Situated between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite in the high Sierras, I live in Black Bear Mecca. Three years ago lost over 100 day-old to 5 week-old chicks to a young mother with two cubs.
I made two calls, one to the County Trapper (handles depredation for our county via the county dept of agriculture) and to the USFWS biologist who handles, bear/human interactions. I told them what had happened, and what I planned to do. I didnt want the mother and cubs trapped or euthanized. I spent several years employed with the National Park Service and had aided in bear/campsite negative re-education, and this momma needed to find better feeding grounds than my hatching shed. From the bloody prints, I knew I was dealing with a small adult and at least two cubs.
Like any predator, when they find a meal, they come back the next night, at almost the same time. My livestock guardian and I took up residence in the cab of the truck, and we waited. At 4:42am, I felt the back of the truck dip, and the chase was on. Out we exploded yelling, barking, banging and making quite a commotion. The mother was about the same size as the dog, probably a year too young to have cubs, and off she ran, and off ran the cubs. Once both her and the cubs were infront of us and running, I set Cruiser loose. We chased them up and over the hill away from my property, them catterwailing the entire time. I stayed up five more nights, camping in the cab, but she didnt come back.
Almost half of the people on our street have chickens. Most have had bears destroy their coops and hen houses. I was not willing to lose any other birds, so I contacted Gallagher fencing. I had seen a segment on the news, that they had helped homeowners in Tahoe, bear-proof their cabins during a rash of bold bear break-ins.
The district manager was extremely helpful in helping me design a system to protect my barn and coops from not only bears, but coyotes, raccoons, skunks and oppossums. Keep in mind you need essentially wire and voltage that will hold a buffalo or keep out elk, and alternating hot and grounded wires works best.
The small and inexpensive fencing that you might use for dogs, readily available at Home Depot and Lowes, will not cut it. The horse and cattle fencing at the feed store also was not of the tensile strength that was recommended. After some debate on whether to try cattle wire, or order the more expensive buffalo cord, I decided I didnt want to have to redo it should the lower rated fence fail. So I bit the bullet and invested in the heavier guage and charger. I can not express the peace of mind this fence has brought, and I would not hesitate over the expense if I did it all over again. Cleaning up in the wake of a bear attack is not a fun experience, and I am thankful it is a task I have not had to repeat. I have had subsequent bears come up and test the fence, but I have not had them succeed in getting through or over it. It is sure fun to hear them yell when they touch the wire. Nice to know there are bears around and yet they leave me and mine alone.
Best of Success to you.
I made two calls, one to the County Trapper (handles depredation for our county via the county dept of agriculture) and to the USFWS biologist who handles, bear/human interactions. I told them what had happened, and what I planned to do. I didnt want the mother and cubs trapped or euthanized. I spent several years employed with the National Park Service and had aided in bear/campsite negative re-education, and this momma needed to find better feeding grounds than my hatching shed. From the bloody prints, I knew I was dealing with a small adult and at least two cubs.
Like any predator, when they find a meal, they come back the next night, at almost the same time. My livestock guardian and I took up residence in the cab of the truck, and we waited. At 4:42am, I felt the back of the truck dip, and the chase was on. Out we exploded yelling, barking, banging and making quite a commotion. The mother was about the same size as the dog, probably a year too young to have cubs, and off she ran, and off ran the cubs. Once both her and the cubs were infront of us and running, I set Cruiser loose. We chased them up and over the hill away from my property, them catterwailing the entire time. I stayed up five more nights, camping in the cab, but she didnt come back.
Almost half of the people on our street have chickens. Most have had bears destroy their coops and hen houses. I was not willing to lose any other birds, so I contacted Gallagher fencing. I had seen a segment on the news, that they had helped homeowners in Tahoe, bear-proof their cabins during a rash of bold bear break-ins.
The district manager was extremely helpful in helping me design a system to protect my barn and coops from not only bears, but coyotes, raccoons, skunks and oppossums. Keep in mind you need essentially wire and voltage that will hold a buffalo or keep out elk, and alternating hot and grounded wires works best.
The small and inexpensive fencing that you might use for dogs, readily available at Home Depot and Lowes, will not cut it. The horse and cattle fencing at the feed store also was not of the tensile strength that was recommended. After some debate on whether to try cattle wire, or order the more expensive buffalo cord, I decided I didnt want to have to redo it should the lower rated fence fail. So I bit the bullet and invested in the heavier guage and charger. I can not express the peace of mind this fence has brought, and I would not hesitate over the expense if I did it all over again. Cleaning up in the wake of a bear attack is not a fun experience, and I am thankful it is a task I have not had to repeat. I have had subsequent bears come up and test the fence, but I have not had them succeed in getting through or over it. It is sure fun to hear them yell when they touch the wire. Nice to know there are bears around and yet they leave me and mine alone.
Best of Success to you.
