You know your in the country when you see...

[cabincrazyone]

Quote:
You may want to see them, but my attitude is that if they're near your home, it's because you have something they smell and might want. I'd rather see them on TV. :^)

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Ok, they say don't run when you see a bear....but I mean be for real....how do you NOT run? I would be gone so fast god forbid anyone was depending on me to save them.....

 

[cabincrazyone]

D'Angelo N Va. :

Ok, they say don't run when you see a bear....but I mean be for real....how do you NOT run? I would be gone so fast god forbid anyone was depending on me to save them.....

A bear can outrun a horse in short spurts ... but that's more than enough to catch the fastest human on record.

How to not run ... I should talk, I've never been there .... but using the brain is one thing that we have over other animals. And that's over simplifying it. If you're between a sow and her cubs, you're in big trouble. If you blunder into an old alfa male boar, he could be a gentleman or an arse. The more you know about bear behavior, the more you'll understand how to react in a given situation.

Around 16 years ago, when my then 70 year old aunt was living alone at the old homestead, she went picking strawberries in the hay field about a quarter mile from the house. She looked up and a young, almost fully grown boar black bear was sauntering toward her. She started walking toward the house. As it followed her, it sometimes sped up and got very close. Being in the middle of a field there wasn't much to pick up and throw, but she threw the berry can at him and shouted. The next time she threw her straw hat and shouted. When she got close to the tree line, she picked up a stick and threw it. It seemed to take about 40 days to walk to the house, all the time thinking .... any second now I'll be under him getting chewed on. When she finally got to the house she was able to scramble in and lock the door. The bear walked around the house and looked in the windows for half an hour before it left. She shook for three days.

This bear probably had no experience with a human and was curious. That's another part of the equation. You never know if you'll run into Yogi Bear or Dracula Bear.​

 

[Country Living Farm]

I guess i should add, I told the wife when I got back in the van, I knew I would make it even if we both ran. She asked why. I told he all i had to do was grab the kid and out run her.....

 

[midget_farms]

D'Angelo N Va. :

Ok, they say don't run when you see a bear....but I mean be for real....how do you NOT run? I would be gone so fast god forbid anyone was depending on me to save them.....

No joke - this happened to me this past spring near Amery Wi. I & a buddy were carying our metal deer stands out into the woods trying to find a good spot etc.

We suddenly jumped a deer ( small buck we think ) - while we were watching it run away I cought motion out of the corner of my eye. I turned & it was a black bear in a dead run directly at me. My buddy & I started yelling & banging the metal deer stands together. It turned @ 30 paces & ran away.

Maybe it knew we were there - maybe it was chasing the deer - I don't know -

Luckily for me it turned -

I honestly didn't think of running - I was so fascinated that I was watching this bear I forgot. About 30 minutes later my nerves hit me - but until then I wasn't scared at all.​

 

[woodmort]

Fortunately black bears aren't active predators like the brown and grizzly preferring to scavenge or get fruits, berries and bugs. That doesn't mean they won't kill chickens if they can corner them but probably won't bother a human unless the person runs and acts like prey. You're a lot more likely to be attacked by your neighbor's poodle than a black bear. It is one of those animals that, when they do threaten humans, make headlines. That being said, I'd give them a lot of room especially if it is a sow with cubs or I was carrying or between them and something they wanted to eat.

 

[Weatherby93]

Best thong to do if it is headed at u is to waving your arms and yelling, make as much noise as possible and try to look bigger then it is. if it keeps coming go for the spray or drop and play dead.

 

[Turkeyrangler]

Quote:
You may want to see them, but my attitude is that if they're near your home, it's because you have something they smell and might want. I'd rather see them on TV. :^)

From one NE Minnesotan to another. I agree completely. Keep the garbage locked up and your pretty good to go as far as having black bear leave you alone. Having hunted them a number(many) of times I do have some experience with them. 99 times out on 100 they will run away when they see you. Having had more than my fair share of encounters I've had some experience with the other 1%. Keep in mind since I hunt them with a bow I have placed myself in harms way so to speak. I've been bluff charged about ten times. Two came close enough to make me worry, but none harmed me. I was armed and although freaked out a bit, at the end of the day the bears lost. The others turned off the charge at about 20 yards. Plenty of comfort zone for me, but if I wasn't familiar with bears I would have wet myself. Black bear are not for the most part aggressive. I did have one at my coop this last fall that required a couple shots of bird shot from my 12 gauge to move on. I think that most of his hesitation was that it was late in the fall, after the 1st of October and he was kind of docile as they get drowsy when it gets cold(ready to den up) and they just don't react as fast as when it is warm here. He actually looked like he was stoned when I yelled at him then sent a load of bird shot over his head. The next round was at the base of his tail in the dirt(he was sitting down even after the first shot). That one got his attention and he lit out at light speed after the shot. Never came back.

Black bears will break into a coop so if you have them close by get electric fencing to keep them out. There are plenty of threads on here about the subject.