Bear Poles

A bear or game pole is a horizontal log running between two upright trees.

They’re used in backcountry settings to store camp food, game meat, and livestock feed off the ground and inaccessible to wildlife. The idea is to store attractants at least 10 feet above the ground and at least 4 horizontal feet from anything a bear could climb.Keeping bears away from attractants keeps people and bears safer.People and Carnivores’ field staff have built more than 200 of these structures throughout western Montana and northwest Wyoming in the past decade.