Black Bear in my back yard

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Bobarino

member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
1,625
Location
western Washington
we have a Black Bear at my place. My SO came uncomfortably close to it (about 3 feet away) the other night when she took the dog out back at oh dark thirty to do its business. she was so surprised that she just stood there, mouth agape, with the dog on the leash. the little jerk russell terrier ran right up to it. the dog ain't too bright. it split as soon as it realized there was a human and a strange little white furball staring at it. of course, the genius 12 pound dog ran after it. good thing M'lady had it on the leash. this was about 4 am. so when we got home from work today we went exploring the ~acre of field behind our place and the surrounding woods and sure enough, found a few prints, a place where it had bedded down, and a rotten log the thing had torn apart looking for bugs/grubs.

in April, another one was sighted, then trapped and relocated about 4 miles from our place. it was a younger one, estimated to be about 3 years old and weighed 175 lbs. this one could possible be a relative of that one. who knows. we called animal control in the morning and showed them where we found the evidence. hopefully they can trap and relocate the beasty without harm. it seems to be quite afraid of humans and miniature distant relatives so i doubt we're in any danger. i loaded up the Win. 94 with some 150 grain Core-Lokt softpoints just in case it gets aggressive before it can be trapped. i'd really just rather leave the mighty creature alone but there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood as well as pets and well, me and M'lady. thats the most suitable rifle i have for bear medicine. my others are 22lr's, a Sub 2000, and a Bushy M4 clone. i keep a magazine of 64 grain SP's for the AR in case the Coyotes get too close for comfort but i don't think thats quite enough for a Black Bear.

i also found some er, "evidence" that the local Coyote population is eating well, namely the feral rabbits, and the family of deer is still around too. there's plenty of the rabbits to keep the Coyotes around apparently. i really don't want to have the shoot this majestic creature. if it wasn't in my backyard, i'd just as soon watch it and take it's picture. if it comes down to that though, at least i'll have a freezer full of bear and a new rug. i hope we can get it to a more proper home though.

here's a picture of the claw marks on the hollow log:

sd530683ts3.jpg


given the options i have at my disposal, i'm going to assume the .30-30 is my best choice. any other contrary advice? i also have a .40S&W pistol but i've ruled that out as a last resort only.

Bobby
 
I'd say if you get the chance teach that bear to fear humans. Rubber buck shot would do that. I have seen were bears who become used to humans have to be killed. Happens all the time up here. A 175 lb black bear can be very dangerous to people. Don't take them lightley.
 
thanks for the input! i think our first course of action is to try some Bear Spray from REI. as i said, i have no desire to shoot this majestic beast. i'm a target shooter and not a hunter. i feel horribly guilty for killing anything unnecessarily. especially something like this. we're keeping the trash can in the garage, keeping the BBQ grill cleaned and making sure it doesn't have any motivation to come around any more in the hopes that it will wander off into more secluded habitat.

the state's dept of fish and wildlife is quite good about not killing an animal unless they absolutely have to.

nonetheless, my safety and that of my SO come first. period. i'd shoot the bear just as i would a tweeker trying to attack either her or me.

it can have the dog. it's hers anyway and i could take it or leave it. :neener:

Bobby
 
What works well on bears is paintballs. What works well on stubborn bears is frozen paintballs!

Have to be careful though. Fish and Wildlife shot a livestock killer not too far away from me that had been living on sheep, goats, chickens..etc. This black bear weighed 560 lbs!
 
I've never seen one, but we have a bear (black) mosey through the area from time to time. One of the local "walkers" said he saw one cross the road about a mile from here as the crow flies about a week ago. A bowhunter had killed one a couple years ago in the same area.

I'd like to see one, one of these days. When I was a kid, whitetail deer were sort of rare, and there was no such thing as a wild turkey. Now they're both pretty common. A bear was something you read about in outdoor magazines or saw up on the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway maybe. I've never even seen one up there.

Oh, and coyote's? I knew I'd never see one of those in my lifetime unless I "went out west". HA! Got fooled on that one too. :D
 
They are migrating closer to humans due to overpopulation and a lack of food. If you have young ones, take him out before he gets one of them, they have been known to attack and eat little ones.
That said, if you just want him to go away get some dry lion dung from the zoo and sprinkle around the edge of your property.
 
It is possible that the bear may move on and you won't see it anymore or seldomly. They have large territories that they forage for food in.

Keep bear food put up. No bird seed, etc. Maybe when it discovers there is no easy lunch, it will move on.

Be very cautious approaching the bear. They are lightning fast when they want to be.
 
If the layout of your back yard permits it you might want to set a non-lethal booby trap to scare him off.

I have never tried this so maybe it's a dumb idea.

Here is a link to a booby trap device designed to fire 12 gauge blanks:

12 Gauge Boundry Security System

MB930.jpg


You have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the web page to see the item. This web page if full items sure to please the mall ninja crowd. It was just too good to pass up.
 
I've had some experience with pest bears and here's the suggestions that pop into mind.

1) Local animal control is not -usually- set up to handle bears. You are often better off contacting your local Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries.

2) Buy some chlorine bleach and dump a little bit on the spots the bear was interested in (like that log). Bear are basically "life support for a nose" so making their search "unpleasant" can go a long way. Also dump a few splashes on the perimeter of your property (basically you are marking YOUR turf). Refresh it every few days. (yup it'll kill grass where you use it).

3) Make sure all sources of food around your house are secured (dog food, trash, etc).

4) Some LOUD firecrackers. Sharp whistles like a "fox 40" and banging trashcans to make noise can also work to "haze" the bear and condition it to stay away from your house.

A 30-30 will most certainly do a black bear but you need to understand where the shot(s) should go so if you've never hunted bear do a little research on bear anatomy so you understand.

A .40 S&W pistol -might- do the job, and would surely be better than bare hands, but I wouldn't be counting on it.
 
+1 to the scare the bear movement.

I doubt you'll actually scare it...but making its life less easy around your property is a good thing. The lion dung sounds like a good idea...I'd just be interested in knowing how a North American bear is going to instinctively fear an African big cat? Meh, free advice using a free product...worth a shot.

Otherwise, let your DNR guys handle it, they're the pros. GL!
 
"If you have young ones, take him out before he gets one of them, they have been known to attack and eat little ones."

I can't believe someone actually wrote that.
 
I have black bears in my yard all the time. I live about 300 yards from a national forest. The bears don't hurt anything other than an occasional hummingbird feeder. They even ignore dogs.

Just be observant and don't get between a momma and cubs.
 
start by making sure you remove anything that's attracting it.

no blueberry pies cooling in the window sill.....

keep your trash sealed and secure in the garage if you can.

I like the amonia idea...

other than that....I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Unless there's something wrong with the bear.....he's more afraid of you than you are of him.
 
Oh, come on! Live & let live, all ready.

Bears only hang around for a REASON. If bird food, tasty trash or dog food is left out, that'll attract the bear. I have bears passing thru all of the time. When I let my dog out after dark, I'm the 1st one out and I carry my flashlight. If no bears, skunks, possums or raccoons are in sight - I let the dog out. No big deal. I live in the wild and it's their territory.
 
nonetheless, my safety and that of my SO come first. period
Click to expand...

Well, of course your safety comes first but I've seen way too many people use that stupid phrase to justify something that really doesn't need to be done. Bears are controlable. Period. DON'T FEED THEM! THEY'LL GO AWAY! Very difficult concept.
 
I live in the middle of town & I've seen bears in my neighborhood. There a bears all over the front range and I am aware of exactly ONE mauling that has occured in The Springs in the last few years.

You leave the bear alone, the bear will leave you alone
 
I own some remote placer mining claims in an area that is thick with bears. No, you don't have to leave a food source to draw them... they are just there.

In a normal year I'll have nearly 20 one on one bear encounters during the hike in and out. Been close enough to them that you could smell their breath. Never had a problem I go my way and they go theirs. It seems all they want to do is get on with their lives. For my safety, I do carry a 12 ga. just in case one developed an attitude problem. Lord knows no one would ever hear me scream back there.

Two years ago a rather pesky bear decided chewing up expensive mining equipment was kinda fun and sadly he became a repeat offender. Well, I've got to the point where I kinda enjoy seeing my bears and trust me, the last thing I want to deal with is the stinky carcus of a decomposing bear in the area where I'm working so I bought two of these devices: http://www.smarthome.com/6110.html Thought I'd give them a try.

Never had a problem since. My sworn testimonial is they work great on bears!!
 
Bobarino, you're to be applauded for wanting to make every effort to have the bear humanely trapped and relocated, but at the end of the day don't take any chances. You're fortunate to live in an area where you can observe wildlife like bears, but with that comes some risk. Watch your back.
 
Think of it this way, they're a great source for stories. Keep your food and garbage under control and the bears will do their own thing. I'm against taking any action unless your life is in danger, at which point the only action is to kill the bear. We live amongst a healthy population of both brown and black bears here even though it's an urban landscape. They keep to themselves for the most part, and they make life more interesting.
 
In western Massachusetts bears are now frequently seen in suburban (and occasionally urban) areas. I see them from time to time in my back yard.

Remove any food source and you should have no problem with your bear visitors.
 
thanks for the tips all. we made sure we removed any possible food sources from the yard. one thing i can't control in that regard is that my neighbor (its a duplex and we share a backyard) grows tomatoes and other fruits. there's also tons of blackberries in and around my yard. i like the motion sensor/noise maker idea. i may try that.

i know its more scared of us than we are of it. heck the little shin high dog scared it off.

there's a big field behind our house where the fish and wildlife dept can place a trap if it gets to be a nuisance. i don't have kids but the neighbor has her toddler aged grandkids over all the time. they don't play outside after dark though.

i guess i'll just keep monitoring the situation and hopefully, if if it becomes a problem, it can be trapped before it has to be killed.

thanks for the advice all.

Bobby
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

CodeSection
  • Locked
Thankful For My Ruger Alaskan .44 Mag / Black Bear Protection
Replies
22
Views
1K
CodeSection
CodeSection
M
  • Locked
Woman severely hurt in black bear attack (MN)
Replies
2
Views
1K
Vern Humphrey
V
G
  • Locked
Bare Arms against bears!!!!!!!
Replies
1
Views
579
Rockstar
R
H
  • Locked
If someone shot your dog
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
4K
hso
hso
E
  • Locked
Defense against black bear
2 3
Replies
57
Views
2K
Robert
Robert
Back
Top