black bears in your neighborhood? How do you deal?

[love2read]

We spotted a black bear walking along the road last night. I've known for years they were around and while they are more common about 5 miles away by a lake, it seems that one of our neighbors spots one every year or two. We are surrounded by woods although our home and most of those on this street are not built in the woods.

 

I am always so upset when one is spotted because it means everyone will stay inside for days and it will be weeks before I let the children go outside to play in the yard alone. My neighbors don't have this same kind of fear and think I'm over reacting.

 

Can I hear from some of you that have bears in your woods and tell me how you deal with that knowledge? I don't know how pioneer mother's dealth with the knowledge of mountain lions and brown bears right outside their doors.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

We've had black bears in our neighbourhood but we have dogs so they give lots of warning if the bears are close. I kept the kids inside if I knew there was a bear actually in the yard. I didn't go out after dark without a dog and a flashlight so I didn't walk into one by mistake. Other than that, I didn't worry about them too much.

[Remudamom]

Rifle.

 

We have 'yotes, cougars, and an occasional bear. If they leave us alone, we leave them alone.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Remudamom

[KathyBC]

Ditto the dogs.

[happygrrl]

We live surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest, and have bears and cougars too! :) I make sure the kids understand what to do in the event they meet a wild animal. We keep our trash separated, with non-meat food scraps going in to a compost bin and meat scraps deposited away from the home. Around our neck of the woods bear trouble is usually the result of someone storing their garbage improperly. No one around here has ever been hurt by a bear, cougar, coyote or rattlesnake, though we see all of them quite often. The most dangerous creature around here is the local teenagers on their four wheelers.;)

[Spy Car]

Live and let live.

[Karen in CO]

Simple things like keeping the trash in the garage. We have bears, coyote, foxes and mountain lions and I live in a suburb. But it has a nice green belt that leads to the mountains.

 

We've had bears in our trees in front. In the last house we lived in, we had a bobcat in the back yard. We frequently hear coyotes and see them running in the cul-de-sac.

 

I make sure the kids go out with the dog and know to not run from a bear. Its part of the basic safety talks we have. A bear has no interest in you or your kids just be aware that they are foraging for food, and you might scare them. It is a great opportunity to learn about them. Maybe learn about their habitats, food, and learn to track them so that you can see if they have been on your property. Identifying tracks and scat is fun for kids. They are always amazed the first time they find real bear scat. Education is power.

 

btw - my dog is a Jack Russell, but she barks at anything that comes near the girls.

[happygrrl]

We keep the trash in the shop, the chicken food and lamb food locked up and let the house dogs out of the house before anyone goes out. No one goes out to the sheds without the dogs. We bought two new Great Pyrenees to protect from the coyotes, bears and mountain lions. After last year (we lost 5 registered Shetland sheep to the lion, 2 big sheep to the coyotes and the bears did a LOT of damage) we feel like we're under siege. We won't bother notifying the DOW any more. They won't do a thing. Since the lion has taken livestock, we can have it tracked and killed. The coyotes and the foxes can be shot at any time. And we have someone with a bear permit that wants that black bear, so the next time he comes calling, he's toast. I'm tired of feeling like we have to walk around armed all the time...

 

This brings up a point... the local wildlife rarely ventures into our area, even though we are bounded on all side by forest land (have to have a 4x4 to even get to our cabin!). But one thing we *don't* have right now is livestock. Perhaps we'll see more of those critters when we get critters of our own...

[WishboneDawn]

We had a black bear in our backyard last Friday. Now our backyard is only about 15 feet deep before the forest starts so we got an excellent view. Here's the advice I received when I called the appropriate gov't department:

 

- stop putting our organic waste in our green cart for a few weeks.

- Stop putting out any feed (including hummingbird food) for the birds (no kidding. The bugger took off with my finch feeder late Friday night!)

- Store any garbage in a shed or basement.

- Don't bbq or make sure you clean it well when done.

- Make a lot of noise whenever you see oneto make it move on and feel uncomfortable.

 

We made sure there was nothing around for the bear to eat and sure enough, he hasn't come back.

 

This is the time people see bears. They're just getting out of hibernation and the berries and such they generally feed on so they're venturing out into people territory a bit more. Once summer starts they'll likely disappear again but may be back in the fall.

 

I really wouldn't keep the kids indoors for weeks. A bear moves on fairly quickly if there's no food and they really the risk involved is much less then say, a neighbour's dog. We kept the kids off the back lawn for a couple of days but let them play on the front deck and lawn as long as the dog was outside with them.

 

One other precaution is that we'll be getting a rifle. I highly doubt we'll ever need it even if we do get more bears but one never knows. I go to take my firearms safety course (mandatory in Canada if you want to be able to buyand use firearms) at the end of the month and the husband will get his when work allows.

 

All in all, black bears doesn't worry me that much. They spook easily and don't come around if you don't keep anything tempting out.

[WishboneDawn]

We're moving to an area that has many black bears, and most there think it's no big deal. They keep their garbage secured, they stay alert for bear cubs(protective mamas) and they stay clear of the berry patches during early summertime. We have the remains of an old, old barn on the property, and have been told bears made their den there last year. I'll gladly exhange copperheads for black bears any day.

 

Definitely. In the realm of wildlife risk, bears are pretty low on my scale.

[fivetails]

We have bears here as well - or so I've been told, as I haven't yet seen any and this is our first summer here. Dh has seen one at work though... and from the stories, they apparently have no problem strolling right into town and one time one of them walked right into a rec center, in the middle of some event!:001_huh:

 

And yep, I'm more than a little concerned. There are all sorts of trails here, designed for lots of forest walking and whatnot, but I won't go near them ever since I saw all the "Be Bear Aware" warnings on the trail guides. Gah!

 

We come from a little island where the biggest wildlife is the neighbour's overweight german shepherd. ;) Bears are not really something I'm comfortable hangin' out with, although I do think they're pretty awesome animals. I'd just rather not be admiring that awesomeness from inside a bear belly!:tongue_smilie:

[4kiddies]

We have also been seeing bears this year in our yard and they have gotten into our garbage twice in the past two weeks. The game commision placed a trap in our yard to tag it but never caught it. They (game commision) told us to load our garbage cans with ammonia because bears don't like the smell. He also told us that people are only afraid of bears because of movies and tv shows. He said to use common sense, make noise when you are going outside so they run away and that if you ever do see a bear while you are outside to stand up as tall as you can with your arms above your head and scream and it will run away.

[Quiver0f10]

We had bears often in Maine as well as moose and other critters. I ditto getting a diog or dogs. Other than that we just leave them alone.

[dirty ethel rackham]

So, Bill. You get many black bears in So. California? :). They hang out at the Galleria? (just kidding - I am sure Big Bear is named that for a reason:))

 

When I read this thread subject, I cracked up. Not making light of the problem, but, here in suburbia, our biggest problem has been Wile E. Coyote attracted to the rabbit population or the racoons tipping over our garbage. Sometimes we will see deer who have wandered out of the forest preserve to strip the bark off new trees, the chipmunk who thinks my patio is his domain or the possum just looking ugly. My sister has had to erradicate one who took up residence in her laundry room.

[Rose in BC]

A few weeks ago I took my kids to a bear (and hiking) safety course put on by our local search and rescue club. I have lived here all my life and in the history of this community there have only been two bear attacks, neither resulting in death, both related to food or cubs. The biggest problem is coming between a mom and her cubs or a bear and it's food. Or surprising a bear. We also have grizzlies which of course is a different can of worms.

 

One interesting note, dogs can be a problem too. If you allow your dog to be off the lead and they chase after a bear, it's also possible they'll bring back a bear to your location if they start running back to you. So, if you have a dog it needs to be under your control.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that in my experience, living in an area where we can easily see a bear everyday, common sense things (like securing your garbage) goes a long way. Bears will usually just leave you alone.

 

BTW the search and rescue guy said more people are killed by deer each year.

[sunflowerlady]

We have black bears around here, too. They have come around into people's yards at night looking for food. Basically, we have been told to just not leave dog and cat food sitting out. Also, no trash outside. You don't want to have things that will attract them.

 

Around here, they seem to be active at night. Basically we just use common sense and don't worry about it much.

 

People worry me much more than bears.:glare:

[LizzyBee]

We don't have bears close by here, but they are numerous where I grew up. Unfortunately, tourists will leave food out unsecured because they want to attract the bears, and as a result, the bears have become much more aggressive. :glare:

 

When we go home to visit, I remind the kids what to do if they see a bear. If they go in the woods, they have to go in pairs and make lots of noise.

[lllll]

We have plenty of black bears around here. We're in a "corridor" which they use to migrate between their winter and summer homes. The only reason they hang around is because they are getting food from somewhere - neighbor feeds his millions of cats outside, another keeps his garbage outside, we feed the birds, wild berries or acorns are ripe, etc. They don't seem to like our compost or veggies, but they love chicken food, duck food, etc.; and if they ever smell meat they'll probably be back. (We don't eat meat.)

 

We also see them playing down the cliff in the stream behind our house. They routinely appear in our yard soaking wet.

 

When we moved here 11 years ago, I was scared of them. Now, I walk out in the yard (night or day) even when they're out there, keeping a healthy distance, of course. Black bears are skittish. Everything scares them.

 

The only acceptions are a mother with cubs, mating season, and when they're standing over a pile of food. I don't go out in the yard if I see a mother with cubs out there. She would probably run, but I may inadvertently get between her and her cub(s). Not good. I'm also very wary during July and early August - mating season. Last summer, one of my Chihuahuas ran between a male and female who were hanging out at the backyard birdfeeder. The big male swatted her and we spent the morning at the emergency vet clinic. I'm sure the bear would have been just as annoyed had it been a child. And if they're eating something and you approach them, in their minds, you are coming to steal their food. Walk waaaaay around one if he's eating.

 

Also, in August they begin to eat like crazy, fattening up for the winter. We see them in the trees in our yard, eating acorns. We also see many more of them during the late summer and early fall months. Once the hunters start shooting, however, they usually hide and only sneak out at night. Guns seem to keep most of them away. I guess if I was intent on keeping them away (I'm not. No young dc anymore. We enjoy watching them. Dh & dc even name them.:)), I would do a heck of a lot more target shooting out behind the shop. It's often days before we see a bear after we shoot.

 

They are very persistent if they smell food. We took a day trip last week and when we got home dh's car door was open. He drinks coffee and eats in his car a lot, so his car smells like food until dc clean it. Well, I guess the bear smelled something he liked, because his teeth marks were on the door handle. He also bit dh's tire and flattened it. Dh went and bought a bunch of chicken wire and strung it around the carport so that our cars are now 'caged'. We have to 'uncage' our cars every time we want to go somewhere. :blink:

 

They've also broken into our shop where dc keep the seed and feed. Dragged bags of it out, ripped it open, and sat down to feast. We lock the shop doors during bear season.

 

And they love to drink out of our little above ground pool. We've even seen them go for a swim, leaving behind all kinds of gross bugs which were in their fur. Their claws, however, rip a hole right through the lining.:glare:

 

Our neighbor hunts and processes his own deer, so they spend more time at his house in the fall. He has deer parts in various stage of decay all around his house all fall.:tongue_smilie: Fine by me.

 

Anyway, here's what I tell dc, generally. When the bears first show up in the spring, they're hungry and touchy. They may be new bears and unsure of us. We don't know what kind of personalities each one has. Steer clear and give them plenty of room. Make tons of noise when you're outside. Carry a pistol if you want. Whatever.

 

After we get to know this years' bears, you can relax a little. Don't walk around outside with food (obviously, but I always remind them). Be alert when you're running through the woods - don't just go tearing over a hill or around a curve without looking and listening. Give the bear a chance to run, which he will do if he hears or smells you before you run into him. Watch out for those cubs and mothers. During mating season, stay far, far away from any 2 bears you see, together. Don't wait to see whether it's a male and female. Assume it is.

 

Before flinging the door open and tearing outside, LOOK. Make noise. Let the bear know you're there. 99% of the time he'll leave.

 

Also, don't let the dogs out when the bears are in the yard. Chihuahuas think they're about 100 times larger than they actually are. They're either the bravest dogs in the world - or the stupidest. I vote brave, of course.;)

 

And, finally, just be glad they aren't grizzlies. Now there's a scary bear.:scared: Black bears are just 'pets' compared to grizzlies.

 

Enjoy your bears!

Edited June 3, 2009 by ksva

[Starr]

Be sure your kids make lots of noise while playing outside! :lol:

[newbie]

I love predators, I just dont let kiddos out at dawn or after sunset, when all the critters come.

 

I was freaked when we had a visit from a skunk on our patio, all I could think of were rabies, than I read they eat all the rodents and stuff I dont like, so Suzie Skunk is welcome.

 

We get all the predators, except bears and they can stay at my house. I just do not leave out any trash or food. Sometimes people leave out cat/dog food.

 

If they are hungry they can live off the land, and take a drink from our fountain.

 

I have spy cars attitude,unless its rodents.

[Audrey]

A few weeks ago I took my kids to a bear (and hiking) safety course put on by our local search and rescue club. I have lived here all my life and in the history of this community there have only been two bear attacks, neither resulting in death, both related to food or cubs. The biggest problem is coming between a mom and her cubs or a bear and it's food. Or surprising a bear. We also have grizzlies which of course is a different can of worms.

 

One interesting note, dogs can be a problem too. If you allow your dog to be off the lead and they chase after a bear, it's also possible they'll bring back a bear to your location if they start running back to you. So, if you have a dog it needs to be under your control.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that in my experience, living in an area where we can easily see a bear everyday, common sense things (like securing your garbage) goes a long way. Bears will usually just leave you alone.

 

BTW the search and rescue guy said more people are killed by deer each year.

 

 

Yup. We have wolves and a few coyotes, only the occasional brown bear. They usually steer clear of the dog. Live and let live, I say. It's kind of a blessing to see them, IMO. At least we haven't mucked up our area so much as to destroy all the natural wildlife.

 

But, let me tell you... the two things that scare me the most are the herds of deer who cross the roads at the WORST moments, and the bull moose which are not the cute stuff of cartoons, but rather big, unpredictable b*st*rds with lots of attitude.

[lllll]

We spotted a black bear walking along the road last night. I've known for years they were around and while they are more common about 5 miles away by a lake, it seems that one of our neighbors spots one every year or two. We are surrounded by woods although our home and most of those on this street are not built in the woods.

 

I am always so upset when one is spotted because it means everyone will stay inside for days and it will be weeks before I let the children go outside to play in the yard alone. My neighbors don't have this same kind of fear and think I'm over reacting.

 

Can I hear from some of you that have bears in your woods and tell me how you deal with that knowledge? I don't know how pioneer mother's dealth with the knowledge of mountain lions and brown bears right outside their doors.

 

I remembered a few other things which might help you in your situation, and then I have to head home.

 

Go snooping around and locate ALL the potential food sources close to you and where your dc play. (bird feeders, garbage, cat/dog food, ripe wild berries ...). You can almost predict that the bears will eventually smell their way to them. If you can clean it up, great. If not, maybe tell dc to stay away from those areas - and why. Remember bears can sniff out garbage in a garage or shed. You have to get rid of the smell (along with the food source).

 

Remember that bears often travel the path of least resistance. The same paths/roads you do. It's easier.

 

And no, I don't think you're overreacting at all if you have small children. If I had small children, I wouldn't even feed the birds so that the bears would stay farther away. In fact, if they were very small, I wouldn't let them out in the yard without me. But we're way out in the woods. Not sure about you.

 

Also, not sure if it helps to wait "weeks" before letting the kids out again. Bears make rounds - like clockwork - as long as they are finding food in specific areas. When they visit a spot and fail to find that food for several visits, they move on to another spot which is more fruitful. They may revisit occassionally just to check the old spots, but eventually give them up so as not to waste energy while getting nothing in return. But if they even get something ONCE, they'll put it on their mental lists of hotspots and return looking for that food. Ya gotta be vigilant about keeping it from happening even once. Kind of unpredictable - yet predictable, if you know what I mean.

 

Well, gotta run.

HTH

Kathy

 

PS - I also don't go out in the yard when there is more than one bear eating close to each other. We have seen them charge each other and our neighbor saw 2 males fighting the other day. He was impressed. ;)

Edited June 3, 2009 by ksva

[Nicole M]

Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry.

 

I didn't even open this thread last night, just the subject line frightened me. I even had a nightmare about a black bear, too! So while I can't offer advice, I can sure offer sympathy.

[Doodle]

I'm also nervous about bears being close. I just move to the mountains at the end of April. I'm paranoid. This morning my husband pointed out 4 deer running behind the house. I just caught a glimpse of them. But as I stood there still looking, I clearly saw why they were running. A bear cub was chasing them!!! So for today, my son is confined to the deck only.

 

Here is what my "back yard" looks like. The deer and bear were just a little bit further away from the bridge. A bridge my son likes to sit on and pretend to fish! :scared: This is the view from the dining room window. I took this picture from inside the house.

[katemary63]

Rifle.

 

We have 'yotes, cougars, and an occasional bear. If they leave us alone, we leave them alone.

 

:iagree:

[melissel]

Not making light of the problem, but, here in suburbia, our biggest problem has been Wile E. Coyote attracted to the rabbit population or the racoons tipping over our garbage. Sometimes we will see deer who have wandered out of the forest preserve to strip the bark off new trees, the chipmunk who thinks my patio is his domain or the possum just looking ugly. My sister has had to erradicate one who took up residence in her laundry room.

 

I'm sayin'! Am I the only one thinking that getting to watch bears in your backyard is kinda cool? The most exciting thing we've had in our yard in the six years we've lived here is a red fox. I'm trying to figure out how to get her back here to take care of the chipmunk that's hanging out in my garden containers and pooping in my shed! Stupid suburbs...

 

BTW the search and rescue guy said more people are killed by deer each year.

 

I had no idea Canadian deer were so aggressive! :001_huh:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

[Doodle]

...Am I the only one thinking that getting to watch bears in your backyard is kinda cool?

 

If it were just me, I wouldn't mind. I do actually think it is kinda cool to see the wildlife. But I can't help but worry about letting Doodle go out to play.

[melissel]

If it were just me, I wouldn't mind. I do actually think it is kinda cool to see the wildlife. But I can't help but worry about letting Doodle go out to play.

 

I'm sorry, I should have clarified that I was being (somewhat) lighthearted, actually. I'd feel the same way. I don't even let my DD6 out in the front yard alone yet, so I'm definitely on the more cautious side! But there's a big part of me that yearns for a less suburban lifestyle these days, so I find the idea of seeing bears in the neighborhood kind of exhilarating :001_rolleyes: What a city slicker, eh?

 

BTW, that picture of your "yard" is just stunning. What a beautiful place to live.

[WishboneDawn]

 

I had no idea Canadian deer were so aggressive! :001_huh:

 

 

 

It's the beer. Those deer just can not hold their liquor!

[melissel]

It's the beer. Those deer just can not hold their liquor!

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Hosers!