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Raccoons have torn holes in my family's tents because they smelled food. My sister had taken a plastic grocery bag to put her dirty clothes in, and that bag had at one time held packaged food. The raccoons went after that. Major mess and repair work.
I remember waking up one night on a cycling trip, to the sounds of scuffling and scratching outside our tent. I opened the tent a crack and was greeted by a group of 4 raccoons checking out our site. Luckily they didnt damage any of our equipment. It was surprising how accustomed to humans they had become. They didnt even leave when we got out of our tents. We had to chase them before they left.
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You should probably find out what kind of bears are in your area and how to respond to them if you come across them. Different types respond differently.
Good point Mskedi. The two most common bears in North America are the Black and Grizzly. Each one should be handled differently if an encounter escalates. Playing dead with a Grizzly can sometimes work, as they rarely scavenge for food. Make sure that you are either curled up in a ball with your hands covering the back of your neck (the best position), or on your stomach. The main goal is to protect your vital organs. If the bear roles you to see if you are alive, try to end up back on your stomach again. Do not play dead with a Black Bear as they often scavenge for food, and have little qualms about eating a dead animal.
If you are dealing with a full-grown Grizzly, you may want to try climbing a tree (that is, if you can reach it before the bear reaches you). Adult Grizzlies are too heavy for their claws to support them with regards to climbing trees. The same however cannot be said for juvenile Grizzlies, or adult Black Bears. They are quite capable of climbing trees, and quickly too.
If it has become apparent that a bear is considering you as a food source, or if it attacks for another reason, it is best advised that you fight back. Firstly, making a lot of noise will help to confuse the bear, and hopefully frighten it. If the bear attacks, you must fight your urge to run. At no point do you want it to consider you prey. Along with making noise, jumping up and down can help to further confuse the bear (this may agitate it further, but if it is trying to harm you, you will have to take that risk). If the bear has you down on the ground and is attempting to maul you, go after its two most sensitive areas; the nose and eyes.
A friend of mine once told me about someone he knew that was attacked by a bear. Apparently, as the bear moved in to try and take the man down, he hit the bear hard on the nose. The bear promptly broke of the attack, and after making a few more threatening gestures, wandered off into the woods.
After all this seriousness though, I have to finish off with my favorite bear joke (as best as I can remember it).
Two men were fishing by the side of a river, when they spotted a bear. Realizing that the bear was threatening to attack, the friends decide they had better leave. One of the men opens his pack, takes out a pair of running shoes, and begins to calmly put them on. The other man looks at him with much surprise and says Youre not going to try and outrun that bear are you? The first man looks back at him and says No, all I have to do is outrun you.