Prayers for the family. A very sad and horrible event.
You’re correct. Bear bags strung high in the trees is usually the only safe way to prevent this type of occurrence. Even bear canisters need to be stored away from your tents in an area that doesn’t present an opportunity for the bear to get too curious about the rest of the campsite. Bear canisters only keep the bears out of your food, not out of the storage area they’re in.
A friend of mine had an incident at a campground where they had storage bins for folks to store their canisters. One group just placed unprotected food in the bin and a bear(s) got into the bin. Canisters were strewn all over the place, needless to say, the dopes who just placed their food in there went hungry.
It’s possible the boy had snacks or some such in his section of the tent. I’ve had this problem multiple times with the boys in my Scout Troop. Especially the younger ones who tend to dismiss the threat with the typical “It can’t happen to me” mentality.
SZ
Bingo..the poor kid might have snuck a few cookies...peanut butter or somesuch..a bear’s sense of smell is unreal....
I had a close call with a black bear in the Ocala Forest in Florida last October. It was my first time back-packing and I made a lot of stupid mistakes. I had forgotten to bring a rope to put food in a tree. I had the wrappers from some fruit chewies (very aromatic) inside three plastic bags - thinking that would be good enough. Shortly after dark I could hear a bear approaching my tent - going right for the spot where that wrapper was. I can’t say for sure how big it was, but definitely heavier than any human from the sound of the crunching through the underbrush. I banged together a insect repeallant can and an empty plastic water bottle. It finally backed off. I was up all night long periodically banging those things every time I heard the bear approach. I hate to think what would have happened if I feel asleep. I still don’t know if there’s something else I should have done. (Other than go back in time and not make the food mistake). Nothing I found in my research has told me what to do if a bear comes after you in a tent.