We have a bear

[easttxchick]

Be careful, Kat. I'm not afraid of much in nature, bears are the exception. Not a fan of an animal that if it wants something out of my refrigerator, can rip my door off the hinges, come in and help itself to a snack(especially if that snack is me!).

Just as an aside, Kat, you and Imp need to take your act on the road-you 2 are hilarious! 2 very intelligent people with quick wits make a great comedy team.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Sigh...................just what you need right now..............................

 

[Gonzo]

Wow! I now feel stupid stressing over a raccoon! Bears scare me!

 

[Mtn Margie]

Hi. I am new to this forum and I live in bear and moose country. The responses to your post are very normal as there is a lot of bear misinformation out there. Please check out this website to learn about your new neighbor before stressing too much. They even have vocal recordings of what bears sound like when they are scared, happy or agitated. The information provided will be beneficial to you and your neighbors.

http://www.bear.org/website/

 

[katharinad]

Please remember that many states have laws against bear shooting. Call your local fish and wildlife office and tell them about the issue. They have special equipment and people who will trap and relocate the bear. This is to no cost to you, and much safer then trying to handle it yourself.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks for that information and welcome to BYC!
I'm not really worried about this bear, I'm sure he'll mainly stay away from the house. We have coons, skunks, bobcats, foxes and coyotes. I've seen one bobcat from a distance and the only way to see the coyotes is to go to the other end of the farm at night. With two male dogs peeing all around the house and DH joining them in their pee-fest from time to time, the wild critters give the house and chicken coop area a wide berth.
I'd sooner shoot a stray dog than a wild animal.

 

[arch_cpj]

Where there are one there are two so I would not rely on trapping and relocating as shortly a new one will show... Bears need to be taken sriously I highly reccommend you invest in a High tensile fence the corners require 5 posts and you can use a wooden post every 50 feet.. I reccommend a 4 or five strand wire and a 50 or 100 mile fencer... With bears a regular fence is ineffective high tensile is almost indestrucabel in fact out west they put posts 100 feet apart and drive over the wires to get into the paddock... Once the fence is up and evergized you hang pie tins on it with 17 ga regular electric fence wire and you smear the inside with peanut butter and honey when yogi goes to take a lick zing and he is conditioned that tyour place is no good... Even if you hire a person out there to put the fence up its worth the insurance a bear who wants your chickens will tear the strongest coop down and the food well there is no air tight container a bear cant smell through... heres a link on high tensile it is the ultimate predater control http://www.fishock.com/advice/all-about/high-tensile

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks for taking the time to post that link, but we don't intend to do anything different than we've always done. There's plenty of land here for both us and the bear. When and if there's a problem, we'll deal with it.

 

[Countrywife]

We have them, they never bother us. Husband and 14 yo daughter were outside tuesday night, in the dark, but with the superdy duperdy special LEO flashlight, arguing about whether it was bear tracks or dog tracks. There ain't a drunk soldier in town that will argue with that man the way that child will.

No biggie on the bear- be respectful, don't be stupid, you'll be ok.

 

[FaereChicken]

We have the occasional yearling bear passing through the place, so far with little or no contact 'tween us & them. Since we're very close to I-95, they typically are drawn out to the rest stop, and the trashcans of the rest stop, with devastating results (for the bear)

Our DNR was entirely uninterested in relocating the last one, so a tractor-trailer did the job