Gain confidence on using bear spray for your summer adventures! These trainings are fun and simple. Join us in Bigfork on Saturday, June 14. (fb)

Garbage cans like this are bolted to the ground. The reasoning behind it has some relevance to the garbage can you might have at home. If you have a bear-resistant can at your house, you may have heard that you should only leave it outside on your garbage pick up day. That seems counterintuitive, since a bear isn't supposed to be able to open the locked can, right? Well, if a bear is motivated enough to get at the goods inside and has enough time, it can get it open. Because your household garbage bin isn't bolted to the ground, a bear can tip it over, roll it around, jump on it, bite and tear at it at different angles, and do whatever it needs to do to try to get the can open. They don't always succeed--bear-resistant cans are built tough. IGBC-certified garbage cans go through an hour-long testing session with real grizzlies to make sure they'll stay closed. But some bears are tougher and will get in. This is why we always refer to these garbage cans as being bear "resistant," not bear "proof." Long story short, if you have a bear-resistant garbage can, and it's not your garbage pick up day, it's a good idea to store it inside a hard-sided, locked building. (fb)