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Hanging Food Away from the animals when Camping


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Steve on 3/12/2010 12:31:13 PM:
When camping on the trail (designated campgrounds) is it necessary to hang food from trees so animals don’t get in it? I know it is in different States, but not sure what protocol is for The Katy.

 
Mark from Columbia, MO on 3/12/2010 12:43:05 PM:
There are no bears to worry about, but raccoons are a real possibility. It would be best if you could somehow secure the food in a hard container.

 
Rick Shaw from St Charles on 3/13/2010 12:27:22 AM:
I concur with Mark......beware of the racoons. If you have something that smells remotely edible...the raccoons will try to get into it. Did an overnight with two toddlers at Klondike Park. After yelling and chucking rocks at the little masked &*@#$%&* in the middle of the night (they were trying to get into the Chariot child carrier....possibly attracted by residual goldfish (well known toddler forage).....), I finally ended up putting the child carrier on top of the picnic table shelter roof which ended our little skirmish. I once toured from Anchorage, AK to eastern Oklahoma (many miles of bear country)......and the Klondike incident was one of my most restless cycle touring nights. Moral of the story....beware of the raccoons. If you have anything that smells edible, place it somewhere/someway that raccoons are disinclined to attempt to retrieve it. By the way....if you end up in St. Charles and are tired of peddalling, look up St. Charles Pedicab to get you around historic downtown St. Charles. Ride on.

 
Trek on 3/15/2010 2:56:18 PM:
If you are hiking or biking, chances are you won't be carring a cart full of perishable food items. When we've camped, we've taken the pannier with food in it and/or food that was in the trailer and put it in the tent with us. But you know....I'd think if a coon could break into a can of tuna she'd probably deserve to have it.

 
DougK from Troy on 3/16/2010 9:24:58 PM:
Keep your food in a pouch and hang it between 2 trees so it hangs between the trees at a minimum of 10 feet high. Hang your food as far feom the tent as possible. Trust me, you do not want to spend half the night keeping a racoon from trying to get the milky way bar wrapper you forgot to toss.

 
Anonymous on 3/17/2010 7:35:54 AM:
In Pilot Grove I wouldn't hang my meat anywhere near Deon's Bar and grill. There are some critters in that bar who will eat anything..