Camp more. You'll get used to it. Are you a city dweller? I grew up in quiet, semi-rural outskirts of suburbs. The kind of place where deer wandering into the back yard was normal. My city dweller friends take more time than I did to adjust to nature sounds.
That said, I wouldn't be sleeping with bears in my camp. I do my best to avoid that through bear-safe practices like securing food away from my tent and not cooking near my tent. If there's a bear literally in my campsite, I'm staying awake until it leaves, and it might get the adrenaline going enough to keep me awake all night.
But you're probably hearing deer. They give zero shits and will hang out right next to people. They stomp and snort a lot.
"You'll get used to it."
That may have been the problem I used to have. When I was married to my ex she didnt like camping so I stopped going as often so when we divorced I struggled with sleep when camping alone. I've since gone camping more and do much better.
If I've learned anything from hunting, its not even deer. Those squirrels and chipmunks stomp through the leaves and make a loud racket. Raccoons are a little quieter. Possum are slower and goofier. Deer are like ninjas and also not likely to come near a tent on purpose. Unless its the rut and they are not thinking straight.
Yep. I left my tent unzipped one night and four baby armadillos blundered in, then proceeded to panic and ricochet around like pinballs looking for the exit. Zero stealth.
Thereās not a whole lot more to it. The tent had heated up during the day, so I left the rainfly off and the bottom corner of the door unzipped hoping to vent the warm air out the top. I woke up to something very noisy rummaging around in the tent with me. It probably would have been better if I hadnāt turned on the flashlight. I was nose to nose with a tiny Texas speedbump. I shot bolt upright which caused the crew to panic and run for the door, except none of them remembered where the door was, so they just kept careening off the sides of tent and bumping into each other and into me. We all got a great deal of exercise in a very short time and in a very small space. There was a lot of flailing and swearing and eventually I got the door open and we all ended up lying in the grass, panting. When weād all caught our breath, they blundered noisily into the underbrush and I crawled back into my sleeping bag. I always zip the tent door closed now.
They do not care at all. Last time I saw one, I was out hiking and it was making so much noise rolling around in dried leaves that I stopped to figure out who was being so noisy then just watched for a bit while the armadillo carried on, oblivious to me.
Edit: also, OP if you have a sliver of doubt that itās a bear in your campsite, it isnāt a bear. The huffing they do when checking things (you and your camp) out is unmistakable. If you can sleep with a bear in your campsite, we should be asking *you* for advice!
Yea I had a moose sniff the shit out of my tent one night and scare the ever living shit out of me. Honestly Iām the same. I got used to It. If Iām in a new area with new noises and am surely going to get in my head I pop in some ear plugs and pop and Advil or a melatonin and zonk out. Keep It bear safe and keep moving. If they are grizzly bears Iām extra careful. Black bears I just give the benefit of the doubt and keep on my toes
I was sipping my coffee one dawn when two juvenile moose wandered into the camp across from me.
Dude was sleeping on a cot when one moose sniffed at him. Poor guy woke up with a shock.
I live in the city but I was in Boy Scouts and have been camping a lot in the last. I always do a bear bag hang so no worries about animals wants inside the tent. I just get real spooked I guess. Just annoying how I can get like 3 hours of sleep then my mind jumps to a disaster scenario haha. I guess on the plus side Iām usually out of camp early
Could be a trauma thing. Your mind wanders to things it need not wander on. There's a difference between being prepared, being over prepared, and just having anxiety/phobia. Generally bigger groups, noise, fire, etc deter animals such as bears or mountain lions. I could be wrong but a key factor in mountain lion attacks is being alone/separated from a group. For bears the key factor tends to lie in whether or not the bear has with it. Thats why the Boy Scouts teaches things like the buddy system as well as general animal behavior.
Some suggest ear plugs but I need to hear my surroundings TO sleep.
You might find solace in the fact that attacks on humans are generally rare? They're way more interested in delicious smells around camp.
If one gets up close to my tent, which has happened with black bears but not brown, I will just say "hey bear!" at an above speaking volume voice and they'll scurry away.
Even around harmless FL black bears I hang a bear bag, so they had no motivation to do more than sniff my interesting tent.
*Meanwhile, 3500BC somewhere in eastern europe*
"Arktos!"
"Oh shit, he knows my name!! Time to maul this thing!" *kills you*
*The Aftermath...*
"It is forbidden to speak their name... they shall henceforth be known only as *The Brown Ones*"
Please tell me this isn't the first time you've heard that lol poor reddit. Y'all need to go outside more. I've also made farting noises with my mouth, like you'd do to make a baby laugh. Black bears will run away from anything. You can sneeze.
Oh ya I know black bears want nothing to do with humans, but my half asleep brain immediately jumps āthis could be the first bear to buck the trendā. I actually did have earplugs but I accidentally put them in the bear bag.
While unusual, black bear attacks do happen. Here in NJ a student was mauled to death by a black bear several years ago and they have attacked pets and humans. So Iām with you. If a bear comes into my campground Iām not sleeping because there is a chance, albeit small, that I may become a midnight burrito snack.
I went camping with a friend couple of weeks ago. Before we put our fire out, I reminded my friend we were in bear country and triple check we stored all scented items safely. My friend said, āBears? Looks like Iāll be sleeping with my AirPods tonight.ā I donāt know how he does that. I need to hear my surroundings at all times
Iām in Wisconsin and we have black bears here, especially up north. Occasionally one will wander into a campground to look for snacks, but as soon as they see people they hightail it back out.
Make two camps- one camp where you eat, then move on down the way and make another camp where you sleep, with your food hung downwind and well away.
I sleep like a log, but Iām a large, hairy, smelly man who snores loudly.
For whatever reason a Whippoorwill will find the closest tree to my tent a 1 am. The most annoying sound while trying to sleep. I just use AirPods and listen to thunderstorm recordings. I also find that I wake several times during the night and sleep in 2 hour durations. A mouse sounds like an elephant at night. But, as soon as the sun just about breaks I can sleep really good for about another 3 hours or until it gets too hot.
Black bears are harmless, if I hear one lumbering around near camp I just make a noise (usually the creepiest giggle I can muster) and it sends them packing
50yo, born, raised and still live in the Sierra Nevada California. Whether at home or camping I sleep all night very soundly. On the rare occasion a bear is either rummaging in my trash cans at home or wanders into camp I yell at them and chase them away. Unless you are between a mother and her cubs they are complete wimps and no reason to be fearful. If itās a mom with cubs well that a mom protecting whatās hers, give her room and remain calm and she will get her cubs out of your area.
Iām much more afraid of geese than any other animal, they are just flat out mean and I donāt care how hard you kick them they come back for more and attack in packs ! Iāll take bears and mountain lions over geese any day !
Hunters have a saying that the loudest animal in the woods are squirrels, and I agree. While squirrels arenāt nocturnal, other harmless critters are. You very likely arenāt hearing a bear.
The solution is likely ear plugs or a loud fan, and repetition of camping more frequently.
My trick was getting a once a year prescription of sleep aid from my doctor. It only took a prescription of 10 pills each year to get used to camping again. I know this may be somewhat controversial, or that some people react poorly to the medication, so youāll need to decide for yourself.
Oh ya 100% Iām spooking myself. Everything sounds worse in the tent for some reason, happens all the time with rain. I need to give ear plugs a try and then maybe try melatonin
Yes, if you think an animal is in your camp you should get up and scare it off. You're doing neither of you a favor by making your campsite a welcoming place.Ā
I usually sleep like a log. Fresh air and exercise makes for great sleep. If there is a bear in caml you want to yell at it and scare it out of camp. When camping I always bring a handgun with a pistol light on it. I've watched lots of black bears from a tree stand and they move through the woods silently unless they are really close on crispy leaves. As long as you have a clean camp, no food smells everywhere you won't have any bear issues.
Been camping for 20 years. The first night of the year is always shit sleep for me. Then I get better as the season goes on. And use bear bags if youāre in bear country. And never eat where you sleep.
In one year (2021), 1,700 people died from car crashes in North Carolina.
In 87 years, about 250 people have died on the two-thousand mile Appalachian Trail. Most of them from getting lost without GPS.
So I ask you: what city has less than 3 deaths per year over almost 90 years?
By raw numbers, the woods is the safest place you can be. :) Grab some earbuds and put on a podcast while you unwind from the day. I do it almost every time.
I was like that until I did a longer camping trip. Got scared in the dark the first night, having to sit outside my tent in the dark woods and cook wasnāt something I enjoyed at first. I felt like a wolf or bear might pounce on me at any time. I was relived when I finally got back in my tent. But I managed to calm myself down enough to sleep. The next night threatened to be the same, but I remembered how I had done to calm myself the night before and realized it would be pretty tiresome to live out there for 5 weeks and be scared shitless the entire time. The prospect of that just looked exhausting to me, and I refused to quit, so I had to work out how to let go of the unproductive fear. I ended up getting more control over my emotions thanks to how I kept up the comforting I had done the first few days. And slept like a baby. While I was still feeling like the dark made me uncomfortable I went to bed at sundown and was usually sound asleep by the time darkness set in.
It also helps to stay physically active during the days. And I get extra tired in a cold/hot environment.
I sleep like crap night 1 because of the new surroundings. The rest of the nights I'm great. Edibles at the nightly fire help too (legal here)...š¤·š»āāļø
I used to do great. After my divorce I suffered for a bit with sleep when backpacking/,camping. Could have been due to loneliness, trauma, working overnights at work, stress, increased consumption of caffeine(I would eat Clif Blocks with caffeine during my hike), etc. I honestly dont normally worry about bears and such as Im usually too tired. Since getting remarried my sleep when camping got better but I still had to make a few changes. I had to stop caffeine consumption 2 days prior to a camping trip, drink lots of water, and I now pack melatonin and sleep drugs(diphenhydramine). I havent had any issues since making those changes but I also havent tried backpacking or camping alone yet with those changes.
Ear plugs
Or Bluetooth earbuds with static or white noise or music...
Camp more and get used to it ..
Put food And other smelly things far from camp so bears don't go there, and cook and eat elsewhere too...
Odds are you DONT have bears in your camp, you'd be surprised how loud and dangerous a squirrel sounds at night moving from br sch to branch, or a raccoon or a possum.
And if you DO have a bear, he's not gonna eat you, and if he was, would it really make a difference if you were asleep or awake? Realistically what would you do to change the outcome? Unless you're packing a 10mm in which case you probably wouldn't be worried.
Btw, bear spray and a 10mm are my go to anti bear/moose etc tools
It's probably not a bear. Bears are actually very quiet and usually avoid occupied camps.
Next time get up and go look. You'll see nothing is there - or, if it is a bear, you'll face your fear and tell it to get lost. You need to be willing to confront them.
A scared person lying awake in a tent in the middle of the night thought he heard a bear breathing outside his tent. That doesn't mean that he was right.
That's why I think he should get out of the tent and see what's out there. If it isn't a bear, he'll realize that his mind is playing tricks on him - There's no shame in that it's happened to all of us. If it is a bear, he will have the opportunity to face his fear and realize that this is a very manageable and safe situation. Avoiding the problem is making his fear worse. Lying awake all night terrified of every noise you hear and convincing yourself that there are bears all around your tent is much worse than actually scaring off a bear.
I was so much more afraid of bears before I saw one for the first time. Now that I have so many experiences confronting them. I'm not afraid of them anymore because I know what to do and I know how they're going to react.
I was freaked out when I started also. My son and I started to venture out for more of the purpose of astrophotography than to "enjoy the outdoors". Being new to the experience there were a lot of "whats that!?". He use to freak out when I would open the tent and shine the headlamp around.
Except that one time, where it was a bear. š
A bear walked by my camp while I was cooking, then tried to steal all my stuff that I had hung ~2 minutes before that. So I'm about 90% sure the noises I personally heard was a bear that night. š¤£
That's certainly a story!
I've had a midnight bear visitor - that's why I think it's important to just go see what it is. If it's a bear you'll deal with it. No use staying up all night terrified of a bear that might not even be there, just go shoo it off.
Yeah, the black bear showed zero desire to engage directly with me tbh. He was okay being around/nearby, but the second I started yelling at him and "bravely" spritzing bear spray from faaaarrrr away... He grumbled and left.
I think a lot of bears in that area are used to dealing with people who aren't prepared and who are scared of them. So they go for easy pickings until they realize it's not easy pickings and that they will in fact have to deal with the human.
There's no time I sleep better than when I'm backpacking. I don't worry about bears or anything else too much because I hang and prepare my food a ways away from where I sleep, and animals of all sizes care more about that stuff than they do about me.
Everything sounds way bigger at night if you're in a tent. Usually if it sounds like humans it's deer. Squirrels and chipmunks are also deceptively loud at night.
Do enough miles and youāll sleep juuuuust fine.
Iām headed off to the Brooks Range where I fully expect brown bear to wander through camp. Until they do, Iāll be sleeping like a baby. A good one, not the ones that are up crying all night. Unless Iām cramping after going 30-hours camp to camp on a climb.
You will hear the creatures of the night. Once youāre quiet for a bit, some of them get curious. Itās nothing at night that isnāt there during the day, youāll be okay.
Hang the food downwind outside of camp so the bears donāt have a reason to come around. They arenāt interested in eating you, youāll be okay.
I donāt have much to provide other than some comfort in that it could also be moose that youāre hearing if theyāre in the area, theyāre super loud and quite curious.
I camp super clean, anything a bear might want goes in the bear box at my campground. Will still get a bear looking around middle of the night. Feet up on the picnic table, breathing heavily. Keep a pot and metal spoon in my tent. One clang on the pot and theyāre gone. Theyāre more afraid of you.
Get a dog - or two. They listen more than we do and can bark to scare those things off. That's my trick (I have only been camping with one of my dogs so far - the other I have not yet but I'm excited to soon).
It's not advisable in bear country
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bear-attack-bella-coola-dog-human-grizzly-interactions-bc-wildlife-safety-1.4879813
Keep the snickers bar out of your pocket and should be good. Bears donāt want to deal with you unless they absolutely have to. Theyāre just big raccoons imo, just looking for some easy meals.
I sleep like a baby. Last time I camped in my hammock I had decided to get up at sun up and start my day. I slept till like 11am or some nonsense lol. Sun was high in the sky before I finally woke up. All kinds of noises around me at night but I enjoy being out there.
If I remote camp in black bear territory I bring an air horn. If I hear something creeping about near my tent I blast it, then go back to sleep. It scares the hell out of anything in a half mile radius. Don't do it in a campground though (lol).
I simply can't deal with anything close enough that I can hear it *breathing*, even though black bears rarely would mess with anyone, especially if you don't keep any food in your tent.
I used to car camp occasionally but I didnāt like it because every night I would lie in my sleeping bag from like 9pm-4am unable to sleep, then finally fall asleep like two hours before sunrise. A week ago I went backpacking for the first time, hiked 19 miles on day one, and to my great surprise fell asleep pretty much immediately, so that seems to work for me.
At home I almost always watch a movie in bed. Last time I went camping I was having trouble sleeping with all the rustling of the trees and the wind. Got up twice to peak and there was nothing around. We followed all safety procedures for food.
I decided to put a movie on my phone for a few mins with a headphone i but all I had downloaded was the 9's version of Stephen King's It. Actually had a good time watching it and fell asleep right away, haha
Never have food in your tent. I really mean never. You don't want your tent to smell like food to bears and other animals. They are not interested in you if you leave them alone.
I am an avid backpacker but from a city. It does happen to me on the first night and I get used to it after. Also remember that it's not only the voices that your body needs to get used to: it's also a change of sleeping comfort, temperature and also your normal eating during the day. I used to get violent shivers on my first night not related to outside cold. I noticed it mentioned in a few comments, but Tylenol pm does do the trick.
>>bears
More likely to be raccoons. They breathe weirdly heavy when theyāre looking for food, make schnuffling grunty noises, and walk like theyāre wearing army boots.
The first time I encountered a black bear, I was sure I would hear it coming. I thought I would hear it sniffing, grunting, cracking sticks, nothing. It was quiet like a cat. They're out there, but you won't hear them coming.
You are fine in black bear country. If you think you're in danger, start screaming and yelling, and they'll leave. Also, buy a gun.
I haven't camped near brown bears, I'm pretty sure they just eat you ass first.
Even brown bears aren't much of a problem. I've backpacked in grizzly country under a tarp, no tent and I've never had a problem. They've walked near camp but as long as there's no food out they avoid people. I've had a couple questionable encounters and a bluff charge while hiking. It's walking up on them that causes problems: startling them, defensive behavior with cubs around, or approaching a kill site.
In any case a gun is almost never the best solution, especially for someone that isn't accustomed to using one. I carry in backcountry (mostly for human threat), but I would reach for bear spray far before a firearm in these encounters.
I'd have a loaded revolver ready to go.
It surprises me how many people go camping where dangerous animals are, and don't bring a firearm.
Heard a horror story from a bar friend a few years back; a group of gals went camping where bears were known to be. In the middle of the night, she woke up to the sound of a bear dragging another gal out of her tent and mauling her to death.
Had anyone brought a firearm, might have saved their life.
Camp more. You'll get used to it. Are you a city dweller? I grew up in quiet, semi-rural outskirts of suburbs. The kind of place where deer wandering into the back yard was normal. My city dweller friends take more time than I did to adjust to nature sounds. That said, I wouldn't be sleeping with bears in my camp. I do my best to avoid that through bear-safe practices like securing food away from my tent and not cooking near my tent. If there's a bear literally in my campsite, I'm staying awake until it leaves, and it might get the adrenaline going enough to keep me awake all night. But you're probably hearing deer. They give zero shits and will hang out right next to people. They stomp and snort a lot.
"You'll get used to it." That may have been the problem I used to have. When I was married to my ex she didnt like camping so I stopped going as often so when we divorced I struggled with sleep when camping alone. I've since gone camping more and do much better.
If I've learned anything from hunting, its not even deer. Those squirrels and chipmunks stomp through the leaves and make a loud racket. Raccoons are a little quieter. Possum are slower and goofier. Deer are like ninjas and also not likely to come near a tent on purpose. Unless its the rut and they are not thinking straight.
Loudest animal I've ever heard in the woods: armadillo. They have zero stealth.
Yep. I left my tent unzipped one night and four baby armadillos blundered in, then proceeded to panic and ricochet around like pinballs looking for the exit. Zero stealth.
I would very much like to hear the expanded version of this story š¤£
Thereās not a whole lot more to it. The tent had heated up during the day, so I left the rainfly off and the bottom corner of the door unzipped hoping to vent the warm air out the top. I woke up to something very noisy rummaging around in the tent with me. It probably would have been better if I hadnāt turned on the flashlight. I was nose to nose with a tiny Texas speedbump. I shot bolt upright which caused the crew to panic and run for the door, except none of them remembered where the door was, so they just kept careening off the sides of tent and bumping into each other and into me. We all got a great deal of exercise in a very short time and in a very small space. There was a lot of flailing and swearing and eventually I got the door open and we all ended up lying in the grass, panting. When weād all caught our breath, they blundered noisily into the underbrush and I crawled back into my sleeping bag. I always zip the tent door closed now.
This is the story I needed on a Monday morning. Thank you.š
wtf lmfao
This delivered well beyond my expectations. Thank you š¤£š¤£š¤£
He lost 2 fingers and part of his nose from the leprosy they gave him. The end.
I don't trust them due to leprosy. >:(
They do not care at all. Last time I saw one, I was out hiking and it was making so much noise rolling around in dried leaves that I stopped to figure out who was being so noisy then just watched for a bit while the armadillo carried on, oblivious to me. Edit: also, OP if you have a sliver of doubt that itās a bear in your campsite, it isnāt a bear. The huffing they do when checking things (you and your camp) out is unmistakable. If you can sleep with a bear in your campsite, we should be asking *you* for advice!
Apparently they reek to high heaven as well. Like garbage and dirty diapers.
Lots of fun when one tries to root around under your tent... and you're sleeping right there!
Oh man, we woke up to wild turkeys in our campsite once. It was mayhem. Haha! Assholes.
I think that's what I might have heard recently! Jolted out of sleep around 2:30, but the sounds I heard were more funny than anything scary.
Yea I had a moose sniff the shit out of my tent one night and scare the ever living shit out of me. Honestly Iām the same. I got used to It. If Iām in a new area with new noises and am surely going to get in my head I pop in some ear plugs and pop and Advil or a melatonin and zonk out. Keep It bear safe and keep moving. If they are grizzly bears Iām extra careful. Black bears I just give the benefit of the doubt and keep on my toes
I was sipping my coffee one dawn when two juvenile moose wandered into the camp across from me. Dude was sleeping on a cot when one moose sniffed at him. Poor guy woke up with a shock.
I live in the city but I was in Boy Scouts and have been camping a lot in the last. I always do a bear bag hang so no worries about animals wants inside the tent. I just get real spooked I guess. Just annoying how I can get like 3 hours of sleep then my mind jumps to a disaster scenario haha. I guess on the plus side Iām usually out of camp early
Could be a trauma thing. Your mind wanders to things it need not wander on. There's a difference between being prepared, being over prepared, and just having anxiety/phobia. Generally bigger groups, noise, fire, etc deter animals such as bears or mountain lions. I could be wrong but a key factor in mountain lion attacks is being alone/separated from a group. For bears the key factor tends to lie in whether or not the bear has with it. Thats why the Boy Scouts teaches things like the buddy system as well as general animal behavior.
[https://bearwatchsystems.com/en-us](https://bearwatchsystems.com/en-us) $250 you can sleep good again!
Some suggest ear plugs but I need to hear my surroundings TO sleep. You might find solace in the fact that attacks on humans are generally rare? They're way more interested in delicious smells around camp. If one gets up close to my tent, which has happened with black bears but not brown, I will just say "hey bear!" at an above speaking volume voice and they'll scurry away. Even around harmless FL black bears I hang a bear bag, so they had no motivation to do more than sniff my interesting tent.
āHey bear!ā āOh shit, he knows my name!!ā *runs away*
*Meanwhile, 3500BC somewhere in eastern europe* "Arktos!" "Oh shit, he knows my name!! Time to maul this thing!" *kills you* *The Aftermath...* "It is forbidden to speak their name... they shall henceforth be known only as *The Brown Ones*"
And now we have the Bear Circle, and the Non Bear Circle. And the Brown Brown, the Black Brown, and the Polar Brown.
Please tell me this isn't the first time you've heard that lol poor reddit. Y'all need to go outside more. I've also made farting noises with my mouth, like you'd do to make a baby laugh. Black bears will run away from anything. You can sneeze.
>I've also made farting noises with my mouth >with my mouth Yeah... With my mouth ...
Oh ya I know black bears want nothing to do with humans, but my half asleep brain immediately jumps āthis could be the first bear to buck the trendā. I actually did have earplugs but I accidentally put them in the bear bag.
I do remember that feeling, and I wish I could telepathically send you the memories I have of making them run like the windddd.
While unusual, black bear attacks do happen. Here in NJ a student was mauled to death by a black bear several years ago and they have attacked pets and humans. So Iām with you. If a bear comes into my campground Iām not sleeping because there is a chance, albeit small, that I may become a midnight burrito snack.
Lady in California did get eaten by a black bear last November. In her kitchen.
I went camping with a friend couple of weeks ago. Before we put our fire out, I reminded my friend we were in bear country and triple check we stored all scented items safely. My friend said, āBears? Looks like Iāll be sleeping with my AirPods tonight.ā I donāt know how he does that. I need to hear my surroundings at all times
Iām in Wisconsin and we have black bears here, especially up north. Occasionally one will wander into a campground to look for snacks, but as soon as they see people they hightail it back out.
I recommend hearing loss. Works for me!
Or tinnitus! All I hear is the eternal frozen screaming of my own brain in my ears!
I canāt even hear the damn mosquitoes anymoreā¦
Lay off the weed before bedtime.... Or smoke a bunch more.
bingo. I sleep great a bit toasted but my friend learned last trip that it made him paranoid and he wouldnt go pee or fetch water at night ha
Earplugs and Benadryl, sleep like a baby.
A couple nips from the flask works well tooĀ
Tylenol pm for the win ...
Make two camps- one camp where you eat, then move on down the way and make another camp where you sleep, with your food hung downwind and well away. I sleep like a log, but Iām a large, hairy, smelly man who snores loudly.
Reminding myself that squirrels and birds make a tremendous amount of noise in the leaves helps, they're so noisy you'd think it's a person out there
For whatever reason a Whippoorwill will find the closest tree to my tent a 1 am. The most annoying sound while trying to sleep. I just use AirPods and listen to thunderstorm recordings. I also find that I wake several times during the night and sleep in 2 hour durations. A mouse sounds like an elephant at night. But, as soon as the sun just about breaks I can sleep really good for about another 3 hours or until it gets too hot.
Black bears are harmless, if I hear one lumbering around near camp I just make a noise (usually the creepiest giggle I can muster) and it sends them packing
A creepy giggle would send me running too
Exactly, it could be a bear but worse a human! I have also bellowed "hello there big sexy" at the noises in the dark.
In a remote area where the chances of bothering are low I use an air horn. It scares the hell out them.
50yo, born, raised and still live in the Sierra Nevada California. Whether at home or camping I sleep all night very soundly. On the rare occasion a bear is either rummaging in my trash cans at home or wanders into camp I yell at them and chase them away. Unless you are between a mother and her cubs they are complete wimps and no reason to be fearful. If itās a mom with cubs well that a mom protecting whatās hers, give her room and remain calm and she will get her cubs out of your area. Iām much more afraid of geese than any other animal, they are just flat out mean and I donāt care how hard you kick them they come back for more and attack in packs ! Iāll take bears and mountain lions over geese any day !
Hunters have a saying that the loudest animal in the woods are squirrels, and I agree. While squirrels arenāt nocturnal, other harmless critters are. You very likely arenāt hearing a bear. The solution is likely ear plugs or a loud fan, and repetition of camping more frequently. My trick was getting a once a year prescription of sleep aid from my doctor. It only took a prescription of 10 pills each year to get used to camping again. I know this may be somewhat controversial, or that some people react poorly to the medication, so youāll need to decide for yourself.
This is spot on. Every time I have woken up to noises outside a tent it was either a raccoon, possum or in one case an armadillo.
Oh ya 100% Iām spooking myself. Everything sounds worse in the tent for some reason, happens all the time with rain. I need to give ear plugs a try and then maybe try melatonin
I have never had the pleasure of camping in the same forests as bears. I imagine that could be nerve racking...
Black bears are just like giant raccoons, they have never caused me any concerns. They scare pretty easy.
Yes, if you think an animal is in your camp you should get up and scare it off. You're doing neither of you a favor by making your campsite a welcoming place.Ā
If you ever hear an air horn off in the distance that's me discouraging a bear. I have never seen one return.
I usually sleep like a log. Fresh air and exercise makes for great sleep. If there is a bear in caml you want to yell at it and scare it out of camp. When camping I always bring a handgun with a pistol light on it. I've watched lots of black bears from a tree stand and they move through the woods silently unless they are really close on crispy leaves. As long as you have a clean camp, no food smells everywhere you won't have any bear issues.
Been camping for 20 years. The first night of the year is always shit sleep for me. Then I get better as the season goes on. And use bear bags if youāre in bear country. And never eat where you sleep.
I sleep best in the woods. It takes a while to get comfortable with yourself and your own thoughts when alone. Probably just deerā¦
I'm asleep the minute the head hits the mat.
Please!! People who just choose to sleep, how the fuck???
In one year (2021), 1,700 people died from car crashes in North Carolina. In 87 years, about 250 people have died on the two-thousand mile Appalachian Trail. Most of them from getting lost without GPS. So I ask you: what city has less than 3 deaths per year over almost 90 years? By raw numbers, the woods is the safest place you can be. :) Grab some earbuds and put on a podcast while you unwind from the day. I do it almost every time.
I was like that until I did a longer camping trip. Got scared in the dark the first night, having to sit outside my tent in the dark woods and cook wasnāt something I enjoyed at first. I felt like a wolf or bear might pounce on me at any time. I was relived when I finally got back in my tent. But I managed to calm myself down enough to sleep. The next night threatened to be the same, but I remembered how I had done to calm myself the night before and realized it would be pretty tiresome to live out there for 5 weeks and be scared shitless the entire time. The prospect of that just looked exhausting to me, and I refused to quit, so I had to work out how to let go of the unproductive fear. I ended up getting more control over my emotions thanks to how I kept up the comforting I had done the first few days. And slept like a baby. While I was still feeling like the dark made me uncomfortable I went to bed at sundown and was usually sound asleep by the time darkness set in. It also helps to stay physically active during the days. And I get extra tired in a cold/hot environment.
I sleep like crap night 1 because of the new surroundings. The rest of the nights I'm great. Edibles at the nightly fire help too (legal here)...š¤·š»āāļø
Maybe bring a cellular trail cam to setup in camp? At least you can check your surroundings while inside
Then don't go camping at Camp Crystal Lake.
I used to do great. After my divorce I suffered for a bit with sleep when backpacking/,camping. Could have been due to loneliness, trauma, working overnights at work, stress, increased consumption of caffeine(I would eat Clif Blocks with caffeine during my hike), etc. I honestly dont normally worry about bears and such as Im usually too tired. Since getting remarried my sleep when camping got better but I still had to make a few changes. I had to stop caffeine consumption 2 days prior to a camping trip, drink lots of water, and I now pack melatonin and sleep drugs(diphenhydramine). I havent had any issues since making those changes but I also havent tried backpacking or camping alone yet with those changes.
It probably helps being able to push an unsuspecting spouse out of the tent to deal with a bear.
Ear plugs Or Bluetooth earbuds with static or white noise or music... Camp more and get used to it .. Put food And other smelly things far from camp so bears don't go there, and cook and eat elsewhere too... Odds are you DONT have bears in your camp, you'd be surprised how loud and dangerous a squirrel sounds at night moving from br sch to branch, or a raccoon or a possum. And if you DO have a bear, he's not gonna eat you, and if he was, would it really make a difference if you were asleep or awake? Realistically what would you do to change the outcome? Unless you're packing a 10mm in which case you probably wouldn't be worried. Btw, bear spray and a 10mm are my go to anti bear/moose etc tools
It's probably not a bear. Bears are actually very quiet and usually avoid occupied camps. Next time get up and go look. You'll see nothing is there - or, if it is a bear, you'll face your fear and tell it to get lost. You need to be willing to confront them.
He heard it *breathing* though.
A scared person lying awake in a tent in the middle of the night thought he heard a bear breathing outside his tent. That doesn't mean that he was right. That's why I think he should get out of the tent and see what's out there. If it isn't a bear, he'll realize that his mind is playing tricks on him - There's no shame in that it's happened to all of us. If it is a bear, he will have the opportunity to face his fear and realize that this is a very manageable and safe situation. Avoiding the problem is making his fear worse. Lying awake all night terrified of every noise you hear and convincing yourself that there are bears all around your tent is much worse than actually scaring off a bear. I was so much more afraid of bears before I saw one for the first time. Now that I have so many experiences confronting them. I'm not afraid of them anymore because I know what to do and I know how they're going to react.
I was freaked out when I started also. My son and I started to venture out for more of the purpose of astrophotography than to "enjoy the outdoors". Being new to the experience there were a lot of "whats that!?". He use to freak out when I would open the tent and shine the headlamp around.
Except that one time, where it was a bear. š A bear walked by my camp while I was cooking, then tried to steal all my stuff that I had hung ~2 minutes before that. So I'm about 90% sure the noises I personally heard was a bear that night. š¤£
That's certainly a story! I've had a midnight bear visitor - that's why I think it's important to just go see what it is. If it's a bear you'll deal with it. No use staying up all night terrified of a bear that might not even be there, just go shoo it off.
Yeah, the black bear showed zero desire to engage directly with me tbh. He was okay being around/nearby, but the second I started yelling at him and "bravely" spritzing bear spray from faaaarrrr away... He grumbled and left. I think a lot of bears in that area are used to dealing with people who aren't prepared and who are scared of them. So they go for easy pickings until they realize it's not easy pickings and that they will in fact have to deal with the human.
I usually carry bear spray but fortunately I've never had to use it. Partially because I only see bears when I don't have it lol.
Donāt have food in the tent and bring a fire arm if you can. Helps with the piece of mind
There's no time I sleep better than when I'm backpacking. I don't worry about bears or anything else too much because I hang and prepare my food a ways away from where I sleep, and animals of all sizes care more about that stuff than they do about me.
Tire yourself out during the day and wear headphones/earplugs
Honestly the point of camping is just not worrying about these things. Personally I think it's a control thing, just let go and enjoy it.
Everything sounds way bigger at night if you're in a tent. Usually if it sounds like humans it's deer. Squirrels and chipmunks are also deceptively loud at night.
Do enough miles and youāll sleep juuuuust fine. Iām headed off to the Brooks Range where I fully expect brown bear to wander through camp. Until they do, Iāll be sleeping like a baby. A good one, not the ones that are up crying all night. Unless Iām cramping after going 30-hours camp to camp on a climb.
You're not spooked. What's the thing after spooked? Sounds like you're thatĀ
You will hear the creatures of the night. Once youāre quiet for a bit, some of them get curious. Itās nothing at night that isnāt there during the day, youāll be okay. Hang the food downwind outside of camp so the bears donāt have a reason to come around. They arenāt interested in eating you, youāll be okay.
I donāt have much to provide other than some comfort in that it could also be moose that youāre hearing if theyāre in the area, theyāre super loud and quite curious.
I camp super clean, anything a bear might want goes in the bear box at my campground. Will still get a bear looking around middle of the night. Feet up on the picnic table, breathing heavily. Keep a pot and metal spoon in my tent. One clang on the pot and theyāre gone. Theyāre more afraid of you.
Get a dog - or two. They listen more than we do and can bark to scare those things off. That's my trick (I have only been camping with one of my dogs so far - the other I have not yet but I'm excited to soon).
It's not advisable in bear country https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bear-attack-bella-coola-dog-human-grizzly-interactions-bc-wildlife-safety-1.4879813
Keep the snickers bar out of your pocket and should be good. Bears donāt want to deal with you unless they absolutely have to. Theyāre just big raccoons imo, just looking for some easy meals.
I sleep like a baby. Last time I camped in my hammock I had decided to get up at sun up and start my day. I slept till like 11am or some nonsense lol. Sun was high in the sky before I finally woke up. All kinds of noises around me at night but I enjoy being out there.
If you can sleep in earplugs, it doesnāt really solve the problem of critters in camp but it can help with the ignorance is bliss bit of things.
If your backpacking, hike more. Once you hit the 10 mile range you will be too tired to be scared.
If I remote camp in black bear territory I bring an air horn. If I hear something creeping about near my tent I blast it, then go back to sleep. It scares the hell out of anything in a half mile radius. Don't do it in a campground though (lol). I simply can't deal with anything close enough that I can hear it *breathing*, even though black bears rarely would mess with anyone, especially if you don't keep any food in your tent.
I used to car camp occasionally but I didnāt like it because every night I would lie in my sleeping bag from like 9pm-4am unable to sleep, then finally fall asleep like two hours before sunrise. A week ago I went backpacking for the first time, hiked 19 miles on day one, and to my great surprise fell asleep pretty much immediately, so that seems to work for me.
Get a gun!
I dont camp where bears live. Too much horrifying youtube videos gave me paranoia. Especially when i have my wife and kid around..
At home I almost always watch a movie in bed. Last time I went camping I was having trouble sleeping with all the rustling of the trees and the wind. Got up twice to peak and there was nothing around. We followed all safety procedures for food. I decided to put a movie on my phone for a few mins with a headphone i but all I had downloaded was the 9's version of Stephen King's It. Actually had a good time watching it and fell asleep right away, haha
Never have food in your tent. I really mean never. You don't want your tent to smell like food to bears and other animals. They are not interested in you if you leave them alone.
Earplugs and a nightcap
I am an avid backpacker but from a city. It does happen to me on the first night and I get used to it after. Also remember that it's not only the voices that your body needs to get used to: it's also a change of sleeping comfort, temperature and also your normal eating during the day. I used to get violent shivers on my first night not related to outside cold. I noticed it mentioned in a few comments, but Tylenol pm does do the trick.
This is what marijuana is for.
>>bears More likely to be raccoons. They breathe weirdly heavy when theyāre looking for food, make schnuffling grunty noises, and walk like theyāre wearing army boots.
from experience i just wake up every hour and go back to sleep
I recommend bourbon
Ear plugs
Always have your bear spray ready.
Do you also worry about getting struck by lightning too?
The first time I encountered a black bear, I was sure I would hear it coming. I thought I would hear it sniffing, grunting, cracking sticks, nothing. It was quiet like a cat. They're out there, but you won't hear them coming. You are fine in black bear country. If you think you're in danger, start screaming and yelling, and they'll leave. Also, buy a gun. I haven't camped near brown bears, I'm pretty sure they just eat you ass first.
Even brown bears aren't much of a problem. I've backpacked in grizzly country under a tarp, no tent and I've never had a problem. They've walked near camp but as long as there's no food out they avoid people. I've had a couple questionable encounters and a bluff charge while hiking. It's walking up on them that causes problems: startling them, defensive behavior with cubs around, or approaching a kill site. In any case a gun is almost never the best solution, especially for someone that isn't accustomed to using one. I carry in backcountry (mostly for human threat), but I would reach for bear spray far before a firearm in these encounters.
I usually camp blm land in california. I typically carry a .45 for bears or mountain lions, but mostly tweekers.
Maybe camping isn't for you
He will get better, it just takes time.
I'd have a loaded revolver ready to go. It surprises me how many people go camping where dangerous animals are, and don't bring a firearm. Heard a horror story from a bar friend a few years back; a group of gals went camping where bears were known to be. In the middle of the night, she woke up to the sound of a bear dragging another gal out of her tent and mauling her to death. Had anyone brought a firearm, might have saved their life.