Yes

by Patrick Sills

Created on: June 14, 2010

Despite man’s perceived fears of wild animals, camping is well worth the effort. In almost every case, animals that reside in nature are just as if not more fearful of humans as we are of them. Paired with common sense, the likelihood of being attacked or even approached by a wild animal while camping is extremely remote. From the time I was about 7 years old until my late teen years, my family went on many camping outings. During this span of some 10 years, the sole incident in which wild animals entered our campsite involved some raccoons getting into some bread that we left sitting outside on a picnic table. Other than the shredded tatters of the plastic bread wrapper, the rest of our things were untouched. Needlees to say, our bread was also gone.

Put simply, animals don’t like the sound or smell of humans. As such, they will almost always avoid entering a person’s campsite. They are much more at home in their own territory; the deep woods. The only times when one will even likely see such a creature is on the rare occasion that their food has been depleted in their usual habitat. And obviously, if a person’s campsite is located relatively near these locations, a hungry animal could end up seeking nourishment, especially if any food is left unattended outside. Indeed, years after my family stopped camping, my wife and I encountered a black bear sniffing his way through the contents of a garbage can in a state park located in northern Wisconsin.. The container was a few yards from our tent, and for whatever reason, the previous camper who made use of it failed to close the lid. The bear was hungry and curious. We were sitting in lawn chairs, just about ready to retire for the night when we saw the animal approach. We ran to our car, rolled the windows up, and toughed it out until it left; disappointed that no edible food was found.

Had I thought about how close the garbage can was to our campsite, I would have chosen another place to pitch the tent.This was back in 1989. In the 21 years that have passed since then, I still camp during the car show season, and still live in northern Wisconsin where more black bears than ever have been sighted outside of their realm. Despite this, I haven’t seen one since that night in 1989.

Motel room rates alone make camping worth it, for even in a modest place such as a Super 8 or Days Inn, one can expect to pay $70-$80 for a night’s stay. Camping fees will run less than half of that amount, and that’s even if you need access to electrical power and/or water hookups. With the right equipment at your disposal, even a simple tent can be nearly as comfortable as a motel room. Should you fear wild animals despite the fact that they rarely invade campsites, then an RV, travel trailer, or motorhome should make one feel more at ease, for obviously, solid fiberglass or aluminum will provide more protection than the canvas or nylon material of a tent.

Whichever method of camping one chooses, it’s a matter of not leaving food outside and ignoring the rare creature that just may happen to cross your path. Don't provoke them, and they in turn will ignore you as well.

Learn more about this author, Patrick Sills.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.