Rhetts, sorry to read of your losses. It is infuriating. A few years back I had an elevated pen with a trio of bantams and came out one morning to find it flipped over. One pullet in the yard ok, one missing completely and just the wings of the rooster as evidence of his existence.
I could tell a bear did it from hair I found. I made calls to the DNR offices on Rice Lake Rd and Cloquet about a nuisance bear problem and these several years later am still waiting for someone to at least call back. As you might guess I am not a fan of any government agency or employee. In general terms they are under worked and over paid.
So I spent two nights in my truck parked near my coops with rifle ready, and that SOB would not come back.
About a year later a bear broke the glass in the window on one of my coops. He did not go in or tear anything up. He must have cut his paw badly based on blood he left and that quite likely discouraged him. I now have hardware cloth over all windows.
Get the men folk to set up armed watch at night and perhaps those varmints will get a welcome they will not soon forget. Or better yet a decent burial.
I could tell a bear did it from hair I found. I made calls to the DNR offices on Rice Lake Rd and Cloquet about a nuisance bear problem and these several years later am still waiting for someone to at least call back. As you might guess I am not a fan of any government agency or employee. In general terms they are under worked and over paid.
So I spent two nights in my truck parked near my coops with rifle ready, and that SOB would not come back.
About a year later a bear broke the glass in the window on one of my coops. He did not go in or tear anything up. He must have cut his paw badly based on blood he left and that quite likely discouraged him. I now have hardware cloth over all windows.
Get the men folk to set up armed watch at night and perhaps those varmints will get a welcome they will not soon forget. Or better yet a decent burial.
