My Dad called me the other morning and said there was a bear eating the food out of moms bird feeders. It took them right down and tore them apart along with the deer feeders we had I think I better start with some target practice at the range and apply for a permit to take this monster(dad guessed he ways 400lbs biggest he ever seen) there was also a small cub out yesterday hopefully the dogs won't think these are play buddies.

 

More than likely thats a mother bear. A mother bear is VERY protective towards her cubs and anyone around is in some serious danger. Tell your father this and tell him too call the local fish and wildlife management people. If he tells them he is gonna down the bear (even if he plans on not doing so) they will get out there quicker and take care of the matter.
Gary

 

Here's an idea. Empty the feeders and put them inside. (or in garbage since they are broken.) The bears will not come around if there isn't anything to eat. Are your feeders that important that you'd be willing to kill over them? You seem to be commenting more out of fear than common sense. If you think about the situation for a little while I'm sure you can figure out how to handle the situation without killing. How about hanging the feeders higher so the bear can't reach them? Remember that a bear can stand on it's back feet.

I hate it when people complain about a bear getting into feeders or garbage. We have black bear come through here just about every night. The only reason that you know they are around is because they either leave tracks or get into something looking for food. They don't come near my house but the neighbors are always telling me that they got into this or that. If people would secure things then you wouldn't even know that they exist.

I put my game camera out in the woods to see if I could catch some pictures of the local bears. I'll post some if I get anything.

 

Cool....I would like too see.
Gary

 

Amen Coyote,

Good sound advice, I like the fact that we have widlife roaming around Anchorage, mostly moose but we have Brown Bears(grizzlies) and many balckbears that venture into the town to see what can be had. People are complaining of this but it was their's to begin with before we built our houses. We even got a bill going around to transplant moose out of Anchorage to the Bush and I believe it passed too.

RaptorRy, your parents are blessed to witness such a sight, most people have never even seen a bear let alone one in the front yard eating the birdseed.

On the other hand if you do decide that is the route you should take, bear meat is very tasty and I do not mean making sausage with it either. Bear roast and steaks are great feed for the table, just make sure it is cooked properly because they can carry worms and parasites so cooking it fully is very helpful.

Happy encounters or hunting if you should choose and try to get photos of it and its cub and make a photo site for us.

AlaskaBoy.

 

I agree 100% with coyotechaser. I think it is awsome whenever I get a chance to see bears. I hunt them and many times just sat and watched them instead of shooting. They can actually be pretty commical , But are very cautous most of the time. As far as being dangerous with cubs, They can be if the feel threatend, But I have been six feet of the ground and had a sow and cubs almost at my feet until dark. I flashed the flashlight and they went a little ways and I climbed down. One of the guys I hunt with actually had a bear stand up on the tree stand and smell his feet. You have to be very careful around them as with any wild animal, But black bears are given a bad reputation when most encounters are caused my the man not the bear. I get a kick out of some people who will move from the city right square in the middle of bear country and then complain about the bears as if the bears are invading their space. I am not saying bears can't be trouble, But there are ways to minimize it such as taking bird feeders down at night and keeping the garbage can in the garage. Bears tipically will only raid yor bird feeders in the spring before berries and nuts are ready.

 

Really?


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Bears tipically will only raid yor bird feeders in the spring before berries and nuts are ready.

I was on a week trip all alone in north Ontario last fall - mostly looking for new spots to sled in the winter. Would unload ATV to go where the truck couldn't. (Rained most of the time the whole 9 days, but it was OK) Stumbled onto two bait piles in two days. Both in late afternoon. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

I was walking and eating blueberries. Take three steps and spend a minute picking/eating. After a while I decided that I should prolly look up once in a while to make sure I was the only one eating there. LOL!

I got this pic

Didn't get the pic of the moose I saw that week. (but have seen plenty before)

I like this pic that I took going down the road in Col.

 

Ox- That is a nice picture of the bear standing. I've seen a lot of bears over the years. But I've only seen one standing on two legs once last year. Most of the time I see them walking , running or laying. It's amazing how fast they are. I watched one run across a road, down over large rocks, and across a creek in seconds. (Maybe 3 or 4)

I'll see if I have any decent pictures to post on my pic page. I usually carry a Sure Shot so the bears end up looking like a dot in the picture. I have a camera with zoom lenses, doublers, this and that's but it takes too long to adjust. So I usually carry the Canon. I haven't gone to get the game camera yet. I'm trying to give it time to take all the pictures. If I don't get a picture of a bear then I'll be happy with a picture of a coyote or fox.

Someone that lives about 5 miles up the road told me a little story. They have a black lab on a chain outside. (The dog always tried to run after me while I was riding my mountain bike.) They said that a large black bear was eating out of the dogs food dish. The dog had the chain stretched as far as possible trying to get away from the bear. The bear just wasn't concerned about the dog at all. I think that it must be a bear that was released from another area. Our bears usually aren't so rude. LOL.

 

I put a couple pictures of a black bear from a couple years ago on my pic page.

 

Coyotechaser, I can't believe you never see bears standing up, I see it all the time hunting. I have seen them stand up just to scan the area for other bigger bears, I have had them stand up and check me out and we have had them stand up to look at us when we came out of the camper. They sure look neat standing not to mention it makes them look a lot bigger and harder to judge size when they are standing.We hang sacks of cooked meat just out of most bears reach and when it finally gets taken down it is usually a shooter. My brother shot one 2 years ago that the taxidermist mesured 7' from nose to tail, We put it on a 300 lb scale and it pulled the scale apart. The taxidermist said it was probably 450-500 live and 400-425 dressed. Not a huge bear compared to some and we have seen bigger ones, But they don't get that big by being dumb. It is amazing how quiet they can be when they run through the brush. I think they are one of the neatest animals alive and while I am not really afraid of them I do have much respect for them and keep a safe distance away. The best hunting story I have is about the 2 bears I didn't shoot, The first was a big bear and before Igot a shot I thought he winded me because he took off, But he came back stood up on his hind legs and was looking in the woods off to my right and there was the biggest black bear I have ever seen. I couldn't move for fear of spooking them and they hung around until it got dark and I rubbed my foot on a tree to get them away long enough to get down. We went back the next day and where the bigger one was there was a front track in the dirt and my hat barely covered it. Sorry this is so long I just like talking and learning about bears.