Your safest bet is to get rid of leftovers. Buried food usually ends up being unburied by hungry animals. If campfires are appropriate, small amounts of dry food will burn to nothing, but wet food usually becomes an unsightly lump of ash unless the fire is extremely hot. Scattering small amounts of food in seldom-visited areas does not spoil the harmony of nature, and may be considered as a safe disposal method. Leftover food should ideally be sealed in plastic bags and packed out.
Successful fishermen face the question of what to do with fish heads and guts.
Scattering fish parts widely in secluded spots probably rates as the best disposal method in most cases. Throwing the fish remains into cold wilderness water is a poor method of disposal since the parts will stay visible for a long time. Where hungry bear populations are dense, water disposal of unused fish parts might still be the best idea. It could prevent parts of you from becoming the leftovers of a bear's meal. Return to Top Buck Tilton, MS, WEMT, and director of the Wilderness Institute, has worked in wilderness education for the past 25 years and has penned 10 books on wilderness health and safety.