bears and bird feeders need advice
 

So last year we purchased our retirement house in North GA. and we moved there in September . Love everything about it , so quiet and peaceful . Anyway being in rural mountain area we knew there would be an abundance of wildlife and we have not been disappointed , anything from rabbits to deer and lots of birds . We also knew there are bear . Last night I got up to close the living room blinds and there he is snacking on bird food :eek: Glad he's a little guy but guess what he'll get bigger and oh yeah mom and dad are out there too ! :D

No I don't want to shoot him he has a right to be here just like us ........... unless he does something nasty then I'll blow his head off ;) So what to do about bird feeder ?

1.Just stop feeding the birds , wife not happy with that plan .
2.Raise bird feeder higher in the air with stronger pole so bear can't knock over or climb .
3.Wife say's there are " hot " mixes of bird food that attracts birds but deters other wild life .

We will check with the locals to get additional advice but you guys always come through . We also have four humming bird feeders but so far Mr. Bear not interested but now he may be if we take away the other feeder . Here's a few pics of the little rascal !

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Don't mess with Ol' Smokey!

....but I'd quit putting out the buffet....Tabs might be in the 'hood too...and you DON'T want that ;)

The problem with bears is that if you continue to feed them as you are doing now, they get more and more comfortable with you and your home. This goes no where good. Next thing, he’s on your patio lapping up the greasy goodness from your grill grease can. Next he’s breaking into your garage for some tasty morsel in the trash can you thought was safely stored in your locked garage. Then you wake up in the middle of the night to find he broke into your home and is after the contents of your refrigerator.

Bears have unending hunger and a nose like a bloodhound. You live in bear country, you have to bear proof your home and create an undesirable situation for the bear so he goes somewhere else. That means no bird feeders (my condolences to your wife), grill cleaned and stored after every use, all trash locked up securely or taken to the dump regularly. No good ever comes from creating a home attractive to bears.

Living adjacent to a creek, in an area of limited natural water sources, we see a wide variety of wildlife: mule deer, coyotes, elk, moose, mountain lions and, yes bears. The Mulies, coyotes and lions are pretty much year-round residents, elk and moose are passing through and the bears are attracted this time of year by the smell of feeders (finding other good stuff once they arrive), then later on by ripening apples.

Anyway, there's a reason for the old "Don't Feed the Bears" mantra preached by wildlife officials: they don't like to have to kill bears, which happens way too often, usually because the bears are pulled in by human or human-placed food sources. Interactions with people, dogs or automobile interiors (oh, don't leave food or food scraps in your car in bear country) are then inevitable, causing the bear to become labeled a "nuisance", followed shortly thereafter by the bear's demise. Relocation can work - sometimes - but because these animals have a way of remembering exactly where that easy-pickens food was, they often return. And they're not usually given three strikes ...

Remember: A fed bear is a dead bear. Don't feed the bears!

_

Make a bigger version of that squirrel catapult?

In seriousness, can you shoot beanbag shotgun shells in your hood?

1) Your bird feeder is way too low. Put that on a 10 foot pole.

2) There's no such thing as a little bear. Every bear is a pit bull only 10 times stronger. Most black bears are passive cowards, but 5% are not.

3) The more city people encroach into the country, the more wildlife encounters occur. As above stated, don't do more to encourage this.

4) There is no "hot mix" of food that a bear will not eat. They will eat anything and everything as they fatten up...

5) Shooting a bear will get you into a lot of trouble (if you were serious).

I'm in the stop feeding the birds camp.

As noted by others, continue to provide a food source and all you will have accomplished is, to have created a source of trouble for you, that the bear will pay the price for, for no reason other than it being what it is, a bear that found food.

Is this one of those "Ask me how I know"

They don't appreciate their free food taken away from them! :)

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If you are going to feed the wildlife you have to not be prejudice as to what shows up.
They are all hungry and opportunist.
A bear can smell 600 times better than a dog I am told.
Its hard to hide stuff and their smeller as they know about how much is there and worth breaking into to get it or not.
Thankfully 99.9% of the time they will never personally bother you...just your property.
They have no respect for a wall or door to come through if the idea hits their pea brain.
Try to love them all or none.

From the rule I remember when camping in Bear Country at least 15 feet up and 10 feet from anything climbable.

Looks like a juvenile, could be just passing through trying to find its own way. I'd start by removing feeder at least for a little while and securing trash, etc. If after a few weeks no repeat visits and no reports of misbehavior by neighbors, etc then consider replacing bird feeder. Don't think you'd want to build a scaffolding system in your front yard to keep it bear proof though....

Time to rig up the old car coil device? Personally I wouldn't feel bad doing whatever it takes to discourage bears. When I worked as a ranger, I saw first hand the destruction they are capable of in tearing up peoples' property and cars in campground areas. They're just looking for food and whatever it takes to get it is what they will do.

I'd heed this if I were you...

Even a feeder on a twenty foot pole leaves all the seed spilled on the ground. The only real solution is to put the feeders away for a year and hope.

Had a discussion with the wife , while she understands the bear issue she wants her feeders . So today we did our best to de-bear them :D . All feeders now at least 12 ' above ground and all hanging from tree limbs . Every limb we hung a feeder on will not support the bears weight . So the only way he can belly up to the bar is to climb the tree , snap the branch and feed from the feeder now on the ground . If that happens my wife realizes bird feeding will end .

So we will monitor the best we can over the next few weeks and see what happens . To the best of our knowledge yesterdays bird feeder attack was the first one so we think we caught this early . If he continues to return after we eliminate all feeders then he becomes a rug ;) I will not sacrifice my family/dogs/grand children etc. just not going to happen . I have plenty of fire power to take him with one shot if need be but I hope it doesn't come to that .

If you don't already have a trail cam, they're pretty cheap...might be worth getting one for monitoring. Good luck!

Why would you shoot it? You are the one that encroached on it's habitat. You should adapt your lifestyle to fit with the wildlife you fully expected to see and enjoy.

Also, shooting it may be illegal (season, size, local)

KC911 we did discuss trail cams we may buy two so we can monitor front and back yard .

Could care less about legality.........if he continues to show up he will be eliminated . It is that simple...........not going to adapt my lifestyle to entertain a predator .

If you give them reason to frequent your property you will have a steady flow of them visiting. That ain't the only bear in the area.

Your actions have created the situation. You must be the one to change if you want your property to be bear free.



The bear is not to blame.