Flying Squirels Attack

If a squirrel has that much skill, and goes to that much trouble, I say he should be allowed to have the food. :) I wouldn't plan for this worst-case scenario however. I've never heard of this happening.

We were camped at the upper Bowman Lake backcountry site a few years ago where one of them lathched onto a hanging stuff sack and chewed its way through some smores, then chewed out the other side and left. I've heard that some of the bear boxes in Glacier are actually for the flying squirels.

Ron,

I think you should make cuben stuffsacks that look like Great Horned Owls.

New, from MLD Gear, the 0.3oz cuben owlsack.

I've heard stories of crows(or similar birds) getting into bear bags, but have never seen it.
I don't see why flying squirrels couldn't do it. They are smart and have very accurate glide control.

Crows, Blue Jays, etc love tearing into thin bags. Have a full size Raven come at your bag and you won't fight it! They are huge!

"I think you should make cuben stuffsacks that look like Great Horned Owls."

It would just attract every crow(and raven) in the area. Now THAT would be a sight to see. Not too good for your food, though. Up in northern Michigan where I was raised, farmers and varmint shooters used to set up an owl decoy and pick off the crows when they came to harass the owl. It would work for a while, but the crows eventually wised up and it was time to take the show on down the road a piece. ;}

ah, Mr. Bell.

te-wa is a cherokee word for "flying squirrel".

i'll steal your beef jerky, and you wont even know it! lol

The American word for Flying Squirrel is Rocket J. Jr. Aka Rocky , friend of Bullwinkle the Moose.

Did actually have this happen in Baxter state park several years ago at a fairly well used shelter. Bear lines were installed there but flying squirrels figured out that food was stored in our hanging stuff sacks and chewed through a couple of them. Hikers I was with noticed this "attack" and started yelling "death from above!" and began hurling rocks. Deterred a few, but still had a hole chewed through my stuff sack in the am.

I'll need to make Ron a helium inflatable Horned Owl ;)

I have also had a flying squirrel incident at Baxter State Park. I was at the Birches shelters the night before finishing my AT thru-hike. Around midnight the other person in the shelter, Kilgore Trout, awoke me regarding a flying squirrel munching our food bags. The bags were in the shelter (no bear problems there and then) hanging off a mouse hanger. The squirrel was about two feet from my head. Go figure.

"I'll need to make Ron a helium inflatable Horned Owl ;)"

nice.

If only it would work for marmots and raccoons. We scarcely have wingless squirrels around here :)

I did a bit of sleuthing and found a couple of options already awaiting hot air (ahem). I dun figure just put yer grub inside the inflatabler and hang:

Simple:

Deluxe:

This second one is a rather impressive work, but doubtfully UL!
for reference and photo credit:
http://www.biconet.com/critter/prowlerOwl.html

I don't hang my food- I carry defense

I've had squirrels and raccoons jump onto hung food bags. When I was quite young, we had major raccoon problems at a camp. My buddy and I shoved some ferns under the rope on the bag, so that when a critter landed it would keep going. It worked, too! (The first time or two, anyway.)

It's only happened a few times, and always at more heavily used areas. My friend and I almost always hang separate bags now; I don't see us hanging two bags each though, for example.

Maybe the owl! (Infinitely better than those flamingo tent stakes.)

Years back in glacier we had heard this was a problem so we picked up some metal screen and lined the inside of the stuff sacks we did have holes in the sacks but no damage to food. This was when I carried 50 -60 lbs and used heavy dry bag for food sack.I think now I would maybe accept some loss. Hopefully someone posts a good light weight idea although a screen bag might not weigh that much I never checked things just always got heavier back then

The Outsak was designed to keep out ravens, rodents, etc. and its half the weight of a comparable Ursack.

http://www.simpleoutdoorstore.com/which_outsak.html