlease!!

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#151431 - 06/13/11 12:05 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
sjohnny Offline
member

Registered: 10/29/10
Posts: 185
Loc: Central Texas
I embiggened the picture and it does appear to have a ground wire and some kind of device attached to it in the lower left corner of the rig. If it's battery powered it wouldn't seem to have much juice to actually electrify the cords. Maybe it's a perimeter alarm of some kind? Lets you know if someone or something crosses the cords/wires?

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#151432 - 06/13/11 12:18 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: sjohnny]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
I'd guess it has some capacitors for storage and delivers a high-voltage, low-amperage jolt. Think Taser or a camera flash.

It does seem silly. I don't know that area at all but would guess they have mountain lion and wild pigs. I understand the second can be pretty nasty, but I can't imagine myself camping surrounded by a fence that I'd inevitably stumble into and zap myself.

Cheers,
_________________________
--Rick

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#151434 - 06/13/11 12:47 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rick_D]
kevonionia Offline
member

Registered: 04/17/06
Posts: 1322
Loc: Dallas, TX
That google earth photo by the OM doesn't show all of the tents:

_________________________
- kevon

(avatar: raptor, Lake Dillon)


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#151437 - 06/13/11 01:14 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rayman1968]
lori Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 2801
Okay, boggling now.

Maybe they are trying to keep the kids inside the tent?
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#151449 - 06/13/11 04:43 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: lori]
ETSU Pride Offline
member

Registered: 10/25/10
Posts: 933
Loc: Knoxville, TN
I don't understand why you guys are hating on my security measure? laugh

P.S. I'll use Claymore mines next time. laugh grin


Edited by ETSU Pride (06/13/11 04:43 PM)
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It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy.-- Horace Kephart

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#151451 - 06/13/11 04:54 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Rick_D]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Originally Posted By Rick_D
I don't know that area at all but would guess they have mountain lion and wild pigs. I understand the second can be pretty nasty, but I can't imagine myself camping surrounded by a fence that I'd inevitably stumble into and zap myself.

Cheers,
A pig would flatten that rig before it even realized it was shocked. I have spent well over two hundred nights in tents on islands (Santa Rosa Island and Santa Cruz Island) with substantial feral pig populations; I never had anything like trouble from them - at night, that is. Even the rare daylight encounters weren't that bad.

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#151558 - 06/16/11 12:05 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Mudflap]
Heather-ak Offline
member

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 597
Loc: Fairbanks, AK
I agree that at the location this was overkill. Also it doesn't look well set-up.

However, a couple of years ago two people with experience were hiking in the far North of Alaska were eaten by a bear. At night pulled from their tent. In this area it is unlikely they simply forgot their normal bear routine. Up there I would use a bear electric fence... correctly.

=)

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#151562 - 06/16/11 01:06 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Heather-ak]
Paulo Offline
member

Registered: 01/27/11
Posts: 158
Loc: Normally Pacific Northwest
The alaska case was a very extreme circumstance where the persons sought out the bears and camped amongst them.

At least they're (the bear fence crew in the photo) getting outdoors. If that's what it took to get the guy/girl out, great. Maybe after a few trips they'll feel more at home.

I have younger friends whose parents till thinking backpacking is an extreme sport and very dangerous. We tend to fear all things foreign and new don't we?


Edited by Paulo (06/16/11 02:56 PM)
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Without a doubt, the hardest thing of all in a survival situation is to cook without the benefit of seasonings and flavourings. - Ray Mears

http://theoutdooradventure.net

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#151563 - 06/16/11 02:10 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Paulo]
Heather-ak Offline
member

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 597
Loc: Fairbanks, AK
god not those idiots!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America
June 23, 2005

The Huffmans were attacked while in their tent at a campsite along the Hulahula River 12 miles (19 km) upriver from Kaktovik. Two days later the campsite was discovered by three rafters while the bear was still nearby. The bear chased the rafters down the river for over half a mile until it finally gave up. Later, a North Slope Borough Police officer investigating the scene shot and killed the bear at the campsite.

This was in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska - not somewhere bears are habituated...

=)

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#151565 - 06/16/11 03:14 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Heather-ak]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
And remember to mind the goats.

Oly goats gettin' frisky

Cheers,

p.s. If you value sanity do not read the article comments. Sheesh.
_________________________
--Rick

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#151600 - 06/17/11 07:16 PM Re: Perimeter around tents? [Re: Heather-ak]
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
OK eek A long time ago and far far away, I rode a motorcycle to Alaska with a girl on the back and we spent 6 weeks touring alaska. We camped out all but two nights out of 6 weeks. When we left Homer, on the southern end of the Kenai Penninsula, our friends in Homer told su to not stop until we got to Anchorage and NOT under circumstances sould we camp on the penninsula and especially not up by the copper river. So yeh anyway we dilly dallied around and around dark we were still quite a ways from Anchorage so we pull into a very large totally empty campground and set up camp. As it was august it was light very late but before turning in I decided to go check the tent stakes and stuff and be sure we were ready to crash. I WAS STOOPED BEHIND THE TENT WHEN I HEARD LOW BREATHING LIKE SOMETHING WITH 55 GALLON DRUM SIZED LUNGS. The hair on all of my body stood straight out - yes it can - And I lept over the tent towards my rilfe which leaning against the picnic table. Luckily it didn't follow. BTW we're talking about maybe 1,500 pounds of coastal brown bear and it seems we were camped on the Copper River. Two nights later we're in a bar half way to the ferry boat landing and the peolpe at the bar were talking about the recent knews of a bear expert being eaten 2 nights before on the Copper river. I remember that night a Winnabego pulled in, well it seems a large bear grabbed one "bear expert" and ate him and it may have been the one behind our tent and it may have happened while we were there.
Jim - this is why I mentioned claymores around a camp site
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

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