Page 30 - 2001 DT 4 issues

Of Varmints and Vittles The basic solution is to get food out of of food on it. Spilled some hot chili on the
by Chuck Kleber the tent and well away; 50 or 100 yards sleeve of a sweater? Wash it out thor-
downwind. Now you have to make it inac- oughly and pronto or you’ll have those
remember one incident and I should cessible, and that can be a bit of a trick. three raccoons for visitors. Clean fish
have known better that demonstrates Have you ever tried to make your bird feeder away from your tent. In short, do your
Ia wild animal’s ability to smell and find squirrel-proof? Pick a tree. You’ll need a cooking and keep your food away from
food. Yours! I was camping with. my son, nylon cord; make it 100 feet to be on the the actual campsite. And don’t forget the
who was about 13 at the time, in New York safe side. This will be used to haul your food trash bag. It should be hauled up along-
State’s Bear Mountain area. I awoke in container into the air off a slender branch, side the food container.
the middle of the night with a jerk and but one which can still hold the weight. Your
grabbed a pistol when I heard container should end up 15 or 20 feet Note from the Editor
loud snarling just outside the off the ground and about four feet Donald Schoengold
tent’s screen window. below the branch. It
Whatever it was, it should also be well Failure to follow these simple rules
was right there. I away from the trunk can result in the death of the animal that
turned a flashlight so no animal could steals your food. Small animals that hi-
against the screen, and reach out to it. bernate in the winter may not put on
there, just inches away, Attach a weight enough fat to last the winter if they eat
were three raccoons. They to your cord and throw it people food. Even if they survive the win-
bolted and I burst out laugh- over the branch you’ve se- ter, they may not have enough stored food
ing. The problem? I had left a box of lected. Then securely tie the food container to feed any young that are born during
dried raisins open, inside the tent, and the to the end after removing the weight. Haul the winter.
little critters had come for dinner. it into the air to the desired height and firmly For bears, the result of getting used
Experts say never, never leave food tie the cord to a base, like the trunk of the to peoiple food is often more certain -
in the tent and especially if it is not in a tree. If you’ve got two trees close to each death. In National Parks, bears that raid
good, airtight container. Some people claim other, this can be an ideal set-up. Throw camp sites are trapped and moved to a
animals can tell food is there even when your cord around the branches of both, se- more wild portion of the park. If they find
it’s in a tin can. I don’t know, but why take cure the food container in the center, and their way back and continue to raid camp
the chance? Things like ants can be a nui- haul it up from one end. sites, the Park Rangers often have no
sance, but as you go up the line it can get It’s a bother, . . .yes, but it sure beats choice but to shoot them. Think about
serious with bears heading the list. They coming back to find your tent a shambles. this when you leave your food or garbage
are notorious foragers. And don’t forget clothing that has a residue out.

Great Gifts Quiz - Red Rock Canyon Wildlife
ooking for the perfect gift or
souvenier that you can be Tired of calling a coyote a “coyote” or a roadrunner a “roadrunner”? Wow visitors to
Lsure they won’t already Red Rock Canyon with the scientific names for wildlife common to our area. Match the
have? Looking for some great stuff following:
for yourself? Check out the great
A. Gray Fox 1. Canis latrans
Friends of Red Rock Canyon logo
B. Greater Roadrunner 2. Lanuis ludovicianus
items on display at the Visitor Cen-
C. Coyote 3. O. hemionus
ter.
D. Mule Deer 4. Aquila chrysaetos
Order forms are available at the
E. Bobcat 5. Urocyon
Visitor Center. And remember, your
F. Mountain Lion 6. Crotalus cerastes
order helps support Red Rock Can-
G. Loggerhead Shrike 7. Callipepla gabbelii
yon.
H. Gambel’s Quail 8. Geococcyx californianus
I. Sidewinder 9. Felis concolar
J. Golden Eagle 10. Felis rufa

Answers on page 6

FORRC/October, 2001 Page 7