Building a bear-proof box

[RedMF40]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

 

[JMOR]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

Shipping container, metal truck tool box well anchored, metal covered old combine hopper, oil drum also well anchored,

 

[DoubleO7]

@RedMF40

Old free chest freezer.
Old ones sometimes have a built in lock.
And if it still has a good seal, it might also keep bugs out of the feed.

Can always add to it to make it look pretty.

 

[teddy52food]

Boards with a lot of nails driven through laid around may make for sore feet!

 

[RobCons]

A job site tool box is fairly sturdy and lockable.

 

[RedMF40]

Shipping container, metal truck tool box well anchored, metal covered old combine hopper, oil drum also well anchored,

The steel truck tool box was something I had in mind. I don’t think the cheap plastic ones would hold up.

 

[RedMF40]

@RedMF40

Old free chest freezer.
Old ones sometimes have a built in lock.
And if it still has a good seal, it might also keep bugs out of the feed.

Can always add to it to make it look pretty.

Hadn’t thought of a chest freezer. Painted up to blend in would probably look ok. Especially a small one

 

[cjunrau]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

cheapest and what I would do is just get an electric fencer. just a cheap one and run 2-3 of those simple baler twine wires around where you have the seed or even the bird feeder. we keep large amount of bears out of honey yards with 3 wires and small solar fencers. just mount a switch to turn off if you don't like to unplug it all the time.
if you made a small box made of metal you could also just have it sitting on wood pallet and hook the electric wire to it and it becomes electrified. no need for a fence to walk around or through.

 

[504]

I’m glad we don’t have that problem yet. South Missouri has bears but up north not yet.

 

[38 Sears Roebuck]

Hey, Boo Boo these humans are getting drastic. Better watch our step Yogi.

 

[sms]

Around here they place a small garbage dumpster on a concrete slab with anchors poured in the slab. Then run a com-along over the dumpster lid tight.
This is for garbage but may give you an idea.

 

[ss55]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

Agree with a jobsite box: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-T...nWlbNAcC1OkYpbiom_AaAl6vEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Anything made of wood will eventually be opened or destroyed.

Maybe try removing the bird food for a month until the bear moves on to another food source?

 

[dlbuck]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

I once knew a girl so fat that when she went camping the bears hid their food.

 

[rustred]

A friend has a black bear that comes around and steals birdseed and some other Food-related things. Medium-size bear, looks like an adolescent. I've seen it. Drags whole bags of seed across the road, not sure what its plan is. Could just come back another time and finish what it didn't eat instead of taking the whole bag. A reasonable solution would be to store the food in the house, but let's say it's more convenient to have it outdoors locked up somewhere to make it easier to access.

The national park nearby has bear boxes made of steel. I've watched a few Utoob videos on bear-proofing trash cans and for the most part that looks effective unless you're dealing with a grizzly. They can use their weight to smash the trash can until it pops open. Otherwise a plastic trash can with a reasonable latch system is a deterrent. Your trash can may end up three football fields away, but it'll still be intact.

I'm thinking that the only suitable material would be steel for an enclosure of this kind. Something with a lid and a lock. Heavy enough so the bear can't take it away. One utoober with a bear problem built an elaborate storage box for his trash cans but it was made of wood with an attractive roof and an overhang. I don't know. I think even a bear with low motivation would make quick work of it. Although it looked very sturdy, it was fixed in place and I think that makes it easier for a bear to get a good grip on it and use leverage to tear it apart.

Anyone built an outside bear-proof storage locker? Or, even if you haven't--have any thoughts about how you'd do it? Obviously I've been spending too much time thinking about this.

Gerrit

When I feed birds I take out a bit at a time what they will eat in a couple days. Not understanding what bags of bird seed are doing at a feeding station. How can a bear climb a steel pipe ? Birds aren’t fed on the ground.

 

[130ROY]

I had a jobsite trailer with a couple of bags of feed in it . The door and metal siding didn't keep the bear out . Also when I was 6 a bear broke into our farmhouse while we were gone . They can be destructive when hungry .

 

[RedMF40]

When I feed birds I take out a bit at a time what they will eat in a couple days. Not understanding what bags of bird seed are doing at a feeding station. How can a bear climb a steel pipe ? Birds aren’t fed on the ground.

She has a lot of feeders, keeps the seed in some kind of container outside. Needs something better.

 

[cjunrau]

I had a jobsite trailer with a couple of bags of feed in it . The door and metal siding didn't keep the bear out . Also when I was 6 a bear broke into our farmhouse while we were gone . They can be destructive when hungry .

They sure can. That’s why I suggested fencer. So far as I know there are less than one percent of bears that have figured out how to get through bear fences.
In 10 years we have had 3 bears that had to be shot. They plow through fast to get to the bees. Cameras have been a game changer to see what and how they react. Once they get that shock 50% don’t come back for the second one. The best is when they come back in the same night 3-4 times and get it again. Those seam to leave the area never to get seen around that be yard again. We assume the ones that get a shock and leave for good are ones that have been at a different yard and got shocked there and have made the connection that fence = ouch.

 

[DaveBN]

Old 55 gallon drums with a top that latches with a big ring. A friend of mine has bear problems and that is what he has. They did destroy his deer blind last year to get to an uncovered pain of corn though.
Dave

 

[Keith True]

Bears are wicked clever.A little ice cream and hamburger stand here had a bear that would get into the dumpster.The varmint proof plastic lids are for racoons,not hungry bears.When the girl that closed the place at 10:00 PM went out there after closing,she always saw the bear waiting.Then the owner went to a steel lid with latches.That slowed the bear down for a few days,until he came up with a plan.When she flipped the lid open that bear ran out and jumped in,while she was dumping the trash.After that she tried throwing a little something on the ground next to the dumpster.That worked,he only wanted a treat,so he was happy with that instead of thrashing the dumpster.That little 16 year old high school girl said the bear had no interest in her,and wasn't afraid of him.(or her)About 10 years ago I had a bear rip the door open on my Model A Roadster and take my box of fresh honey dip doughnuts.He ran about 300 feet,stopped behind my shop,leaned against my well,and ate them,box and all.

 

[Crazy Horse]

I once knew a girl so fat that when she went camping the bears hid their food.

Take a few minutes today Buck and read this .... https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fat-shaming-makes-things-worse#overview
If you're not overweight yourself, be thankful .....