I'm planning on using an alcohol stove on the first part of my upcoming JMT through hike and was curious as to whether bears have any interest in denatured ethanol. Has anyone here heard of bears getting into fuel supplies while they are rummaging around looking for food? Should I plan on keeping the alky in my bear can or can I just leave it out with my stove and pot. Any info would be much appreciated. The idea of a drunken bear loose in my camp area is "sobering" to say the least.

PS. What about other alcoholic "fuels" such as bourbon, single malt or rum?

Denatured alky has toxic chemicals in, which bears seem able to detect as such. I leave my fuel out and haven't had an issue even when bears have hit the canisters.

I put the booze in the bear canister tho. I hear bears really like booze.

My guess is there are only three possible outcomes: 1) the bear get rip-roaring drunk and wakes up with terrible hangover and promise him/herself to never do it again. 2) Becomes a violent drunk. 3) Becomes a mellow out drunk telling bear stories. Let us know what happens.

I have never witnessed it, but i have heard more than once that bears will eat fermented fruit, such as fallen apples in old orchards (of which there are many in S. Oregon) and they'll get tipsy. They appear to enjoy it, then sleep it off.

Just to be safe, I'd hide the rum or whiskey.

Just goes to show, there is a youtube video for anything these days.

As Lori said...never had em go after denatured or heet...but at least one bear in the marble mts (No.CA) will carefully pierce any beer can and drain its contents down to the last few drops! A group of horse packers left ALL the gear rather than wrestle the drunken bruin! So if you use a pepsi-stove...remove the paint!?