Bear Attack!

[MadamPoofyBrow]

Meant to ad we've been keeping the dogs inside since we saw thee coyotes during the day. We can't do that with the cats goats and chickens...

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Electric fencing? Or maybe a donkey or llama! Predator control on four legs!

 

[Maple228]

We had a big black bear walking through the back yard tonight (NH) before dusk and the chickens were all out. My 10 yo daughter was outside with them when she looked up and saw the bear. She ran inside to get me and he/she was still strolling around the yard. 6 of 8 chickens were in their coop, but the other 2 were completely unfazed, still foraging. The bear paid no attention to them or us.

I wasn’t afraid until I read these posts. Now I’m freaking out. Can they really rip through hardware cloth and shred wood?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I was visiting a National Park in the Eastern part of the country and talking to a park ranger friend when he received an urgent call about a black bear attack near the park's headquarters. It seems that a black bear had attacked a cuddly deer fawn and a concerned citizen had attempted to rescue Bambi. Needless to say that the good Samaritan was the worst for ware when he finally decided that discretion was the better part of valor. You will fare no better when you try to come between a black bear and his chicken dinner.

When grizzly bears attack it is usually a case where the human either surprised the bear or else came between a mama bear and her young. On the other hand a black bear (usually a large male) will stalk and attack humans with the sole purpose in mind of dining on human flesh.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... I wasn’t afraid until I read these posts. Now I’m freaking out. Can they really rip through hardware cloth and shred wood?

I watched a young black bear dig a 3 foot deep hole in a road bank just to get at and eat a yellow jacket nest. It took the bear less time than it did for me to type these two sentences.

After the bear left I went to the sight and there were only a few tatters of wasp nest left and none of these fragments were as big as a postage stamp. So the answer to your question is yes.

It will likely do you no good to play dead with a black bear. A dead human is what a black bear is aiming for when they attack.

 

[Backyard Bruce]

I had three black bears visit last night.
They’ve been here a few times in the past couple days, yesterday they were sniffing around the run.

I just finished the two hot wires yesterday as well and put some peanut butter on them, hopefully they took a lick last night and won’t return for a while