South Carolina

[Patsy29332]

We know of 2 bear that have been on our property late summer and 3 weeks ago.
One was on the security camera. It came within 70 feet of some of my hives but was young and did not stay around. Another bigger one was about 75 feet from our back door. I found his tracks. The dogs barked a lot that night. I am sure there are a lot more around.
The DNR guy told us at a bee meeting that up in the northeast, bears will live under the houses occasionally and the homeowner never knows they are there.

Had a 6 ft rat snake IN MY house (in spare bedroom) last year which was barely tolerable...Bear anywhere near me within a mile...NOT!!!!


Edited to say...YES...those miniblinds are aweful! I never go in there! Maybe somehow I knew there was a "Mr-No-Shoulders" in there??? AND why on earth would I have grabbed my camera instead of my GUN? gotta be old age...LOL

 

[Patsy29332]

Had a 6 ft rat snake IN MY house (in spare bedroom) last year which was barely tolerable...Bear anywhere near me within a mile...NOT!!!!


Edited to say...YES...those miniblinds are aweful! I never go in there! Maybe somehow I knew there was a "Mr-No-Shoulders" in there??? AND why on earth would I have grabbed my camera instead of my GUN? gotta be old age...LOL

Later...much later...snake outside...

 

[Joycats]

This is the girl I picked up yesterday.

She had a bath and is still a little damp.
I had already clipped some feathers around her eyes so she could see to eat.
The date is never right on my camera

Mary she is BEAUTIFUL!!! You did good! I may have to visit for more chicks this summer.

 

[Joycats]

Last week a (BIG BIG) bear hit one of my beeyards. Before and after pic. It looked like a tornado had hit the hives. Lost all seven. The bear had dragged stuff back into the woods. His footprints looked about 7-8 in. across.

Oh no, that is heartbreaking. I want to cry for you. I'm so sorry. Was this on your property or someone elses?

 

[Joycats]

I must say..I truly enjoy reading all the posts on this thread I say that South Carolina has the best chicken folks around! Just wanted to say that!!

Thanks to a contact Joy gave me I'm going to see (and probably buy) a couple Bb red OEGB hens on Saturday! Yipppee! I'm super excited! My little pair will now hopefully be a quad Can't wait! I'll post some pictures when they hopefully go home with me. I am seriously considering some other bantams....Chocolate Orpingtons

...but don't tell DH. I already casually mentioned the Olive Egger hatching eggs I'm planning on getting. I just wont tell him about the d'anvers and ameracaunas that I want too...eeek I definately have a problem. (And I have about a million building projects to house all these babies...

)

Good news, I hope you like them. I was wondering if you'd had a chance to talk to Jean, she has been very sick. Can't wait to see pics.

 

[Joycats]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I cried for about 10 minutes, I was so upset. I put so much work into my bees, it is heart breaking to lose them anyway much less to a bear. My DH brought his pick up by after work and we loaded everything in it. A lot of the frames (that go inside the hives) were broken. Most of the outside parts can be used again. He was so big, he just pushed the hives over and then pulled every thing apart. Sometimes they will bust the boxes up to get inside to eat the bees. They actually want the bees and brood more than the honey. [/FONT]The honey is just the dessert for their meal.

SC Dept. of Natural Resources will not issue a permit. As of 3 years ago, they will give you some rubber bullet to try to run the bear off. Which I think is hilarious. I know that would only make the bear mad. If you shoot a bear in SC outside of hunting season, you have to reimburse the state $1500 for the bear. You have to pay fines that can go up to several thousand dollars. If a beekeeper has bear fencing (electric fence) the DNR will try to trap a nusiance bear and transport it someplace else. If the area is suitable they may bring in someone with bear dogs and let the dogs run the bear out of the area and hopefully it will not return. I did not have bear fencing around these hives since it was a fairly safe area. I have fencing around most of my other hives. What I do not agree with is if I walk out in my back yard and a bear is destroying my beehives, I can not do anything to stop him. We had one in our county a couple of years ago that kill goats. Legally, you can not protect your property from bears. From what I have heard, If a bear is trying to harm you or your family, you can shoot it, but you will probably still be charged. You would have to convince a judge that you were in danger to keep from paying the fines. Not sure if you would have to still reimburse the state for the bear. This time of year the females are in their dens having babies. The males will roaming around. DNR did try to get an extra week to hunt bear during Dec. since it would only take out males. But the folks that love bears protested in Columbia so it did not get passed.
The DNR guys spoke at our bee club meeting and told some interesting stories about bears incidents in the upstate. We are soon going to have a lot more per square mile at the rate they are multiplying.

I must say that I think some of these "laws" are ridiculous. There is no way I would stand by and watch a bear, bobcat or any other creature destroy my livestock or my property. I mean, it's even legal to shoot A PERSON that is destroying or stealing your property now. If that bear came back for more bees, I would be ready. My neighbor has a big tractor and could dig me a big hole out back. That's just the way things work around here in the country, the old farmers have a way of taking care of their own and nobody talks about it. Farmers make so very little profit (if any), a loss like that is devastating. A while back my neighbors lost their whole herd of goats in one night to a dog. We knew who the dog belonged to, it was another neighbors pet. The dog owner volunteered to dig the hole to bury all those goats, he buried his own dog with them. I don't agree with that but that is the way a lot of folks think.

I live in Spartanburg county and we have had bear sitings within 2 miles of my house. I do think about that sometimes when I'm out and about in the dark checking on everybody. My dogs bark all night long, every night. The neighbors have dogs that bark too, it makes me feel better.

 

[Joycats]

Later...much later...snake outside...

I HATE SNAKES!!! I have had snakes in my house, plural, 5 snakes that I know about. The last one was at least 8' long, probably longer. He got away, he was in the pipes behind the shower and I couldn't do anything but watch and listen to him as he slithered away. The others were all killed, I grab the gun first and camera second. Sorry if this offends anyone but I truely cannot stand snakes, they freak me out, they eat my eggs and my chicks and my keets and I won't have them here. Especially not in my house. I've also had flying squirrels, bats and scorpions in my house.....oh, AND chickens!

 

[dixiebeast]

We have a snake...he is a little over 7 foot long,I call him Rupert! He suns by the pool,hangs in the trees out front,and eats rats!! Has not messed with my chickens!! Him I like...the copperhead laying under the coop door,I DID NOT LIKE! It is dead now!! LOL

I HATE SNAKES!!! I have had snakes in my house, plural, 5 snakes that I know about. The last one was at least 8' long, probably longer. He got away, he was in the pipes behind the shower and I couldn't do anything but watch and listen to him as he slithered away. The others were all killed, I grab the gun first and camera second. Sorry if this offends anyone but I truely cannot stand snakes, they freak me out, they eat my eggs and my chicks and my keets and I won't have them here. Especially not in my house. I've also had flying squirrels, bats and scorpions in my house.....oh, AND chickens!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
You come to my place, you get ideas. That's all I'm saying!

 

[Southern Bee Lady]

Oh no, that is heartbreaking. I want to cry for you. I'm so sorry. Was this on your property or someone elses?

These were on someone else property between Pickens and Greenville.

Our neighborhood is a lot like yours. Neighbors try to look out for each other.

I go out a lot of times at night to make sure I did not forget to close up a coop or turn on the electric fence. My memory ain't what it used to be. I can't go to sleep if I'm not sure. I just hope I never see a bear. I will likely wake up the whole neighborhood and have a heart attack in the process.