Bear gorging on free range feed!

[Sarahal88]

Hi,

I've been stumped by a bear problem lately. My chickens and turkeys free range and don't have a secure run, so I just feed them out in the yard. Recently a small black bear who has started coming. He hasn't hurt a single chicken (or turkey) but comes to gorge on their food every day. We have tried throwing rocks at him, shooting him with non lethal rubber ammunition, and finally we set up an electric fence around their food, but the bear is small and just gets on his belly and crawls under (we have a game camera set up on the food so we can see when he's coming, so we have all this on video). And success stories about keeping feed away from bears in a free range scenario? I'm going to try to lower the electric wire more, but since I have turkeys i don't want them to be so low that the tall turkeys get shocked. I know that a bear habituated to human beings and their dwellings is bad news and he will probably be killed by the authorities if we don't successfully deter him. I'm afraid it may be too late already. Any ideas?


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[centrarchid]

Add another rung of hotwire about 4" off ground. Do not do anything that has bear seeing you to run it off otherwise it will simply wait until you are gone. Also consider dispersing feed in ground so bear does not have concentrated piles to bite or lick up.

 

[Sarahal88]

So is the idea that the poultry would jump/step over the 4' hot wire? I'm just afraid of shocking them and excluding them from their own food.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a perimeter with wires starting at 4" with additional wires at 6" intervals. Chickens cross it just fine. You could also make a very narrow gate birds can get through but bear cannot.

 

[Cherib603]

That is a VERY skinny bear. Poor thing.

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like newly independent juvenile with lean look they get when weather really hot. Might also be wormy. Maybe de-worming might make it too fat to get past fence? Intended as a joke.

 

[Cherib603]

A juvie bear took down our peach tree last year. Just bent it right over and cracked the trunk.

Really miss that tree.

 

[Alarmguy66]

Yeah, looks like a yearling that momma just booted. Ive had to deal with a couple of those, and the best defense is to starve him out. Stop putting out food except what the birds will eat and make sure when they are done you can pick up whats left so he cant have any.

As long as there is food for him to smell and eat he will be back.

 

[Sarahal88]

Yes, I agree with all who say he is a young bear recently on his own, and definitely skinny looking. I have started feeding the poultry for finite times in the morning and once in the evening when I am home, and removing the food during the day when I am gone when the bear usually comes. That seems to work, as I haven't caught him on the game cameras on days when I have done this. However, do you think my chickens and turkeys get enough to eat only having their food for part of the day? The are all heritage breeds and usually just have food all the time. I'm sure they won't starve to death but I want to make sure my turkeys stay on a growth track for Thanksgiving.

 

[Hybridchucks]

I looks very thin!!! Keep him as a pet! LOL I am only joking!