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We have several bears in our area and spot them occasionally. There is a path they take right in front of our bay living room windows. While watching TV - usually between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM, we will sometimes see one pass by. Last night was such a time.
I grabbed my camera and shot through a cracked open front door. It was getting dark and he was headed into the woods. The camera was set on "auto focus" and instead of the bear, it set focus on trees in the foreground. So this is a lousy photo, but it is OUR bear in OUR yard tonight!
We have several bears in our area and spot them occasionally. There is a path they take right in front of our bay living room windows. While watching TV - usually between 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM, we will sometimes see one pass by. Last night was such a time.
I grabbed my camera and shot through a cracked open front door. It was getting dark and he was headed into the woods. The camera was set on "auto focus" and instead of the bear, it set focus on trees in the foreground. So this is a lousy photo, but it is OUR bear in OUR yard tonight!
WOW! It's still a good one if you ask me.
How are you handling your garbage so that you don't inadvertantly feed the bears?
How are you handling your garbage so that you don't inadvertantly feed the bears?
The garbage:
1) we compost and the bin is locked down and has not been disturbed since it was knocked over a few weeks ago. We had to secure it better (bolted to the ground). By stirring it and putting in lots of dry waste (leaves, shredded paper, etc), it does not smell at all.
2) we do not eat meat, so our throw away garbage contains very little that smells. We wash out all cans and containers and store in the garage until the morning of collection.
3) We recycle a lot - everything we can - and that, too, goes out in a blue bag the day of collection.
GF,
Bears are very omnivorous...if there is anything that smells good/appeals to them,
they will wander in. Their sense of smell makes a dog seem like it has a head cold.
If you have birdseed in feeders, on the deck rails or ground, they love the high
protein fix or are at least attracted.
But, you are doing all the right stuff, and bears are bears...we lived with them,
literally in our 3 acre woodsy yard, in NY, (45 mins from TimesSquare), for 20 yrs.
And, here on the Mtn, I see fresh bear scat every morning on my 2 mile walk...I'm
thinking of packing my Glock.
GL, mD
GF,
Bears are very omnivorous...if there is anything that smells good/appeals to them,
they will wander in. Their sense of smell makes a dog seem like it has a head cold.
If you have birdseed in feeders, on the deck rails or ground, they love the high
protein fix or are at least attracted.
But, you are doing all the right stuff, and bears are bears...we lived with them,
literally in our 3 acre woodsy yard, in NY, (45 mins from TimesSquare), for 20 yrs.
And, here on the Mtn, I see fresh bear scat every morning on my 2 mile walk...I'm
thinking of packing my Glock.
GL, mD
I looked at handguns to carry when we walk - we see bear scat every day, too, on our 3 mile walk. But the guns that were recommended were HUGE magnums. I couldn't carry one, much less heft it in time to get a decent shot. And all the articles said you had better hit the small brain cavity to kill the bear or you'll just make him mad.
I looked at handguns to carry when we walk - we see bear scat every day, too, on our 3 mile walk. But the guns that were recommended were HUGE magnums. I couldn't carry one, much less heft it in time to get a decent shot. And all the articles said you had better hit the small brain cavity to kill the bear or you'll just make him mad.
So we carry bells and talk loud.
I carry a small bell, too...I've seen some arts. on carrying quality
pepper spray, also, but I don't want to be the guinea pig.
"3 miles"?! I need to move to lower elevation; I was proud
of my every day ~2 miles, here at 5,000 ft!
We put up with/lived with a sow and her nearly annual cubs
all that time in NY. She had 4 cubs the last year we were
there, which made for rolling fur circus around the house, outside.
She never was aggressive, but we were wary...and, she smelled
like a homeless goat, so I would usually smell her before I stumbled
upon her sleeping out in our fern beds by our stream.
My hunting days are over, but I am thinking about toting my
Glock 30, just to be on the ball...no intention of shooting one;
just blowing off a couple .45 ACP shots to scare it off, but
I would not hesitate to rip off the clip at it, if it came at me.
Be careful, live within Nature, and enjoy your new home in the
Mtns of Western NC!
GF: "the guns that were recommended were HUGE magnums. I couldn't carry one, much less heft it in time to get a decent shot." I got quite a good laugh reading the above!
GL, mD: "Be careful, live within Nature, and enjoy your new home in the Mtns of Western NC!"
What a wonderful closing!
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