Heres the deal.
We move farther and farther out into the rural areas, driven by a desire to 'get back to the land'...as if we really understood what that implies. We reckon that, like all humans, we'll just figure out whatever problems arise from doing so. Couple that with our desire to "love Nature" and protect every living thing on four legs.
Taken together, we set ourselves up for these encounters. The surprise people show here at BYC over racoons, foxes, dogs, coyotes, hawks, - bears - all point to the fact that we have not done our homework.
Bear populations have swelled in many parts of the country, thanks to conservation efforts, primarily. That sounds like a good thing, right?
So here we are, living in our nice house in the woods, feeling all pioneerish and self-sufficient - when the wind carries the scent of our new chicken buffet all over the region. Pretty soon all sorts of critters show up with a bib around their necks. Bears have few natural enemies except man, but we dont molest them anymore...remember we "love Nature." So they don't see you or your SUV as anything particualrly worrisome when there is food to be had.
Or, the other thing that appears to be happening with regularity (particularly here in SC) is the bear, typically a young male, migrates. These guys cover great distances in their ramblings and so will roam into what was previously unknown territory. There they discover that, lo and behold! - a chicken pen awaits. Or maybe it's a dumpster behind a new day care center... whatever
"Now, that's what Im talking about!" he says, sets up residence and goes to it.
These creatures know nothing of our carefully laid plans, that we actually like them or that we "love Nature." They eat, breed and die. That's it. Not real exciting, but that's the bears existence.
If these things are done around you and your home, as well as anywhere else, then so be it.
You have to move him either physically by relocating, or deter him painfully and with assurance (electric fence), so he moves himself along elsewhere... and hopefully not into some else's back yard.
Or you have to dispatch him (shoot or poison) if you wish to remain in that spot, unmolested yourself.
In this case, our usual feel-good question: "Can't we all just get along?" - has little application.
You CAN, but it's going to be one sided. If you choose to live alongside bears, you're the one whose going to give ground - not the bear.
