Bam pays the ULTIMATE PRICE

[panner123]

The electric fence was left off last night and Bam paid the ultimate price, trying to save his girls. Not even a a big white rock roo can stand up to a mama bear. Our dog made an attemp to chase off the bear
but had no success. The bear also managed to get three hens, before I could get to that area of the property. I did get an arrow in her, so I won't have any more problems with her. Hopefully, the cubs are not old enough to take care of themselves. That would mean three bears with one arrow. I will have bear bacon with my eggs in a few weeks, so not all is lost. I will sure miss seeing Bam running at feed time or any time the gate was opened. He was more of a playful animal than any chicken I have ever had. If I was to sit down in the yard he would jump up on my shoulder or head. If he thought he could get away with it, he would attack when you wasn't looking, but with his 1.5 inch spurs he would never draw blood, he would use his wings instead. Not wanting the cubs to starve I will spend the afternoon in that area of the property listening for the cubs calling for their mama. At which time they will join her.
We wouldn't have this problem if the city inturders would put their garbage up and clean their bar-b-ques. Even after a house is totaled by a bear or coon, these people still refuse to listen.

 

[eggcetra_farms]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[PurpleChicken]

I am nuetral on this and support your right to defend your animals but
I do have a few questions. They are not meant as criticisms so please
don't take them that way. We have some bears here in CT but we don't
and probably can't shoot them. If a child was threatened it would be a
different story, of course.

Was shooting it with an arrow your only option? Are bears in your
area aggressive towards humans? Here they run quick. Did you know
she had cubs before you shot her? Are there not shelters, zoos, or societies that
will come save the cubs?

Please explain your towns problem with bears. Urban sprawl is causing
chaos with many species. Is this the case here?

Again, I'm not judging your actions. Doing so based on your one post would
be foolish and stupid. I'm glad your remaining animals are safe and
"hats off" to your brave roo. Sorry for your loss.

 

[rooster-red]

Why was the fence left off?

 

[panner123]

Quote:
It was an accident that it was left off.
Normally I don;t turn it off when I go
in to feed, but I had may frand daughter with me and she was bring up two new chicks. I just forgot to turn it on.

Here in Cal. you have the right to shoot any animal threating you or your livestock. If you don't get it, you have to call in a state trapper and get a special permit from the dept of fish and game.
Here we have a large problem with bear and mountian lion. Last year a mountian lion was shot just two blocks from the high school. Until these people from the city moved in, we only had a bear come around after a bad winter. At that time they would run off at the sight of a human. Now the don't run not even when the dog runs at them. This is caused by fools feeding them because they are cute.
Two reasons for shooting with an arrow, (1) to many neighbors to use a rifle. I wouldn't want a stray bullet hitting someone or their house. (2) I am sure of a clean kill with the arrow. I don't want to have a wounded animal running around.
In Cal. there is NO relocation of any wild animal trapped by the state trapper.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Very unfortunate, and sad for the animals. Most people do not understand
what a wild animal is. They watch too many Disney movies.

It sounds like you did the right thing. You must be good with a bow
to be more confident of a clean kill with an arrow than a bullet.

Thanks for the educational post.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Sorry for your loss and you hear more & more about animals coming into peoples backyards. Your lucky it only got a few chickens and didn't try for you or your family.

 

[lizardz]

Hey Panner123,
Sorry about your roo We're almost neighbors - I live in Grass Valley. We, thankfully, don't have problems with bears at our place, just all the other critters and especially the neighbors dogs.
Liz

 

[ratlummountain]

I have infinite respect for bow hunters. I'm impressed that you were able to take down a bear with a single arrow.

Most of my friends hunt (bow & rifle), and I seperate them into 2 categories.
A) The ones that take any shot they can and then track the blood trail & even then never find the wounded animal ~ idiots.
B) The ones that only shoot if they KNOW they have the kill ~ respectable. And even letting big bucks go because they knew they didn't have the kill.

Thank god most of them fall into the B category.

It's a shame you lost your 'roo & 3 hens. Sorry to hear that.

I have to admit, bears are a number one concern for me here in CT. We live about a mile from the resevoir & MDC land. Anytime a bear is caught in suburbia it's released in our backyard. Of the dozen bear sightings I've had this year alone, every single one was tagged. They are a nuisance where I live. But I don't blame them, they are only doing what biology tells them to do.

Purplechicken ~ the bears in these parts don't run away quick. They are used to humans. They might grunt & amble away, but most don't run.

At a town meeting this spring one of my neighbors was complaining that a bear was ransacking his bird feeders almost every morning. I just stared at him like he was an idiot and then just laughed. Then I asked him where he was from and of course he said Manchester and that he moved out here to escape the city.
I wish him and his bird feeders would go back to Manchester.

 

[rufus]

Traditionally, ranching in the west is done on federally owned properties that are leased out to ranchers for grazing. The ranchers usually only own the land where the house, corrals and water holes are. That may add up to two or three sections scattered through out the whole ranch.

So, in the past, the ranchers have quietly and discreatly been disposing of predators. That is the only way they could stay in business.

However, now a lot of ranches are being broken up for real estate sales of little ranchettes. People are glad to buy ten acres surrounded by forest service property.

Unfortuneately, just at the time the rancher stops doing the predator control function the prey base is removed because he has taken his livestock off of the range. The predator population explodes just as the food base is removed.

Enter the juicy city slicker. Guess who is the new prey base.

Rufus