Bear attacks man in GGE (Cape Coral, Fort Myers: homeowners association, fence, dangerous)

[Turbogyrl]

Take a look at the video, folks. The trash cans are OUTSIDE near the lanai! The bears smell the garbage or trash and I think that is what they are going after.

Plus the pond in the middle - a good water source for a drink for a bear. Food and beverage... that is why the bears are there.

I live in Northern FL and we have to keep our trash containers in our garages - I was told when we moved here its to keep the wildlife away!

[hardluk1]

Tripower455 Looking at satellite maps of the area I am surprised by how the farmers have increased there acreage in what land is not covered by a PUD. With many areas over the last 25 years closed to hunters or limiting where and when people can drive "off road" I can understand the increase in deer population .


Turbogyrl That's my point . People need to learn how to live with animals but in a development like that one is an attack just waiting to happen . To many people crammed into a small area with some ideal bear conditions .

[Kram71]

Originally Posted by Turbogyrl

Take a look at the video, folks. The trash cans are OUTSIDE near the lanai! The bears smell the garbage or trash and I think that is what they are going after.

Plus the pond in the middle - a good water source for a drink for a bear. Food and beverage... that is why the bears are there.

I live in Northern FL and we have to keep our trash containers in our garages - I was told when we moved here its to keep the wildlife away!

I keep my garbage cans in the garage but will smells from a outdoor bbq grill inside a pool cage bring bears?

[motordavid]

^ From most bio/science like sites on the web, a bear's sense of smell is considered to be The Best in the mammal class, eg able to detect and distinguish smells from up to a couple miles...

Yes, they will smell one's bbq, even when cooled off and 'sitting' well post cooking: we have a summer house in the mtns of western NC, and our usual couple bear(s) in our area will climb up the 25+ ft 8 x 8 deck posts, (like they are a ladder), and vault over our deck rail to wrestle with the 17 yr old Weber, on our deck. And, our bird feeders are fair game, even in daytime.

I have only seen a couple here in SW FL over our 13 winter seasons, but obviously they are ubiquitous in many areas of the US, as the build out encroaches on their wide ranging territories and our human 'food sources'/garbage, et al are easy pickings and magnets for them.

They aren't stupid and most will take the easy way to 'food', and I have no experience with any coming 'through' someone's lanai screen, but with their strength they could. Common sense should prevail and we just have to be careful, alert, keep food targets to a minimum and avoid confrontation.

Having them around us so frequently at our mtn home and that area has given me great respect for their intelligence, and I am careful working on our steep 3 acre wooded 'yard' or on my daily walks.
GL, mD

[Kram71]

Originally Posted by motordavid

^ From most bio/science like sites on the web, a bear's sense of smell is considered to be The Best in the mammal class, eg able to detect and distinguish smells from up to a couple miles...

Yes, they will smell one's bbq, even when cooled off and 'sitting' well post cooking: we have a summer house in the mtns of western NC, and our usual couple bear(s) in our area will climb up the 25+ ft 8 x 8 deck posts, (like they are a ladder), and vault over our deck rail to wrestle with the 17 yr old Weber, on our deck. And, our bird feeders are fair game, even in daytime.

I have only seen a couple here in SW FL over our 13 winter seasons, but obviously they are ubiquitous in many areas of the US, as the build out encroaches on their wide ranging territories and our human 'food sources'/garbage, et al are easy pickings and magnets for them.

They aren't stupid and most will take the easy way to 'food', and I have no experience with any coming 'through' someone's lanai screen, but with their strength they could. Common sense should prevail and we just have to be careful, alert, keep food targets to a minimum and avoid confrontation.

Having them around us so frequently at our mtn home and that area has given me great respect for their intelligence, and I am careful working on our steep 3 acre wooded 'yard' or on my daily walks.
GL, mD

I will have to decide whether to buy a BBQ grill soon. I guess I better buy some bear spray as well. Scary stuff.

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by Kram71

I will have to decide whether to buy a BBQ grill soon. I guess I better buy some bear spray as well. Scary stuff.

I've got a gas grill and a kamado on my lanai. I've never had any animals, much less bears inside the screen, and we see bears and other critters pretty often out in the yard.


Trash is much more of an issue if you're concerned about attracting bears, than a grill, IMHO.

I've been sprinkling cayenne pepper on my trash and tops of cans for the last year or so. Anecdotally, this seems to be working, since the only time the bears or raccoons have gotten into the cans are the 2 times I forgot to do it after the rain washed it off the top.

[Kram71]

Originally Posted by Tripower455

I've got a gas grill and a kamado on my lanai. I've never had any animals, much less bears inside the screen, and we see bears and other critters pretty often out in the yard.


Trash is much more of an issue if you're concerned about attracting bears, than a grill, IMHO.

I've been sprinkling cayenne pepper on my trash and tops of cans for the last year or so. Anecdotally, this seems to be working, since the only time the bears or raccoons have gotten into the cans are the 2 times I forgot to do it after the rain washed it off the top.

Thank you. That is good to hear. I will follow your lead. Cans in garage and maybe sprinkle them with cayenne pepper. I wonder if pepper spray might deter as well.

[Tripower455]

Originally Posted by Kram71

Thank you. That is good to hear. I will follow your lead. Cans in garage and maybe sprinkle them with cayenne pepper. I wonder if pepper spray might deter as well.

It should. If you put them in the garage, you shouldn't need to put anything in them, unless the door is open all the time.

I don't put them in the garage because for me, that would be akin to putting them in my den. I have my workshop and music gear out there, and spend a lot of time in it.

I'd rather deal with the bears and raccoons in the garbage once in a while then constantly smell garbage in my workshop.

[Frihed89]

The bears were there first. Their numbers were limited, initially by human enroachment on their habitat. Then the humans added food! Guess what happened?

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by Kram71

I'm scared to death of Alligators and Bears.

There is something very pre-historic and freaky about alligators....they scare the hell out of me.

One reason why I don't move to Florida....a state I have visited many times and like. Don't like the idea of running into a gator in the wild.

Bears are no walk in the park but somehow they don't frighten me as much. And I saw one in the wild years ago as a kid in Yosemite National Park. Hope to never run into one again.