Black bear in yard, fence down, goat gone

[ChooksChick]

Any news on the doe?

I'm hoping she came home safely.

 

[JoePa]

Get in contact with your state game commission and tell them what happened - they will come out to your place and set up a trap and when caught they will relocate the bear - you don't want to just shoot it because it might have cubs and they need their mother to raise them - a good idea is let the dog out all night and it might keep any bear away - I don't think the bear got the goat otherwise you would have seen it draging the dead goat away - we have bear around here and when they start coming too close to houses the game commission sets up a large cage trap and removes them to some remote location -

 

[Moonkit]

Quote:
I have apartments, a strip mall and hospital to the north. A river to the East, woods to the south and a highway to the west. I hope she doesn't get hit by a car. She's a Toggenburg, she looks like a deer so if she got hit they'd just keep driving. The other goat in my garage is going to ruin everything in there! This is ridiculous! And yes, we have a lot of bear in northern WI. This isn't the first time I've sent the dog after one. I'm just lucky this one didn't have cubs.

Did you alert animal control to the "problem" bear? Or is it one of those areas where the a.c. doesn't care? What kind of dog do you have? I'm kinda surprised the bear wouldn't have run from it.. but I suppose panner123 could be right in that it had cubs nearby that you didn't see.

 

[kesali]

Very sorry about your goat. There are a lot of bears here where I live and they can be real pests. One or another may wander past my yard now and then, but most just leave things alone and keep their distance. Your bear may become a real problem because its actions indicate it is not afraid of you. Be careful, they can lose their sense of humor real fast! Old rule here is, "There is nothing more dangerous than a bear that is not afraid!" My suggestion is to yell and holler at the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to come and trap the bear and take it far away into the deep forest.

 

[palmer#2]

sorry about your goat

 

[lizch]

This happened to our neighbors a couple of years ago. We have bears around all the time in the fall and they're just content to eat fruit, but this was the first time a male arrived in the spring, very hungry. Fish and wildlife came after the goat was killed, and set traps. The bear was caught two days later, and euthanized. They said that they don't relocate because once a bear has a taste of meat like that, they'll travel 100 miles or more to get back to the same location. Sad though--magnificent animal!

 

[Capvin]

From what I know about black bears, if you did not find the body of the goat nearby, then chances are the goat was not killed. Bears will generally kill their prey and eat the entrails right at the site of the kill. It does seem that the bear scared the goat and it ran off. As far as detering the bears in the future the only way is with an electric fence. Without it they will keep coming back as they are very opportunistic eaters.

 

[guineahen14]

How scary, the bear could have charged you and your dog, report it to the wildlife authorities so they can deal with it. Hopefully your doe got away and will be found. I have 5 goats and they can run and dodge expertly.

 

[bobbi-j]

Have you called around - maybe law enforcement or animal control to see if anyone has reported finding a goat?

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I called the sheriffs dept, humane society and the local feed mill. I searched the woods and drove around making sure she didn't get hit by a car. I think what happened it both goats jumped out and she ran. With all the commotion of the dog barking and me racing around on the ATV she may have gotten driven farther into the woods. Coyotes, dogs or a bear could have gotten her or she's just plain lost! She's a little skittish so I'm not sure she'd go near anyone. My lone goat is so traumatized he's not even making a sound. If he would, maybe she'd find her way back, if she's alive. I haven't called the DNR yet because I think this may be the same bear that was here last year at this time. He came and raided bird feeders for a couple days then moved on. Maybe he smelled the molasses from the goat feed and was looking for that (it was gone, but maybe the smell was there). It was not afraid of us then. He would come in the middle of the day and not seem too cautious. I think I will find a home for my remaining goat and put electric fence around the chicken coop and pen. I have had fox, coyotes, dogs, mink and owls bothering my livestock so this electric fence has been a long time coming. Living on the river in the woods is a dangerous place for a chicken or goat.

Edited to add: I have a 80 lb golden retriever. My uncle hunts bears and they offered to tie one of their hunting dogs out here but they bark ALL day! That wouldn't go over well with neighbors.