What do the trappers do?

[Immigrant]

My cabin is almost finished. What do you guys use for toilets (what design). I don't want to just go behind a tree. Eventually the whole place is littered with "land mines". How deep is the hole? Do you vent it? If so, how? Do the bears tear in to it? Any suggestions will be welcome

[Torkdiesel]

Outhouse is the way to go. Nice 6-8 foot deep hole with a vent through the roof. If you normally have company visit you may want to go with a nice "two holer" set up

[Dog_River]

Nice cabin !

I would go like tork suggests. In the mean time if you have to go you should always dig a hole and bury your ****e ! Just sayin

Dog_River

[backyard]

depending on what you want I believe there are some that are a propane ones that burn it when your done

[KegRiver]

I would go with the outhouse.
Cover the seat with Styrofoam insulation sheet and you're set. Your buns will thank you.

Winter can be unkind to exposed body parts. It only makes sense to have as much protection from the elements as is practical for such activity.

[Big Grey Wolf]

A one or two holer with lots of good hunting magazines in the reading rack on the door!

[rockymountaintrapper]

if you have a tin roof on your outhouse make sure that you have tarpaper or even plywood underneath as the frost from your breathing stays on the tin and falls down everytime you swing the door

[Immigrant]

Yes. The outhouse - also known as the "long drop" in the old country. My concern is that bears would tear in to it because of the smell. is that a valid concern? Will covering the "deposit" with lyme be good enough?

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Immigrant

Yes. The outhouse - also known as the "long drop" in the old country. My concern is that bears would tear in to it because of the smell. is that a valid concern? Will covering the "deposit" with lyme be good enough?

I've lived in Bear country my whole life and a good portion of that with an outhouse.
I have never seen or heard of Bears messing with an outhouse.
Rabbets do, Bears don't.

Keep in mind, Bears have an incredible ability to detect food smells, the key word being food. They know the difference between what is edible and what is not.

Rabbits can be an issue when the population is extremely high and they are starving. Under those conditions they will chew on wood. Especially wood with body oils and sweat soaked into it. IE: outhouse seats.

Lime keeps down the smell. It's a good idea even though I doubt it would do anything to deter animals.

[Redfrog]

You may want to look at this design , depending on how deep the snow gets. Be careful in the warm weather to check that the 'top floor' is not in use.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by Immigrant

Yes. The outhouse - also known as the "long drop" in the old country. My concern is that bears would tear in to it because of the smell. is that a valid concern? Will covering the "deposit" with lyme be good enough?

I had a young bear that was obsessed with my outhouse on my last Trapline. He would stand on the seat and reach up against the back wall. I wedged a piece of wood against the door but he knocked it free and did the same thing again. He never chewed or destroyed anything though, just liked to stand on the seat. Strange breed those Saddle Hills bears lol

Edit*** I used ashes to help with the smell, found Lyme to messy

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Immigrant

Yes. The outhouse - also known as the "long drop" in the old country. My concern is that bears would tear in to it because of the smell. is that a valid concern? Will covering the "deposit" with lyme be good enough?

haha wouldn't 8 feet down covered in crap be a funny place to find a bear the next time nature calls!

we've never had an issue with any animals at our pooper

[bucksnbears]

[Immigrant]

Pretty fancy!! Is that one of those compost units? I assume it has some kind of a tray you pull out?

[sdkidaho]

The only concern I ever had with bears was the trip "to" the outhouse. You just can't seem to swing that flashlight fast enough, in all directions, at 2am when you make that run to the crapper!

No one wants that outhouse "too" close to the cabin, so any midnight runs in bear country always got the imagination going...

[Big Grey Wolf]

The trapper we bought our line from always left door part way open when doing his business. I suspect for better ventilation, well twice through the years a bear poked his head through the partially open door. The trapper was awake after that! PS Bear sunk his teeth into our fancy door nobe on our newest biffy.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Torkdiesel

I had a young bear that was obsessed with my outhouse on my last Trapline. He would stand on the seat and reach up against the back wall. I wedged a piece of wood against the door but he knocked it free and did the same thing again. He never chewed or destroyed anything though, just liked to stand on the seat. Strange breed those Saddle Hills bears lol

Edit*** I used ashes to help with the smell, found Lyme to messy

LOL Cool experiance!

I've heard of people encountering bears on the way to the privey. I've heard of and seen Bears messing with all kinds of buildings. But this is the first I've heard of a Bear entering a half moon shack.

I guess anything is possible. Maybe he/she was looking for the girly mags.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

LOL Cool experiance!

I've heard of people encountering bears on the way to the privey. I've heard of and seen Bears messing with all kinds of buildings. But this is the first I've heard of a Bear entering a half moon shack.

I guess anything is possible. Maybe he/she was looking for the girly mags.

Not sure what he was looking for. Did the same thing 4 summers in a row. I'd wash the paw prints off the seat and walls in the fall and sure enough next summer at some point there'd be new paw prints on the seat and back wall. Funny little bear indeed. Never went anywhere near the cabin, although I did have heavy steal grating over all the windows so he might have leaned on that to look in and I didn't see his tracks.
He did eat an old jerry can one time, must have been mighty hungry

[dugh]

There are regulations in Alberta regarding outhouses (no *****). Nothing too bad. Natural light, vented, self closing hinges etc. I made a two piece Dutch door and went 4 feet by 5 feet for extra space inside. Yahoo or google outhouse there are lots to look at for ideas. Might as well make it an attractive part of the property.
Doug

[Big Grey Wolf]

I forgot to mention " phase 1" toilet design while building new cabin. Take hard plastic camping chair, cut out oval hole with keyhole saw, dig 2' deep hole under spruce tree, place chair over hole, breakoff branch and place paper roll. You will appreciate the new john especially after seat has snow and 1/2 inch of ice that your partner did not melt off before you.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

I forgot to mention " phase 1" toilet design while building new cabin. Take hard plastic camping chair, cut out oval hole with keyhole saw, dig 2' deep hole under spruce tree, place chair over hole, breakoff branch and place paper roll. You will appreciate the new john especially after seat has snow and 1/2 inch of ice that your partner did not melt off before you.

Be sure to pick a tick-free tree.

[Big Grey Wolf]

When you dont have a magazine rack with good hunting magazines you dont stay long enough for the ticks to find you, especially in the late fall or winter months and the layer of ice.