Wow, just walked into a bear!

[curliet]

We have some bears where we are too, and I have had one encounter that was entirely my fault. I had been hauling the feed from the barn to the run every day, and the meat chickens were eating so much that I was carrying a heavy load. Got kinda lazy, and so I used a large rubbermaid tote that has clips on the lid to hold it closed. I put the tote out next to the run, put the feed bags in the tote, and then set some other things on top. After a few nights I heard noises, and my dog started barking. I grabbed my long 22 and went outside. the bear was dragging the tote away, and when he saw me he ripped the lid off, grabbed a feed bag and tried to run with it. A few shots over his head and he dropped the bag and took off. Needless to say, the feed is back in the barn. The meat birds are gone now, and he hasn't been back. But the bear isn't my big fear. My nemesis is the large cougar that's been to visit twice now. He's bigger than my dog, who is a 100 pound lab. I am getting out a bigger gun. Oh, BTW, the DNR in michigan says that we have no cougars anywhere in the state. But, it's illegal to shoot them as they are protected. Yeah, right!

 

[morelcabin]

We have black panthers the run around the area...they are rarely ever seen, but more and more sightings of them have been coming up. The township is ignoring the sightings and passing them off as wives tales...my neighbor saw one last summer though, his dog chased it up a tree

 

[BettyR]

We don’t have any bears that I’m aware of but we have black panthers that according to Texas Wildlife “don’t exist”.

The only one I’ve ever seen was dead on the road very early one morning; I slowed down to look at it and drove on. The people behind me stopped and I think they picked it up. I don’t know why. What on earth would you do with a dead cat?

My Step-dad walked down to the mail box one evening to pick up his mail and he said when he turned around there was one standing at the edge of the woods staring at him. He said he froze and stood there staring back at it. It turned and went back into the woods.

We have tons of wild pigs, which can be very dangerous, and they are everywhere!!!! I never go out to take care of the chickens alone...I always take my two mastiffs with me.

My dad had a friend when we were small who was killed by a wild pig...it made a big impression on me.

 

[morelcabin]

Isn't it strange se black panthers are seen everywhere but don't exist in the said town they are seen in:>)

 

[MagsC]

It IS strange about black panthers. I dont know if these would be classified as "panthers" but for as long as we have lived in this area, family, friends and others have been seeing these black cats. They arent as big as cougars though? A friend in Texas said they are known in the Big Thicket area as "fisher cats".Not sure why, they are completely different from fishers.

 

[morelcabin]

Yup, we had one in our schoolyard here, about the size of a medium sized dog...according to the kids and teachers who did see it. The ministry still seems to think they don't exist...no sign anything was there...they said after a police investigation...well of course not...how many wild animals walk through our yards and don't leave any sign they were there...Duh!

 

[BettyR]

Quote:
Yea, that is odd.

A coworker of my DH set up a critter cam near his dear feeder a few seasons ago....he wanted to see what kind of traffic he was getting at the feeder and his camera snapped a shot of one trailing a deer to the feeder. I saw the picture and it was so odd...that cat was not that far behind the deer and the deer seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it was being hunted.