Bear Deterrents?

[Chef JimmyJ]

I'm in the same Boat in PA I called the Game Commission. They said run Electric Wire Fence, 3 to 4 lines up to 36 to 40 inches.
A Shotgun is ok as a Noise Maker. Short of carrying in the Ready Position, like you were Hunting the Bear, with stuff in your hands and the gun slung on your shoulder, you would not get to it in time before an aggressive Bear would be Ruining your Day!
Fast into Action, lightweight and cheaper than a Shotgun is quality Bear Mace. If you would rather have lethal force on hand, a 357 Magnum or Sidearm in 10mm is common in Black Bear country. These will get the job done but require regular Practice to.be proficient. Bear Mace is point and shoot, with no practice needed. Effective too...JJ

 

[gtaus]

I live in a rural area so I don't have a lot of dumpster around here.

I, too, live in a rural area. Our county set up a dumpsite for people about 30 miles from where I live, and bears always find their way to easy pickings. So the DNR sets up great big bear cage traps and relocates the bears. The dumpsters are located well out of town, but the DNR does not want any people getting hurt and then have to put an animal down.

When I first moved to our lake property where we now live, we used to have a little black bear that would run through our property down to the lake. It has been many years since I have seen any bears on our property, but I still store our garbage cans inside the locked garage.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

@Chef JimmyJ : I do have a semi-automatic 20 gauge shotgun I've been taking out with me the last couple of nights. The first three shells are reloads with popcorn kernels - I'm hoping that'll sting enough that he'll run off. If not, the last two are sport loads. For added sting, I may tighten the choke. I also have a 9mm semi-auto handgun I could bring instead or in addition to. I'm proficient with both, but I've never had to use either under duress so Bear Mace is probably the safest bet. Good call on that!

@gtaus : The area dump is 10 miles away, but it's more of a collection site where you toss the refuse in the back of a semi-truck and they haul it off to the actual dump.

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I've lived in the area my entire life and I have never seen so many predators as I have this year. In addition to the bears, I have weasels, skunks, raccoons, a gray fox, and a couple of hawks have been circling over head lately. I saw a moose and a doe and twins, which is too cool to see.

I want to coexist with my area wildlife, predators included. I mean, obviously, I have to protect myself, but I also recognize the best deterrent is a secure coop because there will always be another predator.

 

[RumneyRoost]

We used to have honey bees so we rerouted the electric fencing for the horses to make a square around the bees as well. It worked for several years but there was a mid day power outage (fence wasn't on the generator as the horses respect it whether it's on or not), but a bear figured it out very quickly. Totally decimated the whole hive. That was the end of bees for us.

I live in a less rural area now, we get lots of coyotes, deer, etc. but so far no bears. If I ever feel the need to run electric to the chickens it will be on the backup generator.

 

[Folly's place]

Another excellent point here; never have electric fencing on 'some of the time'! My horses and cattle also know if it's on or off, and predators certainly would.
When you have chickens, every predator imaginable will turn up sooner or later, so don't assume that weasels, foxes, or whatever don't live nearby.
Mary

 

[Chef JimmyJ]

@MilesFluffybutt 20 GAUGE WITH POPCORN LOADS!? That wouldn't stop ME from sealing your Chickens
The Field Loads are better but only Point Blank, and I'd rather not be That Close!
While the Noise of the Shotgun is pretty effective, the Light Loads are more likely to anger a Bear than be helpful. While the 9 is not the Best for Bear, a well placed shot will do. I would get the Bear Mace and carry the 9mm as a Back-up. It ain't Cheap, $26+/- for 20 rounds, but get some, Buffalo Bore 147 grain, +P Hard Cast Lead Flat Nose. They are Fast, Hard Hitting and Penetrate thick hide and bone. Dogs aren't a bad idea either. My Beagle Brother's have sent more than one Black Bear back up the mountain. The Boys can make a heck of a racket...JJ

 

[cmom]

@cmom : Thank you for sharing a photo of your setup. I'm a visual person so this is a huge help. I just finished measuring and I'll need roughly 175ft of line (x3) plus the energizer, which is a little over budget, but eh, it'll be fine.

Thank you all so much for your help!

Don't forget a good ground rod. Mine is a 6' rod with only about 6" sticking out of the ground to clamp the ground wire on. I would get at least a 1 joule charger. The predators know mine is on. Here we have a lot of coyotes.

 

[cmom]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/american-farmworks-30-mile-ac-powered-charger?cm_vc=-10005

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

@RumneyRoost and @Folly's place : Good points regarding fencing on/off. My thought was to only keep it on at night.

@Chef JimmyJ : I know, right? I laughed my butt off when an old farmer suggested popcorn loads, but he swears by it. Says over the years he popped several bears in the butt with a load and they each took of and never came back. Whatever. I'll give it a shot since I only have two shells anyway. LOL! I really need to get to the gun shop. I'll look into the other ammo you suggested as well. But Bear Mace has been ordered and should be here Wednesday afternoon.

I do have a dog, but she's likely to try to sniff it's butt. Everyone is her friend.

@cmom : Thank you for the photo and the link. I didn't think of a grounding rod. This is all new to me. Glad I have such knowledgeable folks at my finger tips!

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Not only was it a hard winter for wildlife, my neighborhood, such as it is, has been undergoing some development. One set of neighbors bulldozed a couple of wooded acres to put in a horse pasture and added a bunch a bunch of chickens to their flock. Another neighbor logged out a large wooded area and a third neighbor is doing much the same. My property is surrounded by all three so I'm seeing the wildlife roll through because their traditional paths of travel have been disrupted. So having chickens, mine and the neighbors, within the new range certainly is enticing to predators.

 

[cmom]

Do you have any game cameras up? When I first put one up I was surprised at how many predators roam around here especially at night. I now have several game cameras and most nights see a predator on at least one of the cameras.