Bear question (home, living in, move to)

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by DareToDream

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions! I think my husband and the neighbor who told us about the bear are going to go down and speak with the family with the dumpster - we've never met them, and I don't think our neighbor has either...hopefully they will be receptive.

Our trash is kept in a shed in a garbage can and so far no signs of anything trying to get in there, so I would guess we're okay there, since this would be the bear's first "stop" on his way to foraging. We don't really throw out much, so there wouldn't be anything there to attract him/her, really. Oddly enough, Monday is the day the garbage guys come through and everyone has their stuff out in the morning - that's not a day the bear was seen.

Hubby is going to rig up a noise maker by the door we take the dog out so we can "hit it" and get it moving before we venture out with her.

Don't worry, I have no intention of setting up a picnic table and basket for Yogi and BooBoo....I like having company, but that's carrying things a bit too far!

As for tomato juice with the dog and the skunk, we tried that and it took some of the smell away, but what worked even better was Nature's Miracle (I think that was the name) - that stuff is amazing!

If I get to see the bear, I'll get pictures - so far he/she has only come through when I've been working and I didn't even know he/she was out there!

Don't forget to look up in the trees too. I remember as a kid we used to go watch the bears off the side of the road eating at the city dump and they would carry the food up the trees and eat it up there. It wasn't hard to find because they would leave a paper trail going up the trees. It really was a mess. My brother has constant problems of bears in his yard as he lives on the edge of the forest but if it's in season, he shoots them. (he's a hunter so he eats anything he kills) One funny story about 2 summer ago, his wife was putting up one of those inflatable pools in the back yard and a small bear came out of the woods while she was filling it with water. She tried to shooooo it away and it came closer to her and bit the inflatable ring of the pool and left. LOL.. she wasnt' scared because it was a small bear but I can just picture her trying to shoo it away and then the bear just decided to bite the pool and walk away.

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by GregW

My in-laws were camping and saw a bear molesting the garbage cans. When the family dog noticed, he buried himself as far into the camper as possible and whined until the bear went away. My M-I-L said she had never seen an animal so frightened.

I have not seen any bears (that weren’t in cars with flashing blue lights) in Londonderry but they are quite common around the family farm near Littleton

Greg - What kind of dog do your in-laws have? I'm hoping our dog would react the same way, but I'm not sure she would. When the catahoula in her kicks in, you never know....I do know she's afraid of moose, but they are bigger than a bear.

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

Don't forget to look up in the trees too. I remember as a kid we used to go watch the bears off the side of the road eating at the city dump and they would carry the food up the trees and eat it up there. It wasn't hard to find because they would leave a paper trail going up the trees. It really was a mess. My brother has constant problems of bears in his yard as he lives on the edge of the forest but if it's in season, he shoots them. (he's a hunter so he eats anything he kills) One funny story about 2 summer ago, his wife was putting up one of those inflatable pools in the back yard and a small bear came out of the woods while she was filling it with water. She tried to shooooo it away and it came closer to her and bit the inflatable ring of the pool and left. LOL.. she wasnt' scared because it was a small bear but I can just picture her trying to shoo it away and then the bear just decided to bite the pool and walk away.

Oh great, now I have to watch the trees too?!?!?! (is that why they hoot....they think they're owls?) Oy!

My husband is a hunter and would not hesitate to shoot one during season, either. Like your brother, whatever he hunts, we eat.

OMG - the bear bit the pool when she tried to shoo it away? Gives new meaning to the phrase "bite me." <g>

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by DareToDream

OMG - the bear bit the pool when she tried to shoo it away? Gives new meaning to the phrase "bite me." <g>

LOL... that's for sure. I'm sure that's what the bear was saying.

[Valerie C]

For skunk smell remover, nothing beats what the pro's use. Always keep on hand regular Dawn dish washing liquid, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Because dogs harass skunks after 11 PM. I think it's in the rule book! Oh, and some saline solution for the eyes (theirs, not yours!)

Try to find the area that was hit (usually the face. Skunks have amazingly good aim!) Without wetting the dog, use small amounts of straight Dawn dish washing liquid and work into the coat. Don't rinse, let it sit while you mix together:
32 oz bottle hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cut baking soda
1 tsp. Dawn

The mixture will foam and bubble, and that is good Work the mixture into the dog's coat, concentrating on the head, neck and shoulders. Skunks never spray retreating dogs, they don't chase the dog then spray it Anyway, let the whole smelly mess marinate in the tub for up to 5 minutes, then rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse some more. You don't need a hot spot developing because a dime-size bit of soap remained on the skin. After rinsing, you could follow up with a nice vinegar/water cocktail. (2 TBSP vinegar to 1 QT water. Rinse or not, your choice) Your dog will smell like a salad until dry, but better than smelling like a skunk

*note--the peroxide solution has to be made fresh. It will explode if you leave it in a closed container. Don't ask how I know this...

If you have big dog(s) more than 1 batch might be necessary.

OH, one more thing. You would use plain old regular old-fashioned Original Dawn. Not anti-bacterial, not lemon, floral or otherwise scented Dawn. Wild-life rehabbers use Dawn for wildlife victims of oil spills, etc.

Originally Posted by DareToDream

As for tomato juice with the dog and the skunk, we tried that and it took some of the smell away, but what worked even better was Nature's Miracle (I think that was the name) - that stuff is amazing!

[lisa g]

Thanks for the deskunkifying recipe!

[NH2NCMom]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

*note--the peroxide solution has to be made fresh. It will explode if you leave it in a closed container. Don't ask how I know this...

Oh now now you know we are a curious bunch here Val...I have to hear the story

[~Boo~]

Originally Posted by NH2NCMom

Now we were talking about Yogi and BooBoo on another thread with Boo LOL...see we all get entertwined - then again, I have a hard time keeping Boo, Dare and Wanna straight (I just try and remember boo has the pics!).....

LOL...maybe because we all have purple hair? hmmm, Wanna do you like bubblewrap too?

btw, in my next life... Gonna Be a Bear

D2D, Hope your visitor finds a new place for a meal.

[buck naked]

lol val - it does sound like a heck of a story


my brother got sprayed by a skunk in a little town near Lake George in NY. He was just walking down the sidewalk minding his own business (so he claimed) and the skunk jumped out of the bushes and sprayed him.

That's how I know tomato juice doesn't work! We sure tried hard though....the poor guy. He smelled bad for roughly 3 days even with repeated bathing.


He has a deathly fear of skunks now. LOL

[CometVoyager]

Originally Posted by DareToDream

Our neighbor came over last night to give us a heads up type of thing. It seems Saturday afternoon his daughter saw a bear roaming around their house and yard for while, then didn't see where it went. Yesterday the bear was 'visiting' them again and then crossed the street into our yard and on up behind the our house and into the woods. Both times it's been seen in the afternoon.

About 3 houses down from us, they have a dumpster and our neighbor (who has lived here for many years) thinks the dumpster may have attracted the bear and it's now making periodic "dumpster runs" especially since many times the thing is open or overflowing.

I have no idea if the bear is male or female, both times the neighbors have seen it, it's been alone. I didn't get to see it because I was working and don't have access to a window where the bear wandered on our property.

We have a dog, which obviously has to go outside to do her "doobers." When I take her out, she's on a leash, does her thing and comes back in. My husband is concerned that if the bear is around when I take her out, she'll take off for the bear and either drag me along with her or will yank the leash out of my hand and take off in pursuit. She's a fairly good sized dog - about 75 pounds of pure muscle pretty much and she's generally very good with me when she's on the leash, may bark a "hello" to a dog across the street, but doesn't pull, etc. and minds me when I tell her to stop, but I suspect if she sees or smells a bear it may be a different story. The moose we had in the yard last year scared her - she took one sniff and looked at them, then plastered herself against me and wanted back in the house immediately.

When I take her out, I look outside first, to make sure I'm not going to be suprised by a moose, turkey, deer, etc. that she may try to pursue - is there anything special to be aware of with a bear? I'm assuming as long as the bear isn't feeling threatened, it won't come charging out at me and the dog - is that a naive assumption? I don't take her out by the tree line, we stick to the open areas in the yard.

Any tips would be appreciated to ease our minds - I would rather have some idea of what to expect may happen and be prepared and proactive than wait until faced with a situation and have to be reactive, if that makes any sense!

Hi Dare!

Yes our Bear Neighbors, no pun intended, do have their needs and it appears this one is just looking for food! What I have done in the past is saturate a number of rags with Ammonia and some Clorox Bleech and try to leave them where you think the bear has been roaming. This has worked for me with bears and believe or not pigeons as well! Worst case senario, make sure your husband has his 30 odd six loaded and ready to fire if needed!:ee k: