Bear ripping into chicken barn

[mrsfeig86]

My family will soon be moving in with my parents. The last few months they have been having problems with a bear after the bear tore boards off my Dads chicken barn and ate the last 4 chickens he had left. No matter what the game commissioner does he can't seem to catch this bear and this bear is a jerk so far he has ripped up the decks at neighbors, tore apart an outdoor freezer, ripped apart the wood barn door.
I'm so scared to move my chicks and ducks over there but will soon have no choice and even more scared to be moving into a camper about 100ft away from the "winter chicken barn" that got torn into..
Any suggestions to get rid of this bear? I remember sleeping on the deck at my parents house in the summer and never having problems I have no idea what's going on! Btw this is happening in Northeast PA so it's definitely a black bear nothing crazier then that.

Thank you!

 

[0wen]

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote: I think I'd check higher up the food chain from your local guy - maybe someone at state level. As far as your chickens go, you could look into electric wire around their enclosure. That's what the beekeepers do in the northern part of my state to keep the bears out of the hives. I'd get a high-powered fencer and put up several strands. (When we fence in our sweet corn, I tell DH to set it on "fry". No, the fencer doesn't have that setting, but sometimes I wish it did...)

 

[0wen]

I think that's relatively fair effort. It might not feel like it since it's an immediate problem for you, but the fact that they've set traps a couple of times shows a willingness to at least try. Keep contacting them and request trapping assistance. I looked over the laws for PA and large game regulations are pretty tight there, so your basic options are (1) electric fencing/netting to try and make the area inhospitable to bears and hope they move on (2) keep pressing the issue through the proper channels and hope they eventually capture the bear, or (3) Eliminate the threat yourself, being full aware that it is illegal. Not suggesting that you do it because I don't fully understand your situation or the full scope of the law in PA (google shows a lot of people being fined/jailed for doing so), but if a dangerous animal of any kind were a threat to my family or myself, I'd dispatch him at the earliest opportunity. "Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6" philosophy and all...

 

[Folly's place]

Electric tape and/ or netting, properly set up, will be a huge help. Check premier1supplies.com for advice and products, they are wonderful! I would also persist in getting that bear trapped or removed somehow,; sounds dangerous. Living in northern Wisconsin (black bear country) years ago, bears avoided people because there was some hunting pressure, and we didn't leave food out or otherwise encourage visits. Chicken coops are delightful for the bear, and need protection. Mary

 

[aart]

The move is happening this week and I need advice!!
My chicks and ducks have been able to kind of roam free where we are currently living.. Are they going to adjust well to living 24/7 in a chicken barn? We are too scared to put a run on their house with the bear problem.

Hot wire is the only way to go...really hot.
Get a really good charger and a good tester to make sure it stays charged all along it's length.

 

[waddles99]

The only thing to do is shoot it.

 

[Birdydeb]

That is definitely a nuisance bear and needs to be shot. I don't blame you for being nervous. Electric poultry netting is probably your only choice.....and shoot that bear! I'm really kinda surprised the authorities aren't making a bigger effort to track this bear. A child could end up getting hurt.

 

[mrsfeig86]

We were told we live in the country what do you expect... And also if we shoot the bear plan to go jail!! I thought the game commission was supposed to help with these situations a bit better then this... It's not like I haven't lived in the area my whole life and I don't understand that several bears could be doing this.

 

[bobbi-j]

Seriously?? Who told you this? Is there someone higher up the ladder you can talk to? Maybe you and your neighbors can rally together to get something done? I would think that your local or state DNR, game commissioner, or whoever your local wildlife people are would not want this bear in a populated area.