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BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question....
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Subject: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 07 May 05 - 08:42 PM As some of you may know this ol' Wes Ginny hillbilly is about to become a Va. hillbilly but in a more remote area and have learned that there are black bears livin' in the same area.... Like I've seen 'um once when drivin' on Skyline Drive, which is a couple thousand feet up the mountain from were we will be, but I ain't never lived wid 'um like comin' into yer back yard???!!! So... .... anyone ever lived in an area where they was purdu common? An' if so,, lets say Iz back in the equipement shed tinkerin' on my ol' Katmann Ghia and look out an' there a danged black bear 20 feet from me, like, other than get in the car and roll the windows up, what else should I do... An' the P-Vine will be out gardenin' and stuff... Like what are these bears realy like to live with??? Heck, I know all baout deer... Heck, there's prolly a couple in the back yard now... but bears???? Help!!! Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Amos Date: 07 May 05 - 08:46 PM Seal your trash cans up tight, buddy, mebbe lock 'em up at night. They are mostly food-driven, as I understand it. Don't leave any dead rabbits on your porch and such.... A |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Sorcha Date: 07 May 05 - 08:58 PM Yes, secure your garbage cans VERY well, get a can of pepper spray or Mace. NEVER EVER confront a bear. Blacks are not as agressive as Grizzlies, but don't count on it. NEVER EVER leave picnic food outside. Might be a wise idea to just not picnic. They will come looking for food. If they don't find any for several visits they will probably leave you alone. Don't count on it.....the most predictable thing about bears is that they are Un predictable. Don't plant any kind of garden, esp berries. You'll get them in spades...bears are truly Omnivorous. Carry pepper spray/Mace on your person AT ALL TIMES. There are NO bear proof garden fences. Never ever leave any edible food outside for very long, inside a cooler or else. Bears like beer too. NEVER advance at a bear. Sometimes, yelling and waving your arms will scare them away...notice I said 'sometimes' ....... You probably can't outrun a bear....be alert for spots you can get to in a pinch...this does NOT include tents or plate glass windows. DO NOT EVER FEED THE BEARS!!!!! They are NOT 'cute domestic critters' But, really, blacks (and their other colors) are not nearly as dangerous as the Griz. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 07 May 05 - 09:13 PM Well, gol danged, Sorch.... Like you expect me to go tell the P-Vine all this stuff... Like never go out without pepper spray 'er the shotgun... No way... You tell her!!! I will tell ya this if them bears get into her gardens she gonna put a mean whuppin' on'um... (No, she isn't, Bobert.... She's gonna send yer shinny butt out there with the pepper spray and the shotgun...) Like I said... Seems the folks who we are buyin' the place from had a veggie garden... Yeah it was fenced in and kinda close to the house and they didn't say nuthin' 'bout the bears messin' wid it... But they put in some corn on the 8 acre field below the house and they said the bears were in it constantly??? Looks like I got my work cut out fir me but... ... while Iz quietly armin' to fight the bears don't nobody let the P-Vine read what Sorcha just said.... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 07 May 05 - 09:20 PM Just remember that yes.... bears DO in the woods.... and on the lawn, and in the house and basically anywhere elset they can stick their little tushes... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: wysiwyg Date: 07 May 05 - 09:41 PM Bobeet, Bobert, Bonert-- when you gonna larn call me first? Black bears-- yup, I'm yore girl, P-Vine can call me up. Next week-- I'm going on a lil conference trip till Weds. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 07 May 05 - 10:15 PM Oh, thank you, WYSusan... I shoulda figgued that you had kilt yer first bear by the age o' three... Yeah, I know that you'll get the P-Vine all starightened out... As fir me, I'm gonna learnt up me some bear talk so I can jus get along wid them critters an' if that don't wirk, hey, I can always resort to pepper spray.... 'er the pop gun... Makes lots of noise... I don't think you gotta actually aim it at one of them bears to send the message that they need to cool it fir a day 'er two and come back and play nicer... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Azizi Date: 07 May 05 - 10:39 PM "But, really, blacks (and their other colors) are not nearly as dangerous as the Griz." What are Griz?? And yes we can too be dangerous especially without adequate food, and clothing, and shelter, and employment, and civil rights, and especially since we face discrimination in health care, and education, and the criminal justice system.. And especially since there is still institutional and personal racism and people go around with misconceptions about us that we are not worthy of respect as -WHAT?? You talkin about black BEARS and not Black people??!!! OH! My bad!! :O)))) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 07 May 05 - 11:19 PM Mizi, Mizi, Mizi.... Ahhh, I never thought about black bears as being like black folks, who as you know, I feel real comfy with... Bears is a differnt story... Some o' them is black an' apparently they ain't as agressive as the brown bears and anf grizzlies??? Danged if I konw if this is true.... All I know is I don't want to get all set up down (up) there and invite you, er' any o' my frineds down (up) there an' ahve 'um stayin' in the guest trailer and have 'um have no problems with the bears... Which is apparently, ahhhh, like real bears and no imaginary bears... No BillieBob speak here... I mean, these critters are apparently our closest neighbors?!!???!!!... But not to fear, WYSusan is gonna come down and go off into the woods and have a little talk wid 'um an' see if we can come to some happy medium... You know, like if they leave us alone I won't shoot my big pop gun into the air.... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 07 May 05 - 11:59 PM I lived in bear country for about fifteen years of my life. Moistly black, some brown and griz. Don't feed 'em and they will generally leave you alone. In bear country where the bush is in close, I have always carried a 30-30 or had one readily available. However, you'll have neighbours there. They'll be able to tell you. Oh, yeah, dogs really piss bears right off. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 08 May 05 - 12:06 AM Hey Bobert, We have black bears in our neck of the woods too. Best advice I have is to keep the garbage locked up tight, forget about having bird feeders (they'll not only eat the food but they'll knock the feeders out of the trees, off their poles and off your porch). Put up an electric fence around the garden, and forget the mace. That will only piss them off and you do NOT want an angry bear anywhere near you. They can outrun, outswim and outclimb you any day. If you encounter a bear, stand still and SLOWLY back up. They don't want to bother you anymore than you want to bother them. If you happen to get between a mama and her cub, all I can suggest is to pray. Bears have a very keen sense of hearing. I have to walk a little bit in the dark to get to my house from the driveway. When it is dark, I always get out of the car, call to the other animals, jingle my keys or make some kind of noise. If there are bears, they will leave. Also, when picking berries out in the woods, we whistle or attach bells to our sneakers to let the bears know we are there. Keep your camera handy and don't ever feed the bears for any reason. Good luck! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 08 May 05 - 12:18 AM PS Michelle's advice is excellent. I have never shot a bear. I did educate two of them, but I never had to kill one. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 08 May 05 - 12:49 AM You know, there's a lot of information out there - some of it is valuable and some of it is chuckleable. (New word?) It all depends on what one has been told and some horror stories and urban legends that people peat and repeat until finally no one knows where it began... In Juneau, Alaska, we have LOTS of black bears. In the forests, on the trails, in the streams and downtown on our streets and sidewalks, in our backyards and even on occasion in our homes. There have been several 'false' charges reported but there is NO report of actual attack on human beings. If you are where the bear expects to find you, there is very little alarm on either side. It is NOT a good idea to surprise a bear. And do NOT try to outrun a bear- you can't do it and you MAY trigger his chase instinct. The prime thing to keep in mind is that the bear's job is to fatten up for the coming winter so if the bear does not identify you with food he will in all likelihood not be interested in you. And keeping him from salivating when he sees you and your backpack is what we all aim to do. On the other hand, if you catch a salmon and a bear decides the hooked fish is HIS, by golly, it IS his. The law of the land. There are certain laws and ordinances that we run afoul of at risk of our pocketbook and certain dicta we are encouraged to follow. For instance: * In spring and sumner we are advised to remove all bird feeders, even from second story decks and stairs. Bears love the fat content of seed and will follow their noses right to the feeder. We CAN put out the feeders in the winter. * The same thing is true of hummingbird feeders. They advise us to forgo their use. Bears have a sweet tooth. * Residences must have "bear- resistant", not "bear-proof" garbage containers. (The city has bear-PROOF conatainers that cost $500. each) Over the top of the can we are to hook on bungee cords just to further dissuade Brother Bruin. My garbage can is a Rubbermaid with handles that flip up and one bear - probably young- chewed on that lid until it is peppered with holes, but he never got into it. Bears are smart and are perfectly capable of knocking a can over and jumping up and down on it until the lid pops. * On garbage pickup day, we are not allowed to put out our garbage cans until 4:00 AM. We are subject to hefty fines (As much as $150. in aggravated cases) if a can is found outside and unsecured otherwise. * A friend of mine has fruit trees and berries all over his place. Porcupines are his main problem. They live-trap the porkies and haul them 20 miles away. Some stories: **A neighbor of mine was sunning herself in her backyard when a bear wandered in through the gate. Her kitten - Oreo- was so outraged at this overgrown chunk of fur she jumped onto the bear's hindquarters squawling away at the top of her lungs and raking the bear's rump with all four feet. The bear ran. ** On Starr Hill about five blocks from here a young man was napping on his couch in the afternoon in his ground floor efficiency apartment - having left his door wide open - when he woke to find a bear rummaging in his kitchen area. Equally surprised, the bear left the premises and so did the young man. ** Last summer a shirtless Swedish Foreign Exchange student was half asleep in the sun on a lawn chair. When he felt the host's dog nuzzle his chest he brushed it away, only to open his eyes in time to see a retreating bear. The bear had licked his bare chest. We all have black bear stories. ** One More: Official advice when you are down and being attacked by a bear - whether brown (grizzly) or black was to clasp your hands at the back of your neck and curl into a fetal position. Do not resist, they said. When the bear thinks you are dead or immobilized he will no longer feel threatened by you and will lose interest in you. That was then. NOW, in regard to black bear attacks, the advice is different. They have discovered that SOME black bears when they have you down and helpless may decide they are hungry and start to feed on you. The advice today: When you are confronted/attacked/threatened by a BLACK bear, make yourself as BIG as you can, make as much noise as you can, and if he knocks you down keep fighting as long as you can. These are Alaskan bears. I know that Virginia and Maryland and Pennsylvania have lots of them too. Bears in different parts of the country and the world may have different genes and different cultures. Like horses. My father was a horse trainer in Oregon. When the family moved to Virginia (Ginny, Bobert) and continued his work with horses he wss struck by how different the horses were. Eastern horses seemed to have had the wild bred out of them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Clint Keller Date: 08 May 05 - 02:24 AM What Ebbie, LilyFestre, Brucie & them said. And the classic real bad move is to get between a mama bear and her cubs. Ebbie: My grandfather said the same thing about horses; there's a different culture in Idaho than in Missouri. There's a thesis in there for somebody. And did anyone explain that 'Griz' is "Grizzly Bears?' clint |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Azizi Date: 08 May 05 - 02:40 AM Well thanks for that info, Clint. I did know that 'Griz' meant 'Grizzly Bears'. I also knew that 'blacks' meant 'Black Bears'. But I just felt like havin some fun and at the same time spreadin some truth... And BTW, thanks to all y'all that shared information I really didn't know about what to do if you see a bear.. I don't imagine that I will ever need that info, but any thing is possible in life. So here's a new African proverb that just came to me: "It's far better to know and not need, than to need and not know". Azizi Powell |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,robomatic Date: 08 May 05 - 03:32 AM Ebbie gave you a real good reply. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Hrothgar Date: 08 May 05 - 05:44 AM Bobert, tell Peavine nothing, and insure her. Oh, you really like her? Better disregard this .... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 10:55 AM Great line I heard in a movie or read in a book (can't remember which): "What are ya gonna tell the bear when you run out of cookies?" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Stilly River Sage Date: 08 May 05 - 11:29 AM Bobert, I didn't notice anyone mentioning compost here so far. You won't be able to do a regular compost pile for the same reason you have to lock up your trash. In some parks I've worked in they've had luck suspending heavy garbage cans on a steel posts (only a few inches off of the ground, but evidently they can't flip it over to stick their heads in. The top also clamps on. Others have a heavy bin like at the post office--you can't reach in to pick out anything. I see others on the market. Another one. Several organizations and states have good information about living around bears: Humane Society, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado, Maryland, Washington, Montana. In fact, there are many pages available if you search on "living with black bears." You're not alone. You don't need to give up your lifestyle, but you will need to modify it. Look into red wiggler worm composting, for example. Bobert, I think you'll find the benefits of living in an area like this far outweigh the inconvenience of having bears come checking out the food possibilities. Keep your garden in the open so they can't sneak in and out, and the electric wire around it might also be a good idea. (Heck, bears aren't the only problems gardens face. I need to put up a wire fence around mine to keep our new pooch from strolling through the onions). Here's a note I came across from Rainier National Park:
Vol. V September 12th, 1927 Summer Season No. 11 [snip] WANTED--A BEAR-PROOF GARBAGE CAN. The men who "police" the Paradise Auto Camp are searching for a bear-proof garbage can although, at the same time, they are doubtful if there is any such thing. Every day the garbage cans are raided by the bears and on days when they are full it means double work for the caretakers. One man told me that he set-up a particular can three times within an hour. The can was over, the contents broadcast. He set it up. Before he was out of sight he heard a noise and found a bear had stepped from the shrubbery and was in the can. Again he set the can up and drove the bear away. A half hour later he returned that way and the can was down again. Several experiments have been tried. Piece of metal piping were driven through the handles and into the ground. The bear lifted the can from the stakes. A frame of heavy timbers well staked down was constructed about another can. The bear failed to turn it over but he removed the lid and pawed the contents over the top. We suggested a can with a spring cover but it would have to be strongly constructed or the bears would maul it into scrap iron. This problem has been around a lot longer than 78 years, but considering all of the innovations in the world over that time, you'd think a fool-proof bear-proof can would have been developed. Good luck in finding the one that fools your bears! SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Metchosin Date: 08 May 05 - 12:40 PM Also be advised that bears will eat dogs, particularly annoying small dogs that know no fear. A dear friend's Westie was eaten by a black bear a few of years back. Another friend's pot-bellied pig suffered the same ignominious fate. Wee-wee could be heard squealing for miles when a grizzley dragged her from their front yard. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 08 May 05 - 12:42 PM SRS, the "bearproof" cans the city of Juneau uses are heavy gauge steel square jobbies that have inset square lids whose catch is recessed; it is not possible to lift the lid until the catch is released. Dumpsters, on the other hand, are not bear proof, only with a tight lid that discourages the effort needed to get inside. If cans and dumpsters are overflowing, of course... BTW, I was misleading in saying there is NO record of actual attacks on humans- I was speaking of Juneau in recent years. I know that in 1959 there was an attack by a black bear on a man with severe consequences and I read in an old newspaper that in 1928 a brown bear attacked and hauled off a miner in a then-unsettled area of Juneau. And of course in other areas of southeast Alaska there are horror stories of deer hunters being killed by browns. In 1990 it happened on Admiralty Island to the son of a man I knew. As for bells to advertise one's presence to bears- a Tlingit friend told me that when the bears hear a bell, they tell each other: "Dinner!" ;) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 02:21 PM http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:IkNMtmYHd0kJ:www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/bear/Brownbearcoloring.shtml+brown+ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 08 May 05 - 02:26 PM Well Ebbie, so I guess that means no bells... And I'm sorry about "Wee Wee" the pig. But I have to say that name struck my funny bone. I guess that the name "Wee Wee" for a pig is more original than "Oink Oink". But where I come from "Wee Wee" is a euphemism mostly used by little kids for 'doing number one'*. And "doing number one' is a euphemism for 'going to the bathroom' and that is another way to say 'peeing' and that is a more socially acceptable way of saying 'urinating'.. Silly I know but there that's the way it was {and probably still is with alot of people}. * Number 2 is you know what.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 02:32 PM It's better the bear knows you're around. I came face to face with a black bear in Yosemite in the summer of 1968. The bears there have become too used to people and people to them, IMO. Anyway, I was in a broken rock formation that had 'lanes'. I rounded a corner and about 20' away was a female balck bear. I turned and set a new world's record for the quarter mile. I guess the bear did the same. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 02:34 PM PS As someone mentioned above, if you can see the cub(s) and you can't see mama, you could be in deep shit. If you can see the cub(s) and mama, you're just in trouble. Always walk in bear country with someone who runs slower than you do. A word to the wise. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 08 May 05 - 02:41 PM About six months ago. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 08 May 05 - 03:09 PM Brucie, I thought people weren't supposed to run if they encountered a bear. I mean I guess you're not supposed to stand and say 'Hi Bear. I'm your dinner". But I thought I read upthread that you were supposed to back away slowly... Is this a case of mixed messages? Not that I expect to encounter a bear where I live now, but I'm just wondering... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 08 May 05 - 03:21 PM OK Bobert, here are the three things you need to know about bears: 1. Always make noise while walking in bear country. Tie little bells to your pant cuffs or backpacks to jingle while you move. 2. Carry pepper spray for personal defense against an angry, attacking bear. Pepper spray works better than firearms and is safer to use in populated areas. 3. Learn to tell the difference between Black bears and Grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are usually larger, more aggressive and more likely to eat you. Grizzly scat is notably different from black bear scat (scat is a nice word that means poop). Grizzly scat has a distinct odor of pepper spray and is dotted with little jingly bells. Have a nice day, Mike |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Alaska Mike Date: 08 May 05 - 03:22 PM Hey Bobert, that last post was me without my cookie. Alaska Mike |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 03:47 PM It's true you're supposed to back away slowly. I ran like a sonuvabitch, way far fast. It had to do with adrenaline. Lots of it. Roger Bannister himself could NOT have caught up with me. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 08 May 05 - 03:48 PM LOL Mike. Azizi, running away from a bear is sometimes instinctive, not necessarily voluntary. And being about "20 feet away" from the bear, brucie was probably outside the 'zone' of what the bear considered threatening. And besides, bear personalities differ markedly. Bear's nose is keen but their eyesight is poor. If the wind is not blowing in the right direction, the bear may not even know it was a human being he saw. Standing upright is not necessarily threatening, it may be simply to get a better view. I once had an uncomfortable meeting with a bear on a public but lightly traveled, unpaved road. The bear came over a roadside barrier and we found ourselves maybe 8 feet apart. I averted my eyes (to indicate subservience) and held still. She - I think it was a female - stared at me, and when I finally took a small step backward, so did she. So I held still again. Finally, with her eyes fixed on me, she ambled to the side of the road and sat down, watching me. I would have had to pass her in order to go on my way and that was something I didn't want to do. So I thought to myself: If she doesn't know I'm a human being, if I TALK she will know and maybe she'll go away. So I did. The only thing is that I could not - literally - think of anything to say, so I said, la la la la la la. Sure enough she got up unhurriedly and disappeared into the woods. I used to camp in Oregon and Washington in bear country. By preference I slept under the stars- and NEVER had a problem. Somehow I feel different about it in the mountains around Juneau. I suspect the problem is in ME, not in THEM. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,WYS Date: 08 May 05 - 03:50 PM No Grizz in VA I bet. BTW-- shooting grizz, .357 or more powerful, or it's a joke. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 08 May 05 - 03:52 PM Years ago two friends of mine--whoim I will call Moe and Joe--got it into their heads that we THREE were gonna hunt grizzly in the Rockies. Moe said he'd bring a camera to record the event and Joe was going to hunt it with a bow and friggin' arrow. One of the fellows asked what I was going to bring. I replied, "Single-shot .22 rifle." They said that wouldn't be enough to kill the bear if Joe only wounded it and the bear attacked. I said that I didn't give a shit about the bear. The rifle was to shoot one of them in the kneecap. Ended up we didn't go. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Louie Roy Date: 08 May 05 - 03:55 PM Instead of pepper spray as Sorcha suggest carry a loaded 44 magnum and know how to use it and you won't have any trouble |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 08 May 05 - 03:58 PM PS I don't want any of what I posted to be interpreted as advice. I do know that I've spent considerable time in bear country and never had a problem. Mostly, I leave them alone and they leave me alone. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 08 May 05 - 04:01 PM Ebbie, Thanks for that explanation and thanks also for sharing your story about your meeting with a bear. Brucie-That was a good tall tale. But then again, I have a sneaking suspicion that your "Moe and Joe" story might really have been true. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 08 May 05 - 04:06 PM It WAS true. They meant to do as they said; I meant to do as I said. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 08 May 05 - 04:09 PM [I take it the last post was from Brucie]. Okay Brucie. I believe you. Peace! Azizi |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 08 May 05 - 04:10 PM Re pepper spray: Ya gonna marinate it first? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 08 May 05 - 04:38 PM Before my husband and I were married, he used to go camping for a few weeks at a time alone. The last trip he took before we met ended early as he awoke one morning to a black bear licking his toes that were sticking out of the tent! Michelle PS...can you visualize that WYS? LOL! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 08 May 05 - 04:43 PM "BTW-- shooting grizz, .357 or more powerful, or it's a joke." Disagree. If ya can't shoot worth a darn it ain't gonna matter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 08 May 05 - 04:49 PM The grizzly (brown) bear requiring a lot of 'take down' is nothing new. The Smithsonian Institution magazine currently has a serial account of the Lewis and Clark expedition diaries. In it they mention how amazed they were at the grizzly's ability to absorb injury. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 08 May 05 - 05:03 PM A pissed off grizzly is one load of pissed of, no mistake about THAT. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Kendall Date: 09 May 05 - 09:11 AM Always travel in pairs, and make sure you can outrun the other person.That way, you don't have to outrun the bear. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: JohnInKansas Date: 09 May 05 - 11:17 AM If you're going to live with critters, you're going to have to learn how to understand the social customs of the critters in your area. Your best advice likely will come from "official" sources in the local area - forestry service, wildlife management, parks and recreation people perhaps. Local law enforcement folk may have particular, and sometimes peculiar, recommendations about what you may and may not do. Think of your invasion of the critters' territory as a little like walking into a "biker bar" wearing a three piece suit. (And you parked your Vespa outside.) Caution – and an acute awareness of your immediate surroundings – is advised. With respect to the advice that a .357 is the minimum useful - it isn't at all useful unless you have practiced using it. I have seen experienced marksmen, accustomed to shooting dozens to hundreds of rounds of .45 and .38 pistol ammo per day, so completely disoriented by the "shock" from a first-time firing of a .357 that they dropped their gun and wandered off the firing line unaware of where they were for several moments. A .44 Mag is substantially "more abrupt" than even a .357. For practice, hearing protection is mandatory for any shooting. In a "critter encounter" you probably will not have such protection, and especially with a .357 or .44 Magnum, you will hear nothing except the ringing in your ears for at least a couple of minutes - or more. (And you will likely have at least some permanent hearing damage.) Note that since you're presumedly closer to the gun than the critter is, his hearing will be much less affected. Advantage: critter. Even if you're experienced and sufficiently "collected" to get off a useful shot, it's obviously a last-resort sort of thing. It ain't easy like in the movies. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 09 May 05 - 12:01 PM All very good advice. Off the top of my head, I can only think to add: Regularly piss on a half dozen trees at the perimeter of your property - the higher up the tree, the better; black bears are just as dangerous as any others, and; while pistols are convenient to carry, shotguns are the firearm of choice due to their versatility and ease of handling. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 09 May 05 - 12:03 PM Azizi, the name Wee-wee for the pig was from a childhood tickle game played with the toes of small children and babies, starting with the big toe, This little pig went to market This little pig stayed home This little pig had roast beef And this little pig had none And this little pig went, wee, wee, wee, wee, All the way home! The bear that ate Wee-wee was a grizzley and did similar damage to my friend's outbuildings as was noted in the link to Hinton by Guest. Bear traps were set up and two bears eventually moved to a less populated area. Like brucie I've spent a lot of time in bear country too, but mostly on horseback, so the bears usually prefer to vacate when they hear the the horses coming or get a whiff. Which reminds me of a the time I spent at treeline once, with my pants around my ankles. There had quite recently been a grizzley around digging up wasp nests, but I was suffering such lower intestinal agony, from an unwise feed of cole slaw the previous evening, that any clump of trees looked pretty welcoming, even one with a bear. Alone in my vunerable postion and pain, I can remember thinking, "C'mon you SOB, please put me out of my misery". Never saw him, but then perhaps I'd discovered a pretty good bear repellant. I've heard that geese foul their eggs to make them less attractive to predators too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: kendall Date: 09 May 05 - 12:13 PM You need to outsmart the bear, you can not outrun one. One way to deal with a bear is to find his marking tree. That is a tall tree on which he reaches as high as he can and claws the bark. He will regularly vist this "marker tree" and see if any other bear has marked it. if his mark is still the highest, he will stay in the area. However, if another bear is able to reach higher he will leave the area rather than risk an encounter with a bigger bear. Now, I used to have a woods camp in the backwoods of Maine and I got tired of finding the place trashed by a bear. So, I took a step ladder and a garden rake, found his marker tree, climbed as high as I dared and raked the hell out of his tree. No bears have been seen in that area since. (Brains over bullets) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 09 May 05 - 12:16 PM Yup, the higher up the tree, the better. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Once Famous Date: 09 May 05 - 12:26 PM In chicago, the Bears play football. Not too well, but they are a threat only to our Monday morning mood. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: JohnInKansas Date: 09 May 05 - 12:29 PM One "old-wives tale" with unknown validity: if you do need to move away from a bear, and when there's a choice, move downhill. Bears supposedly have much stronger hind legs than front ones, and it's claimed they can't run downhill as fast as they can going up. You can probably run downhill faster than you can run up. (Even with the purported advantage, they can probably outrun you.) I'm not sure I'd want to go challenge a bear to a footrace to see if it's true; but if you're gonna be discussing bears with people who might know, you might ask about this theory. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,petr Date: 09 May 05 - 12:31 PM some good advice here, dont play dead with black bears, and forget about a compost bin if there are black bears in your area. (my neighbour found a bear sleeping in his compost pile, I guess it was warm) Ive come across a number of bears, over many years of hiking, even one maybe 8 feet away on the other side of the road, in general theyve never been a problem, if you ignore them and give them space. Ironically though, even though grizzlies are the ones more likely to attack, the worst recorded bear attack in North America was in 1980 Ontario, when a black bear killed 5 teenage campers. one final word of advice from conservation officers, is if it looks like the bear is following you and is intent on attacking, you should not try to ignore it, or play dead. You should do whatever you can to get away or defend yourself. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Once Famous Date: 09 May 05 - 12:34 PM gee bobert, don't get too cozy with your cousins there. We'd hate to see abunch of bobert look alikes with eyes wide apart. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 May 05 - 01:37 PM Bobert, You'll still be able to enjoy the wildlife in your yard if you plant attractive flowers (for hummingbirds and butterflies) and things with seeds (for the other birds) but think twice about planting any berries. Bears love them. I worked for the Forest Service for a number of years and regularly met bears in the woods. If it was blueberry season they were intent on scraping as many berries off of the branches as possible and filling up on them. I don't recall ever stopping working when a bear was around, but we always gave them a wide berth. I also worked for the National Park Service, and while I saw many bears over the years, the worst problem was in the Smokeys where the bears actually panhandle along the roadways, and where idiotic visitors get out of their cars and feed them. They tell their children to walk over and feed a bear so they can take a photo. They reach out of their wide-open car windows with food offerings. Real Darwin Award material. So when park rangers drive up with the green cars and the stetson hats, the bears recognize them and run off. And more than once I've been cursed by these stupid park visitors for scaring off the bears. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 09 May 05 - 02:44 PM I think this may be an urban legend, but here goes: Fellow told me once that there was a sign at Yellowstone that read, "Bears 9, People 0"; do NOT feed the bears. I live right next to the Rockies in Alberta. Every year we watch idiots approaching elk, sheep and yes, bears to get better camera angle, etc. Some folks just have NO idea. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 09 May 05 - 02:56 PM PS I love wildlife. Period. But that love is predicated on the understanding that they have a territory and when I enter that territory, I'd best keep my wits about me. I have hunted for food--I gave up hunting for 'pleasure' in my teens. It was after I killed a family of raccoons at the request of a farmer. I realized I liked what I had done, and I never wanted to experience that feeling again. I have never found bears to be a problem. As so many have pointed out, don't surprise them, don't feed them (in either verb transitivity), and do not get between a sow and her cubs. Incidentally, the two bears I educated over the years were blacks. They ran when they heard the shot. I have seen bears do some remarkable things, and they are extremely powerful, fast creatures. A swipe from a grizzly will easily take a human's head off. No person is a match for a bear. Period. Ya can't outrun them (although IF you have no choice, run downhill). The front legs are shorter than the rear, and it's slower going downhill for the bear. However, that means that instead of catching you in thirty seconds it will catch you in forty-five. If by chance you have to run from a bear, take off your shirt and throw it behind you. Might buy you a little time. Metchosin, I have never ridden a horse in my life. I know you are a horsewoman, and I envy that. After the hip replacement, I guess I won't have the chance. I have friends who go on trail rides, etc, and they rave about it. Keep safe and keep well. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 09 May 05 - 02:57 PM I have lived and worked alongside a berry patch while bears were busily harvesting the fruit in the middle of the patch. And I have a friend who goes to a mountainside to pick blueberries- she leaves the blueberries alongside her own property for the bears. (The best berry in southest Alaska is the blueberry. You find them everywhere, and some of the best places are off mountain roads. There are five or six different kinds and the bushes can grow to be six feet tall. Depending on the year, they tend to be either plump and large as a thumbnail or lttle ones the size of your pinky nail, which are the sweetest berries imaginable.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 09 May 05 - 03:06 PM Perhaps Parks should get access as an education tool to some of the clips from America's Funniest Home Videos, so the general public can watch someone being gored stomped and kicked by an elk. There's nothing funny about it. Although at times it's hard to avoid some wildlife. A number of years ago, when our kids were small we were in Waterton and watched a bighorn sheep step on an automatic door opener and walk into a strip mall. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 09 May 05 - 03:09 PM Metchosin, several years back a young bear activated the electronic eye at the emergency entrance at our local hospital and entered. The end of the story is not a happy one, though. The police shot and killed the bear. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 09 May 05 - 03:20 PM I watched a bull moose in Quebec kick the crap out of a car one day. The motorist insisted on honking his horn to get the bull off the road. The bull was in rut, and I guess he took offense at the noise. Some folks just have to learn the hard way I guess. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 09 May 05 - 03:24 PM Don't screw around with bears. Don't waltz with them (unless you're Uncle Walter), don't try to race them, don't talk to them. Several bear study projects use "bird bombs" in a shotgun to deter bears. These are effectively cherry bombs that are fired in 12 gauge shotgun; they were designed to scare flocks of birds out of orchards. I've also heard of flare guns being used, but I'd hate to burn down the forest to scare the bear off. I don't fool with ANY wild animal, from pikas and ground squirrels to mountain lions and grizzly bears. If you really don't believe that they're wild critters, read "How To Die In The Outdoors" and/or "Death In Yellowstone" and/or the collection of "Bear Tales" from Alaska. The critters in the woods aren't tame, and your body may not be returned to your next of kin. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 09 May 05 - 03:31 PM BURP. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 May 05 - 03:40 PM Q: Why do ducks have flat feet? A: To stomp out forest fires. Q: Why do bears have flat feet? A: To stomp out burning ducks. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 09 May 05 - 03:41 PM hahhaha burp indeed. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 May 05 - 03:50 PM Bear damage. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,petr Date: 09 May 05 - 04:41 PM I do carry bear spray and bear bangers when out hiking out here in bc, been hiking for years and have never had to use either. But supposedly the sound of the bear bangers will scare them off. Peter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 09 May 05 - 05:53 PM So, this preacher was walking through the woods when suddenly he was confronted by a HUGE black bear -- an angry black bear. Having no recourse, the preacher dropped to his knees, closed his eyes, and began to pray: "Lord, if it be your will, make this bear a Christian bear." He opened his eyes to see the bear was also kneeling in prayer, and praying, "Father, we thank thee for this food...." ------------ Bobert, living with bears is no problem. Just go outside with folks who can run slower than you. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bunnahabhain Date: 09 May 05 - 07:08 PM Living with the black bear is no problem. You just make them pratice outside..... For the confused, "The Black bear" is a very common pipe march. If you've heard pipes and drums, you'll have heard it. Bagpipes inside are only slightly prefrable to a bear in the garden.... Bunnhabhain |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 09 May 05 - 07:27 PM For those who want to know the difference: Black bear. Grizzly bear. (a/k/a "Griz" "Grizz" "Brown Bear" "Kodiak Bear" and "Holy Shi...!") NEITHER are fuzzy little cutie-poos who act like Winnie-the-Pooh. A Brown Bear (that is, a grizzly which has grown fat, huge, and sassy on the rich salmon of Alaska) can, quite literally, rip the door off a car or truck. Something to remember: black bears climb trees very well, grizzlies do not. We haven't even mentioned the Polar Bear.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: wysiwyg Date: 09 May 05 - 08:51 PM Once in a great while, a male black bear here or there has been known to behave in a completely different way than the usual fearful black bear-- and turn predator. They are rogues not because they have been fed but because somehow, nature has gone wrong and made them into hunters. It's VERY rare, but when it happens, it's a sneak attack from behind after stalking the prey-- usually small adults or children. Bobert, you and P-Vine both are small enough. The prey is dragged off the path and fully or partially consumed-- sometimes up in a tree. Fatally. It isn't a mauling, like a defensive bear surprised in an encounter-- it's purposeful hunting. Pairs of humans attacked have usually both died, altho I think I heard of one case where the woman was taken and the man survived. So...... if you feel like you are being watched, maybe you are. Google around and you will find the info and counter-measures. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 09 May 05 - 09:02 PM Danged... The P-Vine and I just bought a couple blueberry bushes to take down there??? Bad idea... But, whew, I might have to ask Joe 'er Max to kill off this thread fir fear that the P-Vine might run across it inadvertnatly... Hey, I gonna get along fine wid them bears but, ahhhh, ain't too happy about not havin' no bird feeders since I loves the birds... I'll have to work out somethin' here.... Gonna have my birds.... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 09 May 05 - 09:59 PM WYZI, are you trying to scare the man? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 09 May 05 - 10:02 PM Here Bobert, this will tell you more about black bears in your state than you would ever care to know. According to the link there have only been 45 fatalities in North America as a result of black bear atttacks since 1900 and no human fatality has ever been documented in Virginia. I think plowing into one with your car or the bees in your garden might be more of a concern. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 May 05 - 10:26 PM Bobert, just put in plants that attract birds, rather than bird feeders themselves. Heck, you can probably even put in some grain somewhere, and a birdbath or fountain, and if you do plant the berries, put them at the bottom of the yard out of the way. I find water is almost as good an attractor as food for many types of birds. You'll do fine. This isn't Hitchcock's The Bears. It's just a few common sense precautions to take. If some of us can keep right on with what we're doing with bears around, so can you. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Azizi Date: 09 May 05 - 10:29 PM Given the statistic that Metchosin linked to-that no human fatality caused by a bear was ever documented in Virginia since 1900- Bobert should worry about the bees and the cars rather than the bears. Unfortunately there HAVE been people in Virgina who have died from allergic reactions to bee stings and motor vehicle accidents. So Bobert, I guess that means that you can't have a car in Virginia and you can't grow any flowers either. Or Bobert, you and P-Vine can forget about worrying and to the best of your ability, live life to the fullest while you continue to strive to make the world a better place for all. Please don't let fear cloud the excitement and joy of your new move. Best wishes, Azizi |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 10 May 05 - 12:51 AM There was a movie out years back entitled "Grizzly". It does for the forest what "Jaws" did for the ocean. Just in case you are bored one of these days and want a little somethin' to--ah, forget it. Don't watch the movie. Bad idea. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 10 May 05 - 01:16 AM Neat site with info re Brown Bear (of which the grizzly is one). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 10 May 05 - 07:24 AM Black Bear at Environment Canada "Hinterland - Who's Who" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 10 May 05 - 08:03 AM Thanks, brucie, I allready ordered "Grizzly" off Amazon to show the P-Vine so she could get to know more about bears... Gotta get up earlier if ya think that yer gonna out-think this ol' hillbilly... Actually, contrary to popular opionion, Iz got a ton of common sense so we'll be just fine wid them bears... Deer are more of a threat since they eat azalea, rhodo, flox and just about anything else you grom that you want to look at as opposed to bein' eat up.... And we got about 250 pots of dug up stuff down (up) there allready and other than a curious bear knockin' over one pot nuthin' been eaten... 'Cours we got "Liquid Fence" sprayed on everything, too... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 10 May 05 - 08:26 AM You can also cover stuff with with nylon netting. That'll (usually) keep deer and birds away, if you stake is a little bit above the stuff you want to protect. (It won't stop bears.) It also won't stop skunks, foxes, or coyotes -- all of which live in Virginia (and all of which can carry rabies). But you don't let them worry you, do you? Just go out and enjoy your new place, you imperialistic oppressor of the workers you. If a bear wanders by during the decadent celebrations you'll undoubtedly have to celebrate your ascendancy over the ragged masses huddled in their pitiable shacks, give 'em a beer. Seriously, bears do not want to get involved with you. (I was going to say, "Remember Elijah" but I won't.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 10 May 05 - 08:46 AM Old home remedy to keep the deer out of your garden....and it works! Get yourself some netting (either from an onion bag or you can buy it at the fabric store) and fill it with soap shavings (use a kitchen grater) and hang it all around your garden or in front of your flowers. It's not the prettiest thing, but it does work (many home centers sell this under different names...same thing, just costs more). Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 10 May 05 - 09:55 AM "Deer are more of a threat since they eat azalea, rhodo, flox and just about anything else you grom that you want to look at" Thing is, Bobert, people eat deer. It's goooooooooooood. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,KT Date: 11 May 05 - 02:55 AM Bobert, some friends were here for music tonight. They left (not quietly) about 15 minutes ago. One of them lives six houses up the street. She just called me to say she saw a bear on the way home. It was about 30 feet away. Just looked at her and then crossed the street. Looked like a youngun' she said. Mama was likely lingering in the shadows. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 11 May 05 - 07:31 AM Brucie is right....venison...YUM!!!!!!!!! Hey Bobert....no worries about all the snakes ya'll get in that part of the country? My husband's grandmother lives in that direction and has told us numerous stories about finding snakes in the rafters of her basement....that would bother me far more than a bear in the garden!!!!!! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 11 May 05 - 07:42 AM Snakes don't bother me one bit.... Might of fact I like 'um.... But now deer is another story... Yeah we'z used soap shavings, hair, coyote urine, BobX, DeerOff and even Malorganite but the only thing we've found that works is "Liguid Fence".... Been usin' it fir 3 years now and the deer absolutlet won't eat nuthin' that's been sprayed wid it... As fir eating them critters, I made a deal wid the four-legged kingdom about 35 years ago. If they don't chew on me I won't chew on them and guess what. It's held up quite nicely, though there was this one particular dog that almost made it into the chili... But if I ever wanta eat a deefr, though unlikely, there ain't no hunt to them... Heck, they wander in my back yard every danged day... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 11 May 05 - 09:22 AM If ya made a deal with the four legged kingdom, I'm wonderin' if ya made a deal with the two legged kingdom as well....as I sit and look out the winda at all my beautiful 2-legged chickens. Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Tannywheeler Date: 11 May 05 - 09:25 AM Bobert, my favorite "bear story" comes from the Lewis & Clark journal of that little jaunt they took up the Mizoo and to points west. These were easterners, a lot of them, from the more settled side of the Mississippi. They may have had experience in the more "rural", remote areas of their parts of this country. We're talkin' pre-1810. They had hunted bear (black) for years, to eat as well as to protect themselves and their communities. They were armed with state-of-the-art firepower, and when they reached Grizzly country and began running into those critters, they were extremely interested in the beasts. One of the recorders of the trip noted the initial fascination, but also -- after discovering how little effect their magnificent ballistics had on the bears -- how quickly their curiousity was satisfied!!! Good health to you and yours, and keep us up to date with sightings, and interesting stuff you learn about living in that country. Tw |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 11 May 05 - 09:25 AM Dang, Bobert, them venison chops and backstraps are just wanderin' onto your land, provided like the manna in the desert. Yum! A big ol' plate of venison chili, or homemade venison sausage, or some backstrap...why, I get hungry just thinkin' about it all. And poor ol' me sittin' here in Idaho with nothin' in the freezer 'cept a little elk, some venison summer sausage, some buffalo, beef, pork, salmon, Vermont cob-smoked ham, veal.... And veggies, too, of course. Lissen -- if the deer DO get to be too much, you can always shoot 'em and give the meat to a group like Hunters For The Hungry. They'll see that it goes to homeless shelters or SOME and places like that. Peek here to see what I'm talkin' about. (We eat deer. We die and return our bodies to the Earth. Our bodies support grass. Deer eat the grass. The circle is unbroken.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 11 May 05 - 09:34 AM Rapaire, What a great thought! We have Hunters For the Hungry around here too...helps out lots of local folks. As a child in a family of 7, if we didn't have venison, we would have been living on beans. Five out of 7 hunted and that usually meant 5 deer in the freezer. Glad you mentioned that....excellent program! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 11 May 05 - 10:24 AM "The circle is unbroken." May the circle be unbroken, By and by Lord by and by . . . . |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 11 May 05 - 10:25 AM Crap. That were I. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Metchosin Date: 11 May 05 - 11:25 AM With all the bear talk, I forgot to mention we had a visit from a cougar last Friday. Just passing through again....I hope....the deer that was looking at me up through the kitchen window this morning, while he ate the leaves off my wee quince, didn't seem to have a worry in the world, so I assume the big cat is elesewhere for the time being. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Rapaire Date: 11 May 05 - 11:30 AM I've heard, but can't confirm, that lion...manure...and the...manure...from similar big cats will keep deer away from your property. The National Zoo ain't that far away, Bobert, and the Smithsonian runs some sort of animal park in Virginia. Dang, boy, but you could post signs that say, "No Trespassing -- Beware Of Lion Shit." It'll git ya talked about, if nothin' else. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 11 May 05 - 12:34 PM "Lions, tigers, and bears..Oh my!" Last year two deers were in my yard for most of the day. I should mention that I live in a residential community of a large urban city [Pittsburgh, PA} and although there is a wooden cementary about 4 blocks away, I've lived here for 28 years, and that was the first time I had ever seen any deer around here. Sorry, nature lovers, but though the deer were beautiful and it was an experience and all that, I hope I don't see ever see any more deer that up close and personal. And as for eating deer meat-thanks but I'll pass. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 11 May 05 - 12:41 PM It's better than beef. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 11 May 05 - 12:54 PM [Not that any of this has anything to do with livin with black bears, but since you mentioned it Brucie] I haven't eaten beef or pork for years and never ate deer or lamb or well you get the picture... Plus I don't eat sea food, and I feel [mentally] bad when I eat poultry. My spirit says 'vegetarian' but sometimes my flesh is weak. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Blissfully Ignorant Date: 11 May 05 - 01:06 PM Venison...mmm...and all i have is a pot noodle... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 11 May 05 - 01:12 PM Yeah. I seldom eat meat anymore, anyway. I would guess my meat intake is about two pounds per month. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 11 May 05 - 02:30 PM "Livin' with Black Bears Question...." Livin' with the bears is much harder. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 11 May 05 - 02:35 PM Hey Bobert... About the cougar...they are seriously nothing to mess with. Please talk to your neighbors and brush up on the habits of the ones in your area. If you are out in the sticks, or even if you're not, I'd suggest subscribing to Countryside Magazine. It's full of information about homesteading and dealing with the animal aspect of living in the sticks. I read a story not long ago about a woman being mauled to death on her farm by a cougar. They aren't like black bears, they are highly territorial and predatory animals (okay..so are bears but black bears aren't nearly as dangerous as cougars). Don't mess with that...call your local farm co-op or game warden and see what they suggest. Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 11 May 05 - 03:42 PM About once every seven or so years we have someone attacked by a cougar in Hinton. They will usually NOT go after an adult, usually. Been known to happen. If they can be live trapped and transported far away to the wild, that happens. If not, they are shot. Period. It took three days to locate and destroy the one that killed a young teenager about 20 years back. If you get one that won't leave you alone, kill it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: *Laura* Date: 11 May 05 - 04:59 PM wow - and all we have is badgers.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 11 May 05 - 05:28 PM I had a badger once back THREE skunks up underneath my car. Joy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 11 May 05 - 06:58 PM LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 11 May 05 - 09:15 PM The advice for dealing with cougars (a/k/a mountain lions, panthers, painters, and "Uh oh, we're in trouble!") is never to run -- they'll outrun you and taking the prey from behind and biting the spinal cord at the back of the neck is how they usually kill. Instead, if you see one, try to make yourself as large as possible: open your coat flasher-style, for example. And stand your ground. If you're attacked, guard your spine and soft tissue areas (belly, neck, genitals, etc.). Better yet, wear a full suit of plate armor. Don't mess with cougars. On the other hand, it's not likely you'll come across one. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Tannywheeler Date: 12 May 05 - 01:08 PM Yeah, Bobert. I'm one of those no-shootin'-Bambi liberals. BUT -- I married into a marginally poor family from a little town west of San Antonio. All 6 of those "kids" (hubby now 62) learned safe firearms stuff from time they could walk so, when times were tough, if everyone "bagged their limit" during deer season, noone went hungry. They also had a big garden. They fed me (first time I met them) swiss chard and backstrap, both of which were for the first time. Now, I don't think it's right to get automatic weapons and go out and mow down the entire deer population, but I'm always VERY pleased to accept gifts of any excess my hunting in-laws (or my own cousins) may have acquired during the appropriate time of year. And we have always (since we got home from the Navy in '70) had a backyard garden. If you plan it right, you can eat well even when technically "broke". Big help bringing up our 3 kids. Tw P.S. Cougars DON'T sound edible, DO sound dangerous. Avoidance seems best policy. Sometime come to Texas, visit Brazos Bend State Park, and get the sheet when you enter that instructs you how to manage any 'Gator encounters you may have. Probably some Cougar-applicable advice in it, if you need it. Tw |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 12 May 05 - 01:24 PM Cougars are edible, someone made sausages from one that my father shot when I was small and we gave it a try, but if I recall, it was not a hit. Bear is pretty gawd awful as well. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 12 May 05 - 02:00 PM If you're hungry, 'most anything is edible. I know of people who, after shooting a cougar (during the Depression) invited the neighbors in. Everyone brought something, and they had a neighborhood "cat feed." Bear, too. And from bear you can get trichinosis, just like from pork. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 12 May 05 - 02:33 PM Yuck to bear. However, if I was hungry enough I'd bite the ass out of a skunk and bark at the hole. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Dave (the ancient mariner) Date: 12 May 05 - 03:43 PM I found this in an old magazine... Rules for operating in bear country 1) Be alert. 2) Take bears seriously. The are not pets. 3) Never be out of reach of a powerful firearm or alternately, out of sight of someone who is adequately armed. 4) Do not camp or sleep astride a bear thoroughfare, and set up your camp with the understanding that a bear may show up in the dark. 5) Be alert. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 12 May 05 - 05:00 PM Special Notice On Bears From Alaska Fish & Game: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising bikers, hikers, hunters and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field. It is advised that outdoorsmen wear small bells on their clothing and shoes to alert bears in the area who aren't expecting them. It is also advised that outdoorsmen carry Pepper Spray at all times in case of a bear encounter. It is advised to watch out for fresh bear sign activity. You should be able to recognize the difference between Black Bear and Brown Bear sign. Black Bear sign is smaller and contains berries, Brown Bear sign is larger and contains many small bells and smells like pepper. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 12 May 05 - 06:48 PM Another odd thing about pepper spray (aside from showing up in scat) is that bears apparently are fascinated by/enamored by/curious about it. No one knows yet why but bears have been observed rolling on rope that was sprayed with it and/or playing with it. And in Alaska, I know some park rangers who do not want to use any pepper spray on bears, no way, no how. More than one has reported having used it and successfully sending the bear off into the forest only to later observe the bear stalking them. As one ranger told me: They don't forget. There is also the belief among some that when a person is armed, the person behaves differently, moves differently than when the same person is unarmed and respectful. The armed person may give off aggressive vibes that may have the opposite effect on bear from that intended. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 12 May 05 - 11:01 PM Well, knowing the vital tenacity of bears, I'm respectful even of those stuffed and displayed in museums. I'd be respectful of them even if I was carrying a four deuce mortar as a sidearm. I'm also respectful of moose, caribou, elk, whitetail, mule deer, cougar, and the rest. Why, even a toy poodle can give you a nasty nip on the ankle before you can kick it over the horizon. But mostly, I figger I'm a trespasser in THEIR world. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Clint Keller Date: 13 May 05 - 01:46 AM "The armed person may give off aggressive vibes that may have the opposite effect on bear from that intended." i think that would depend on the armed person. I'm with Rapaire; I can't think of any weapon I could carry that would make me feel disrespectful and aggressive around a bear. I have no doubt that I could kill a bear with a firearm, and I have no doubt that he might well kill me or cripple me before he dropped. A weapon doesn't make you invulnerable. Unless you're an eedjit. But it does give you better odds, and better odds on most anything are worthwhile. Armed & respectful beats unarmed & respectful. Well, Rapaire said it briefer & better, but I have this compulsion to try to explain things… clint |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 13 May 05 - 02:12 AM In 1988 I worked in a wilderness lodge. The agreement with the owners was that I would work a split shift so that I could do a lot of hiking in the area. Which I did, and it was great. Some of what I did was foolhardy, though, no doubt- especially in making my way through chin high grasses and brush with zero visibility. In the past I had spent a lot of time hiking in Oregon and Washington state mountains and I've never liked roadways and don't like returning the same way I've gone. So I did the same thing at the wilderness lodge- I left paths and cut across instead. Just to make myself feel better about it, I would call out: OK- I'm coming through and I'd appreciate it if you'd all stand back! It worked, in the sense that it eased my mind! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 13 May 05 - 07:56 AM Well, the more that we've talked with folks in the area the less concerned we ate about our personal safety... ...the vegetable garden, however is goping to be trickier and folks are recommending a chain link (cyclone) fence with an electic wire and close to the house... Seems to make sense. Ahhhh, as fir guns... I got me a big old 12 guage pump shotgun and a 410/22 over under Survival rifle an' I certainly ain't gonna go carring them around. I like the idea of wearin' a bell around one ankle. I was talkin' with an old farmer who knew the guy who built and lived in the house up until his death last year and this ol' farmer told me that there was one particular bear that would come down and sit on top of the same fence post (60 feet to the house) every evening and it was making the wife a tad nervous and after a couple weeks of this the guy shot and killed the bear??? I'm not sure I would have done that but I guess if the P-Vine were rattled enuff I certainly could but wouldn't get any enjoyment out of it... Though I'm sure that the P-Vine would enjoy the meat... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Rapaire Date: 13 May 05 - 09:10 AM Iffen you do that, Bobert, kin I have the hide? I'll pay to have it processed aforen you ship it out, too. If you got a 12 gauge, then get down to the gun store and git yerself a box of them "bird bomb" shells. You don't aim to hit the bear, but to scare the critter off IF nothin' else works. After that, a 12 gauge slug'll make 'em right unhealthy. And you kin fire .45 Long Colt (.45 LC) shells outa a .410. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 13 May 05 - 08:29 PM You can fire them .45's outta the .410, Rap... I don't know if you've seen this rifle but it breaks down and can be carried in one's back pocket, fir gosh sakes... I mean, it's so light that ya gotta buy a 2 pound weight to attech to it so it don't float away... I don't want no .45 shell in that thing if I'm the one that has to fire it... If Mr Bear needs to be on yer wall, heck, I'll just stick a punkin ball in the 12 guage and he can be on yer wall.... BTW, anyone know how large dogs do, no not dog do gal dangit, but large dogs and bears.... The P-Vine now thinks she'd feel more comfy with a dog??? Any advice about dogs and bears, other than not matin' 'um.... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 13 May 05 - 08:33 PM The dog will give the bear something to chew on while you and the P'vine get away. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 13 May 05 - 08:33 PM The problem with most dogs is that they tend to run back to their beloved master with an irate bear in tow. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 13 May 05 - 08:51 PM Too true Ebbie, that's why you need an aggressive, small, foolhardy dog such as the Westie I mentioned in my first post. Westies don't run back to their owners with their tails between their legs....noooo....they don't recognize the fact that something is much larger than themselves and more dangerous. Think of a wee drunken Scottish footballer....that pretty much sums them up. But it does give you time to get out of the area while the bear is enjoying his hors d'hoeuvre. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 13 May 05 - 09:04 PM I do beieve that Westies might just believe they are the reincarnation of Tahltan bear dogs. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 13 May 05 - 09:10 PM So, ahhhyh, is thaqt a resounding "no" to the dog question??? I mean, like what about a border collie? They are very quick and elusive and I don't think a bear could out manuver one and I also don't think that a border collie would be scared of the bear eniff to retreat to mom... No? Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 13 May 05 - 09:12 PM Tahltan Bear Dog |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 13 May 05 - 09:12 PM When I was a toddler, a bear entered the yard where we spent a week or two in the summers. My aunt and uncle had a dalmatian named Rex and they cared for two collies named Laddie and Lassie (hard to believe, but I shit you not). The dogs kept the bear busy and my uncle--since passed on--got into it with the dogs and bear using an axe. The bear left. One of the dogs got hurt a bit and the bear got cut, too. I think the dogs would have driven the bear away without my uncle being there, but I also suspect one or two would have had to be put down. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Dave (the ancient mariner) Date: 13 May 05 - 09:14 PM A word of caution guys... The .410 is a calibre not a gauge and you could fire an old mild load 44 40 blackpowder cartridge out of them but a full choke .410 might blow up teh barrel with a .45 cartridge in it. Best get another gunsmiths opinion before you do mates... The .410 rifled slug is a 7/8 ths ounce .41 calibre ball that is traveling at the same muzzle velocity as a .44 magnum when it leaves the barrel of your shotgun. More than enough power there, why risk a blowout? Yours, Aye. Dave |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 13 May 05 - 09:22 PM So much depends on the personality and previous experience of the bear. At the wilderness lodge they had a Chesapeake Bay retriever- that dog was savvy and smart. She would get the bear to turn around to face her- at a certain moment the bear would have its back turned to her and that is when Ginger went into attack mode. The bears all ran eventually. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 13 May 05 - 09:27 PM True. The best dog I ever had was a German shepherd. She was big, fast and exceptionally intelligent. I think she would have had the smarts to handle a bear. Wish she'd learned that about porcupines. Not once and not twice. THREE times. THREE. I swear she was dumb as a rock when it came to porcupines. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Metchosin Date: 14 May 05 - 02:07 AM The thing with Teddy the Westie was that at the time, three dogs originally confronted the bear just off the trail, the two larger dogs were able to beat a hasty retreat back to my friend's neighbour who was walking them and while they left in a hurry, Teddy managed to keep the bear busy for awhile. Not necessarily bright on his part, but true to form. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 14 May 05 - 10:42 AM Sometimes they have more guts than brains. Metchosin, I realized after rereading this post, "The dog will give the bear something to chew on while you and the P'vine get away" that it was very insensitive. It wasn't my intent. It is never good to lose a pet. My apologies. Bruce M |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Metchosin Date: 14 May 05 - 12:29 PM No fear Bruce, ya worry too much.*BG* I posted basically the same comment myself. A lot of stuff that I find humorous tends to be pretty black. The real kicker in all this was, at the time of her dog's untimely demise, my friend was so heavily medicated and out of it, because of bipolar disorder which the doctors then could not seem to get a handle on and held out little hope, that she didn't have much concept regarding what was going on in the real world around her....The kind of stuff that happens in life that makes you shake your head and think...jaysus.... On a brighter note, despite all this, she is once more a fully functioning human being and went on to rescue another adult Westie from the abuses of a puppy mill a few years back. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Rapaire Date: 14 May 05 - 06:44 PM Well, mostly 'cause I'd had a momentary mental lapse and had forgotten that you can get .410 slugs, mostly. And one will drop a deer -- poachers sometimes use 'em, back where I came from before I am where I am now. Bobert, I got a pretty good idea of your combo. It's most likely to be either like this one or an older version of this one. Notice I said "like," not "is." Shucks, my very own brother has an Armalite-made AR-7, and your combination is a pretty good deal for most things. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 14 May 05 - 09:18 PM Bobert, I been thinkin' on it, and here's what you need ta do. First off, everwhere ya go, carry a loaded 12 gauge shotgun. Best kind is probly one of these. Sure, it'll cause ya ta be talked about, but iffen ya tell folks that it's in case yer attacked by bears they'll unnerstand. (I carry one all the time, myself. Never had any backtalk from folks using the library, neither.) Then, ya gotta get the P-vine something fer her pertekshun. I'm guessin' that when ya go out together you kin perteckt her, so fer them times when you ain't around, this'll git the job done. Yup -- a jen-u-wine MK19A3 automatic grenade launcher! Fires 40mm grenades from a linked metal belt. All you gotta do (onct it's loaded, a' course) is ta hold the trigger down and away ya go, shootin' high explosive grenades all over the county! It'll make them black bears sit up and take notice, yessir. Now that I've settled all this fer ya.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:29 PM Aw, Rap, then the bears will know where to find Bobert and the P'vine. Need sometin' quiet-like. Dang, got an idea. BRB |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:31 PM You get one of these and the bears will leave you alone. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 14 May 05 - 09:37 PM Screw it, I ordered a M-79... Game over... fir the bear... (Bobert, Bobert, Bobert! Jus' listen to yerself... Guns ain't the answer when it comes to bears...) Wanna bet? M-79.... Allready been checked out on it, too... Works good... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:38 PM ...but get a shotgun, too. Ya might find a use for it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:41 PM Oh. OK, then forget the shotgun. However, if'n ya get one of , http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/seeitals/mediums/00011.jpg yer troubles is over. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:56 PM This is IT! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 14 May 05 - 09:59 PM Where will the mastodon sleep? Anywhere it wants to. badah bah doom |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 09:59 PM What the heck is he doing to that horned thang? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 10:08 PM But ya gotta feed it . . . . |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 14 May 05 - 10:17 PM Yeah, firget the M-79..... .....T-Rex, yeah, T-REX!!! That is the answer... (Chill Bobert.... Ya started off with a few relatively harmless black bears and now ya got Jerrasic Park, with granade launchers...) Don't listen to that guy... T-REX rocks!!! Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 10:27 PM Ba da da boom: T-REX ROCKS!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 14 May 05 - 11:32 PM No, no, no... Whad I gonna do wid you, brucie? Ain't about rocks... Hey, wait... Maybe is.... 'bout rocks in yer danged head, you knothead.... I was talkin' 'bout gettin' me a T-Tex to chase the bears away... Not abunch of rocks in some lilly pond that wounldn't scare away a tadpoll... B........ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 11:42 PM They are not rocks--they are EGGS. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 11:46 PM She didn't run. LOOK. They got her. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 14 May 05 - 11:48 PM and you never know what's inside them.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 11:52 PM MY GAWD--they're even eating the TREES. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 11:55 PM Swallowing the poor guy whole! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 14 May 05 - 11:57 PM The horror! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 15 May 05 - 12:02 AM Relax, everyone. I found the answer to the giant egg problem. NASA, eat yer hearts out. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 15 May 05 - 12:04 AM I just realized how glad I am that computers weren't available in the 1960s. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 15 May 05 - 12:12 AM no matter how strong the boulders, they will all become sand one day. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 15 May 05 - 12:17 AM The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently issued this bulletin... "Warning: In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert of bears while in the field. We advise outdoorsmen to wear noisy little bells on their clothing, so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear. It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear manure: Black bear manure is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear manure has little bells in it and smells like pepper." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 15 May 05 - 12:20 AM Don was so excited to be going bear hunting. He spotted a small Brown Bear in the woods and shot it. Then there was a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to see a big Black Bear. The Black Bear said, 'Don, you've got two choices, either I maul you to death or we have sex.' Don decided to bend over. Even though he felt sore for two weeks Don soon recovered and vowed revenge. He headed out on another trip where he found the Black Bear and shot it. There was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge Grizzly Bear was standing right next to him. The Grizzly said, 'That was a huge mistake Don. You've got two choices. Either I maul you to death, or we have rough sex.' Again, Don thought it was better to comply. Although he survived, it took several months before Don finally recovered. Outraged he headed back to the woods, managed to track down the Grizzly and shot it. He felt the sweet taste of revenge. But then there was a tap on his shoulder. Don turned round to find a giant Polar Bear standing there. The Polar Bear said, 'Admit it Don, you don't really come here for the hunting, do you?' |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 15 May 05 - 12:22 AM Thus will the sands of time flow . . . . |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 15 May 05 - 12:35 AM watch what you leave on the verandah, Bobert.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 15 May 05 - 08:13 AM Well, gol danged, brucie, I didn't see no bear eatin' rocks... Seems all they wanta eat is people... Now the P-Vine has even more to be concerned about... Does wearin' a bell offer you an protection from these rocks??? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: freda underhill Date: 15 May 05 - 08:25 AM LoL! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 15 May 05 - 09:43 PM Bobert, this stuff is the answer ta yer problems. You jist leave it out fer the bears ta find and they'll head fer the hills double quick. 'Course, they might come back the next day gunnin' fer ya. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 15 May 05 - 11:09 PM Bobert, what AM I gonna do about you. Listen up, son, listen up I say. The rocks are for the bears. It works like the old treatment for crabs--a subject with which I am intimately familiar. You throw a handful of sand onto your 'unmentionable location'. Then pour beer on the same place you just put the sand. The little buggers will get drunk, start fighting and stone each other to death. Easy. Just do the same with the bears. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 16 May 05 - 07:21 PM Screw the guns. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 16 May 05 - 08:19 PM I first read that as 'Screw the gnus'- Took me aback. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Rapaire Date: 16 May 05 - 09:30 PM Kipling wrote about "the screw-guns." Well, you could get REALLY historical...and demonstrate your manliness and machismo and hairy chest at the same time.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Fay Wray Date: 17 May 05 - 12:05 AM Problem Solved. (Cost you a fortune in bananas, though.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 17 May 05 - 06:39 AM Ebbie: "I first read that as 'Screw the gnus'- Took me aback." I first read that as 'I first read that as 'Screw the gnus'- Took me back.'- Took me back. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Rapaire Date: 17 May 05 - 09:17 AM Kipling did NOT write about "screw-gnus." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 17 May 05 - 09:47 AM Do you like Kipling? I don't know; I've never Kippled. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 17 May 05 - 11:30 AM I loves me Kippered Snacks, with a wee toddy of Black Rum and Coke, up at the camp, tellin bear stories. See this here scar on me neck? Well, I forgot me Seventh Calvary Regiment sword one troutin trip and I just happened to pick up walkin stick at a beaver dam fer steadyin meself on the slippery rocks. One end was right pointy, kinda like a spear... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 17 May 05 - 11:39 AM LOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 May 05 - 11:48 AM Yeah, but that ain't nothin' to this scar here that I got early one Spring when I was out checkin' out the trap line my Uncle used to run up around Triangle Lake. He'd taken a bit too much the night before, it bein' his Bachelor Party and all. And lemme tell ya, that was SOME party! They brought in the here hootchi-kootchie dance girl that could make her tassels twirl in opposite directions, an' so fast that we thought she was gonna take off. Looked like the engines on a B-25, like we used fly over Germany durin' the Big War. One time we was comin' back from a run over some place along the Rhine with two engines shot up, most of the port wing gone, no vertical rudder, the hydralics shot away, the landing gear gone and the navigator pourin' oil into the system so's the bearings wouldn't freeze. And lemme tell ya, if they froze up, it's be like that time up in Alaska when we were mushing from Eagle City to Dawson and Fred's feet froze so solid that.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 17 May 05 - 01:14 PM Rapaire, your character has gone about as far off topic as I routinely do! But I enjoyed it anyway. How about starting a thread of tall tales? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,Azizi Date: 17 May 05 - 03:08 PM Hiya! I just thought I'd drop by to let you know that the African American secular folk songs thead has some discussion of a song called The Grizzaly Bear and a dance called The Grizzly Bear. "Come on up!" to the non-BS threads and post a comment or two. Ms. Azizi |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 17 May 05 - 05:55 PM I thought you might like both of those last two, Ebbie. I hope SINS sees the last one. She'll get a kick out of it. BTW, did you know the U.S. "7th" is the Garryowen regiment? Oops. I just realized I posted "Calvary" above. Slightly different from "Cavalry"!!! Perhaps a Freudian... the hill of Garry Owen versus "THE Hill?" Hmmm. Maybe it's the painmurderers. Must check my subscription to see if it's renubile. gnu (but don't tell anyone) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 18 May 05 - 03:52 PM Rapaire, don't cast pearls before swine. Keep the BS in the MOAB where it belongs! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Dave (the ancient mariner) Date: 18 May 05 - 03:55 PM Just Remember you have a constitutional right to "Keep and Arm Bears" ;-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 18 May 05 - 04:01 PM Bears have two arms and that's plenty! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 18 May 05 - 07:51 PM So, ahhhhh, now we have asords, an' spears, an' Afican music, an' a bottle of womenz, an', an'.... Jeeze-a-mo-pete.... Next thing someone is gonna come up with is some danged Shatner idea.... I can smell it a'comin'.... 'Er Pa and Reg Boyz.... Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 21 May 05 - 03:21 PM I got a call from Dale earlier today. I've "mentioned" him on some other threads and made him out to be an outrageous character. Well, he is real and he's more than outrageous. He wanted to know why I wasn't up country for the long weekend and he was pretty excited. Late yesterday, he guided an American sport from New York to a record black bear. He couldn't even get it out with his old toyota truck and he was calling from a ranger station in a small town waiting to get it weighed. He figures it might beat the world record, also taken in New Brunswick, of 902 pounds dressed. Bobert, if you ever meet up with one that big, you have my deepest sympathies. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST, Ebbie Date: 21 May 05 - 06:17 PM Wow. Gnu, if that weighs in at 900 pounds, it will be almost twice the 'normal' weight for a blackie. Let us know the final figure! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 21 May 05 - 06:19 PM Ursus freakin' biggus. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 21 May 05 - 07:29 PM Well, well, well.... A 900 pound black bear? Heck, I bet the piccure of it weighed in at over 10 pounds... Aww, jus' funnin'.... Hmmmmm? Hey, that's a purdy danged big bear.... But if I run into one that big the last thing that bear will remember is the sound of me chamberin' a load of 4 shot in the 12 guage.... He gonna be a danged rug.... Ahhhhhh, now I got a question fir all you beariers, ahhhh, bear folk (no not nude) 'er whatever folks that know 'bout these critters... So hear goes. We all that a bear poop in the woods, right... But, ahhhh, like what is bear poop like? No, gol dangit, I din't mean like to play with 'er injest... I mean, what do it look like 'cause when we was down (up) in Pine Grove (Luray) today takin' another load o' stuff we come 'cross where somethin' had tore open a bag o' ProMix we had and half ruined it... So the P-Vine says to me "Go ask yer beariers, 'er bear folks (no, not nude) 'er__________ what does bear poop look like." So Iz askin. What does bear poop look like? (Ya know, Bobert, this question IS gonna come back to haunt ya....) Nevermind... BObert |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 21 May 05 - 07:36 PM In berry season, it looks like a dark coloured cow pattie with a lot of seeds. In the absolute opposite season, it looks like my brother's but not as wide or as long. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 21 May 05 - 07:37 PM You asked. Here it is, Bobert. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 21 May 05 - 07:41 PM Yup...spit...that there's...spit...b'ar shit awright. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 21 May 05 - 07:47 PM That was a photo from your brother, gnu. LOL |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 21 May 05 - 07:51 PM Nope. My brother never ate no roughage in his life. That there bear been eatin healthy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 21 May 05 - 07:55 PM . . . an' if it's still steamin' you are TOO CLOSE TO THE BEAR. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 21 May 05 - 09:55 PM Steamin'... minds me... I was three hours from the truck on a due east bearing. It was a cool October day, mid afternnon, and I was on an old logging road, headed for a crossing of Big Forks Stream in Kent County, New Brunswick. I could hear water and see a level alder flood plain to my right as I walked down a slope... beaver pond, I was sure. I knew the old stream crossing was close. The logging road turned to a trail and then to a path and then to a "bear tunnel". A bear tunnel is a few feet wide and a few feet tall (depends on the bear), like an archway. Then, I could smell it. Plain as if I had some on my 'stache. I stopped and replaced the number six in the top barrel with a slug. I crouched and moved forward slowly while I held my shotgun tightly on my hip, safety off, trigger finger on the side of the breech. I stepped over the pile of steaming fresh bear shit and continued to the edge of the stream. I broke out of the dense alders and small hardwood trees about ten feet from the edge of an old wooden bridge and stood up from my stoop, putting the safety back on. Now, I don't know who was more scared... the duck that lifted from the pool where the old bridge used to be or me, but I did see the duck shit when he was about three feet off the water. I knew what he felt like. I surveyed the area. It was like Eden in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely beautiful. There was at least a hundred good sized trout in the pool, even with the duck there. I made a hundred yard half-circle to the upstream and downstream sides looking for ruffed grouse sign and was impressed. I knew I would be back again for partridge at a better time of day. I laid down at the edge of the bridge and had a smoke. I got up and started the long walk back to the truck. At the entrance to the beer tunnel, I crouched and took about four steps in when he appeared, in the middle of the tunnel, broadside, about twenty feet away. He filled the tunnel and all I could see was head and shoulders. Immediately, I kneeled and fired both barrels into the brush above him and reloaded in an instant. He was gone and I hadn't seen which way. I advanced at a good pace but kept a keen eye out until I was a good fifty yards past where he had stood. Two hours later, I was at the truck, scraping bear shit off my right boot. Ya know... someday I will go back there after them partridge... someday. That was about fifteen years ago. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,brucie Date: 21 May 05 - 11:55 PM ". . . but I did see the duck shit when he was about three feet off the water." If I'd been with you, you would have seen me shit, too. Heckuva story. And if that bear's still around, he's probably ornery and just waiting for some ol' human to wander into his life. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 22 May 05 - 09:14 AM Re my post above, I've mentioned this on other threads... any hikers ever see one of theses "tunnels", shaped like a horseshoe, recognize it for what it is and stay away from it. Black bears who make these tunnels are usually large boars or elderly dry sows (very rare for a sow) who use these as regular paths and, more importantly to note, to ambush. I know old fellahs who will not venture near a tunnel unless in pairs and with the express intent to harvest. Some bears will construct a number of tunnels parallel and inter-joining so they can move quickly and quietly to determine what is walking along a tunnel before they attack. Bears also parallel their game without the use of tunnels. If you hear something "following" you off to the side, a trick is to move at a fair pace and suddenly stop to listen. You'll soon know what's going on. Also, while stopped, pitch sticks or rocks ahead of you in your travel direction while stopped and listen to see if it moves forward following the noise. You can probably figure out the next move on your own. One more thing. I would never have fired as quickly as I did if I had met up with this bear in the "open" woods. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 May 05 - 10:04 AM Oh, good. A record-breaking huge black bear. Let's shoot it so we can weigh it. Reminds me of the lame-brained USFS forester who found what they thought was the record-breaking bristle-cone pine in Nevada in the Sierras. Nothing would do for him but to cut the tree down to count the annual rings. . . they found another, older one, and barred that yimyat from getting anywhere near it. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 22 May 05 - 11:20 AM A forester who cut down a tree to count the rings rather than using a bore sampler? Unbelievable! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 May 05 - 12:12 PM That's what a lot of people thought. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Boab Date: 23 May 05 - 02:17 AM Black bears are so common in our yard that it pays to watch where you put your feet! Had one little black guy trying to open our steel garbage can, while his Ma watched from about five yards out. I "shoo-ed" the cheeky wee bugger back from the trash can, and stood there to discourage it from returning.It regarded me for a scant five seconds, decided I was harmless, and joined me on the opposite side of the trash can! Ma bear, meanwhile, decided to move on down hill, and turned and ambled off. The wee fella decided that he'd better follow Ma, and off he went. The pair stopped at the foot of the short downhill, and stood looking at me. I did the recommended war dance [whoops included] which they seemed to regard as the afternoon's entertainment. Then I made a mistake. I gathered a handful of gravel from the drive way, and heaved it at them. Baby bear was up the nearest tree pronto, and Mama bear began galloping in circles, growling and headshaking. Shit! She didn't like me at all! Luckily, the car was parked close by, and I was into the front seat like a shot. Now, I was aware that this sow had started out with TWO cubs, but had lost one to a speeding car on the highway. I started the engine, and belted out some horn blasts. Wee bear was down in a flash, and the pair of them hightailed it [and believe me, they CAN move very fast] down into the bush. They'll tell you that most black bear sows aren't inclined to attack, not even to protect their offspring. DON'T COUNT ON IT! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Boab Date: 23 May 05 - 02:39 AM Re. the Cougar. My longhaired partner was in the habit of taking an evening hike up the highway. Something under a year ago, she was returning eastward towards home when she heard a rustling in the bush on the steep bank to her left. Her first thought was either a bear or a deer [ bears don't feel the need to be silent in the bush, and are noisy in their travels]. The animal suddenly materialised--and it wasn't a bear--nor was it a deer. It was a real-live spitting cougar. It landed crouching in the drainage ditch by the roadside a mere few feet in front of her. In retrospect, I am of the opinion that it was the dog [she had "Ruby' on a leash]which was the target. She tried all the dodges as she'd heard of them, but the cat wouldn't be turned. Fate, sheer luck or the Lord was on her side. A car came into view, travelling east. She flagged it frantically to a stop, and asked sanctuary of the two girls in the front seats. They were Tofino lassies, and had her in that car tout-de-suite. Hornblowing and engine-revving sent the beast back into the bush.They brought a shaken-up lady home safe. She hasn't hiked the highway since. It has to be said that the sighting of a cougar is a rare thing indeed. I have NEVER seen one, but in the twelve years I've been here, I am certain that THEY have seen ME many times. Sneaky barstewards. Most people live a lifetime on the Island, and never once see a cougar. They are there nonethe less. Always be aware of any high rocks or trees by the side of the trail. It may happen once in a lifetime---but it can happen. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 17 Jun 05 - 09:42 AM Another black bear attack. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 Jun 05 - 03:07 PM Lordy. And this guy was a veteran bushman, too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 17 Jun 05 - 03:24 PM Yeah. I just hope it was quick. I sometimes get laughed at when the old guys see my shiv on my belt, but, someday, I might be the one who lives to laugh. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 17 Jun 05 - 03:37 PM And here I thought this thread was about a question Little Hawk's kid brother asked. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 Jun 05 - 08:53 PM As I said, when I go into the woods today I go packin', mostly to scare any critter off with a loud noise. And yes, I have a very nice knife I take along, too. That's a Buck "General," 7.5 inch blade, phenolic hilt, and I keep it very sharp (like a knife should be kept). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Mooh Date: 17 Jun 05 - 09:50 PM Rapaire...I have that same knife (among others), and a fox whistle. The knife has never seen bear, but it's had its share of salmon and trout. Given the salmon/bear relationship, it's sorta appropriate. I like the Fox whistle but it almost puts out the ears! A classier looking whistle is an old Scout model, though class don't matter a damn if your life's on the line. Peace, Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 17 Jun 05 - 10:22 PM Rap, I have owned two of those knives. They are THE best, IMO. I prefer the Puma for throwing because the blade is thicker and it has the heft. The 116374 However, when I bought the only one I ever owned, I seem to recall it costing about $60. Price has gone up a bit in 35 years. I expect the Buck Knife has too. Each of them cost about $60 back then too. I find the Puma to be a less-than utilitarian knife unless you're skinning something big. The Buck is a great knife. Keeps an edge and has a good feel to it. BM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: bobad Date: 17 Jun 05 - 10:40 PM I've had this knife also for about 35 years. It's never been used in anger against any living thing, thank goodness. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 Jun 05 - 10:52 PM My brother Tony has a Puma; he's had it since the early '60s. It's his favorite knife. I have a boot knife I took off a punk wannabee at the library in Indiana once; I use that for throwing because it is, actually, pretty well balanced for that. I've got a couple of other knives, too. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 Jun 05 - 10:58 PM Okay. I can very easily and by taking only a very few steps put my hands on at least nine knives and one cavalry saber. The blade lengths of the knives vary from a about three to twelve inches. I have other knives around elsewhere, too (I'm not counting the ones in the kitchen). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: bobad Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:05 PM In view of your gun and knife collection I won't be breaking into your house anytime soon. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:15 PM I wouldn't use either to defend my house. In fact, as long as you didn't harm anyone living here you could take everything. Bear in mind, however, that I have a nightstick, and I've been trained to use it correctly. No, it's not weighted. It's so much nicer than guns and knives, especially indoors. No messy bullets holes, no ugly stains on the carpet, no loud noises (except screams of pain from broken bones). Did I mention my bow and arrows? A 45 lb. pull take-down recurve; I draw a 31-inch shaft. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: bobad Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:30 PM I get the impression that you have an interest in weapons and are quite comfortable having them around. For myself I have never owned a weapon per se, although many items can be used as weapons, and to tell the truth I've never been comfortable around them though I recognize that they do invoke a morbid curiosity in me. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:57 PM I understand living with BROWNbears....even Grizzley and Polar.
Blacks I cannot speak-for.
Most state DFG will use "cherry-bombs" "m-80's" to discourage the bears from the immediate area .... before trapping.
Bottom line - keep ALL smellables (soap, food, drinks, cigars, deoderant, gum and candy) locked in a tight bear-resistant, sealed container.
Trapping is live - and transport to their wilderness point of oragin is swift....
Sincerely,
Consider it like illegal-immigrants - remove the tantalizing-treat - and they won't be around. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 18 Jun 05 - 03:16 AM October. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 18 Jun 05 - 03:59 PM Bodad, I was in the Army...the Infantry. Weapons are tools. What are weapons can also be tools of sport -- fencing, archery, target shooting, skeet, tossing the camber, discus, shot put, javelin come to mind. There has been a lot of glorification of weapons and even more misrepresentation of them (e.g., shooting a car in the gas tank doesn't cause the car to blow up, although all of the gas will leak out). Weapons are, themselves, no more a solution than any other tool -- a hammer, say, or a knife. You are quite correct that other things could be used as weapons. Here's a list that are right now within reach of me: CD jewel cases various computer cables my belt my shoestrings my shoes my ballpoint pen the pressurized can of air I use to blow dust out of the computer eyeglasses cleaner a stapler zip disks keys the albuterol inhaler in my pocket a roll of nickels books magazines Note that not one of these things is usually considered a weapon -- indeed, I could bring any of them (except for the canned air) on an airplane without comment -- in the case of my belt I would certainly want to do so. Bodad, I have permit that says I can carry a concealed weapon, which is usually thought of as a pistol. I don't carry, as a rule. I have a cell phone; cops are far better armed than I could ever afford to be. But I started shooting at 12, at targets, on a range, under VERY close supervision. Comfortable with weapons? I suppose so...they're all around me -- and you. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 18 Jun 05 - 04:20 PM To add to Rapaires list: Near me: Serated edge Scotch tape dispenser. Comb Stapler Wall Floor Desk--both edge and corner Floppy disk Keys |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST Date: 18 Jun 05 - 07:00 PM Rapaire Just out of curiousity,(without getting too personal) why would one need to carry a concealed weapon in a civilized country, unless one were an undercover cop or something. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: bobad Date: 18 Jun 05 - 07:05 PM oops that was me at 7:00 PM |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 18 Jun 05 - 07:36 PM Got me, bodad. I keep the permit up for two reasons: first, my wife's an attorney and in the past she's worked with various security forces investigating illegal drug activity (crack, actually) and second, since I have firearms in the house it forces me to periodically brush up on firearms safety. And no, I'm not getting rid of my guns. They are locked up, with trigger locks, inside a "gun safe" locker. Ammunition, such as I have, is locked away elsewhere. There are no children here, and any that visit will have had classes in firearms safety. I have hunted in the past and wouldn't mind doing it again. I also enjoy TARGET shooting, both cartridge and muzzleloader. On a range, not out in the hills blasting away. I'm far, far more Olympics than Rambo -- for one thing, I can't afford the bullets Rambo types blast the countryside with! I do NOT live in an urban area -- the town here has 50,000 people and is one of the biggest in the STATE. Idaho has 1 person for every 69 acres -- it's rural, with a vengance in some places. In fact, even this town is considered to be a "rural area." And I kinda like it this way. (And yes, I've been to London, Dublin, Paris, Cork, New York, DC, LA, 'Frisco, Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans, Denver, Toronto, Seoul, Tokyo, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver and other such places. In fact, I'm heading out to DC again at the end of July. But I won't take weapons.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 18 Jun 05 - 07:41 PM Wow! There was a picture (scroll down, on the right) in today's paper of a moose (!) in one of the city parks! That's two moose in town so far this year (and one cougar in Chubbuck, just across the street). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: bobad Date: 18 Jun 05 - 08:33 PM You sound like a very responsible gun owner Rapaire, if only all the others were like you America would be a safer place. What a coincidence about the moose. I was coming home from a trip to the big city a couple of hours ago and there was a young moose, about the same as in the pic but probably female (cow ?) just beside the road a couple of kilometers from my place. She jumped and bounded off at the sight of the car. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Peace Date: 18 Jun 05 - 08:44 PM We aren't seeing many here just now. Give it a month. They'll be all over the place, and we can expect some--three or four MVCs as a result. Moose, deer, elk. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 18 Jun 05 - 10:22 PM If you have weapons you must must must take responsibility. THAT was drilled into me when I first went to learn to shoot at the age of 12. "You," they said, "are responsible for where that bullet goes. You. Not your mom, not your dad, not the guy next you, not your best friend, but YOU." And I can still recite the "10 Commandments" -- and I try to live them (as does all of my family, including my sister): Treat every gun as if it were a loaded gun until YOU, personally, have proven otherwise. Be sure of your target. Be sure of your backstop. NEVER point a gun at something you don't intend to shoot. ...and so on. Six hours of safety instruction before we could even think about firing five rounds at the firing line. Why? Why did my mother insist that each of her four children fire the first two "ranks" at the rifle range? In her words, "There are a lot of guns out there and I want you kids to at least know which end it which." It took, with a vengenance. Each of my brothers hunts and shoots and has firearms in the house -- and each of my brothers' children (nine of them, total, but it seems like more) knows how to handle firearms responsibly. And my sister? Well, here's a little story. Back in 1991 I bought a bolt action .22 rifle for target shooting. And I took it apart one day, put it in a gun case and took it over to show my brother Tony. At his house one evening I reassembled it and handed it to him -- he looked it over, and then (naturally) his two oldest sons HAD to look it over. I was starting to disassemble it and put it away when my sister said, "Let me see it, Mike." So I handed it to her, and the two boys started to snicker. I mean, Aunt M is going to look at Uncle Mike's rifle? This is gonna be GOOD! It was. She dropped the magazine, opened the bolt, checked the chamber, flipped the rifle over, stuck her little fingernail into the breech to reflect light up the barrel, closed the bolt, clicked the trigger, put the rifle to her shoulder to get the feel of the balance the rifle, put the magazine back, handed me the rifle, and said, "Nice." The two boys were left with their jaws on the floor...and now, with a younger sister who can (if she wishes) outshoot either of them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Jun 05 - 09:41 PM Isn't it fun when you can surprise your children like that? (One of my favorite scenes in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is the children's astonishment when Atticus is called to shoot the rabid dog). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 19 Jun 05 - 10:39 PM Ralph was two and just barely talking. Tony was showing me his new, double barreled (side-by-side) shotgun. Ralph toddled up to the table where we were sitting, pointed at the shotgun and said to me, "Daddy's tools. Don't touch!" and walked away. I'm not saying that nothing untoward has never happened. My brothers, one Christmas afternoon recently, were sitting in the porch swing talking. Out came nephew Ted, the youngest of the nine Nozdral, with the blowgun his father had bought himself for Christmas (don't ask why!). Ted had been shooting it at targets all day. This time he shot a dart into his father's...fundament. When his father returned to Earth, the blowgun was quickly put away by Ted's uncle Ted, while the boy's father was having hydrogen peroxide poured onto his backside by his wife (who was none to steady due to excessive laughter). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 28 Jun 05 - 06:44 AM From today's Times & Transcript, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada: A young black bear visited a few backyards on Waterfall Drive in Riverview yesterday. Here, the bear checks out the live trap set up by the Dept. of Natural Resources. The trap was filled with Tim Hortons muffins, bagels and doughnuts since 'Everyone loves Tim Hortons.' The bear was capatured and taken out of the town. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 28 Jun 05 - 09:14 AM Hmmm...does Tim's make special muffins and things for this purpose? Can you go in a get a dozen "Bear Bait Bagels"? I'd like to try them. Why is there no Tim Horton's in Pocatello -- I know that they've got 'em in the States. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: LilyFestre Date: 05 Jul 05 - 12:22 AM Bobert... Have you seen any bears yet? How about some photos? I saw a big ole black bear last week...strolling through a struggling corn field....got a photo of him too....kinda far away....but stull..he was BIG! Bears are an interesting sort. I am scared to death of them yet intriqued to the point of being able to watch them for hours...from a distance or inside a car. Michelle |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,gnu Date: 05 Jul 05 - 10:43 AM Wouldn't let me post as gnu, sooo When I got to my camp on Friday, a young black bear took off from under the camp like a bat. Guess he figured I wasn't coming back due to my long abscence. And, it's nice and cool under there. SOB ripped the door off the fence on the side of the camp but didn't do any other damage. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Rapparee Date: 05 Jul 05 - 11:45 AM Our Uncle bobert's not right in the head He's been that way all his life, my mother said Its not that he's violent or falls down the stairs Its just he goes living, living with bears He goes li li li living, living with bears Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears too There's nothing on earth Ol' Bobert won't do So he can go living, li li li living He can go living, living with bears Well we begged and we pleaded, "Oh please won't you stay" But he upped and moved hisself off to Luray, And the bears all barged in and they took him away Now he's living with black bears Grizzlies and Cave Bears, And the place demands all of his time every day. CHORUS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 19 May 10 - 11:28 AM Lucky man. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: mg Date: 19 May 10 - 10:04 PM I have dental floss and q-tips and magic markers and I do know how to use them..they are right next to my computer should someone invade my property..or a black bear..and we have tons of them here. mg |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 31 May 10 - 11:39 AM Ahhhh... what did they think was gonna happen... Mon May 31, 7:31 AM By The Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A hiker shot and killed a grizzly bear with his handgun in Alaska's Denali National Park, officials said. A man and woman reported that they were hiking Friday evening when the bear emerged from trailside brush and charged the woman, park spokeswoman Kris Fister said in a statement. The man fired nine rounds from his .45 calibre, semiautomatic pistol at the animal, which then stopped and walked into the brush. The two reported the shooting to rangers, who restricted access to the Igloo Canyon area for fear that the bear was wounded and dangerous. On Saturday, rangers found the dead bear about 100 feet (30 metres) from the shooting site. Park officials are determining the justification for the shooting. It's legal to carry firearms in that area of the park but illegal to discharge them. Rangers said it was the first known instance of a grizzly bear being shot by a visitor in the wilderness portion of Denali, formerly called Mount McKinley National Park. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Riginslinger Date: 31 May 10 - 07:21 PM I think it was my first real job--I was driving a water truck for some ol' boys who were loggin' down around Happy Camp. The very first day, a little bear rolled down the hill and I hit him with the water truck. He jumped up and scampered up a tree. I got out to see if he was hurt, when I heard this really loud roar behind me. It was Mama Bear. I'm here to tell you, it didn't take me long to get back in the cab of that truck. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: frogprince Date: 31 May 10 - 07:26 PM Which adds a whole new literal sense besides the usual usage of "I'm here to tell you". : ) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 24 Jul 10 - 02:07 PM Hello, Allstate Insurance? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 24 Jul 10 - 02:08 PM Grizzly theft auto? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Donuel Date: 24 Jul 10 - 03:15 PM This year Virginia will have a three day open hunting season on black bears. I understand this is the first one in a very long time. I am guessing but I thought I heard Sept 26 to 29. I am pretty sure it was not November since they want them out and about for the hunt and not hybernating. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 24 Jul 10 - 04:11 PM November in Virginia? Are they hybernating in Toyotas? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 24 Jul 10 - 05:31 PM Well, since beginnin' this thread, what, 4 years ago, I have learned to respect the bears but not fear them... I've have several encounters with them and with the exception of one where I had to detour all the rest ended up with the bear running away from me as fast as it could... I mean, I like bears for the most part... Seein' as there are a couple million acres of woods behind our farm I have let about 3 or 4 people come up to hunt... One guy shot a 100 pound bear and it broke my heart to see that little bear dead on the back of his truck so I told him we didn't appreciate him killin' a bear and the couldn't come back... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 24 Jul 10 - 06:42 PM A hundred pound bear? The bastard! I ain't never shot a bear. Even though I been face to face with some bad bastard bears. And I mean face to face. Just stared each other down and I won (I had firepower so I ain't "brave" er stupid). I also been stalked by a few, but I outsmarted them and never had to use deadly force. Only time I was ever scared was when I was deep in the woods and bein stalked and all I had was a knife. But I had a good arm and I picked up ston |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 24 Jul 10 - 07:47 PM ÉÉÉÉ.... oh... my keyboard went south again. É = question mark ... and I picked up stones from a brook and got the bear to follow the sound when I threw them and I took my stones the hell outta there in the opposite direction. Can`t be arsed to post the rest of the story again. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 25 Jul 10 - 06:15 PM "Regularly piss on a half dozen trees at the perimeter of your property - the higher up the tree, " gnu, May 9 05 You have any advice for women *g* "...don't try to race them, don't talk to them. "Rap May 9 05 I had in interesting - and nnn-threatening - experience once in talking to one, Rapaire. "...folks are recommending a chain link (cyclone) fence with an electic wire and close to the house." 'Bobert May 13 05 The National Forest Service, Bobert, on occasion does experimental plantings as well as various other plots in the wilderness. They routinely string the area with a single strand of electric wire, set up with gasoline generators. Keeps all manner of bears away. Nowadays a taser is considered pretty fool proof. Did you see the recent story of a bear that was tased on someone's front porch. Got to say it may me feel sorry for the bear. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: ollaimh Date: 25 Jul 10 - 06:26 PM i used to live in the high british columbia rockies back decades ago. we had an immediate neighbour who riased malamutes, we usuall had seven or more at a time. bears stayed away, however you do have to train them not to chase bears, id they catch it they will get injured and run right back to you with the bear in chase. this goes for any doges. malamutes are smart and trainasble but very wildn so you need some dog mastery or they will run your life. the guy with a 44 magnum, good luck. you can't kill a grizzly with anyn hand gun unless you get the shot of a lifetime right innt eh cemntre of the heart or brain. even an off centre hit on brain or heardt a grizzly has been known to run of a further quarter mile at thirty miles an hour and very angry. your really are better off with bear spray quality pepper spray or a real hunting rifle--but the rifel only of you really know how to use it. wounding a grizzly is usually a death sentece for both of you. you are more likely to survive a grizzly arract by rolling in a ball and staying calm(not easy) than wounding the bear. small grizzlies can clomb trees and big ones can knock them down so better to back off slowily and have pepper spray att hand. now we had well trained dogs and were brutasl with garbage regulations and we rarely had any bear trouble. more than once we met tourists wanting to hike to see the grizz. i'd just shake my head. when assjed directions i'd say"we don't hike in their territory and hopefully they won't hike in ours" they were c locall ycalled fool killers. most deaths weretoruists hiking in grizzly country. grizzlies are territortial. when in their own territory they are very agressive, but their home territory is mostly up high and remote. they seem to really hate humans and other bears and try to live alone except when mating. when crossing your territory foraging they are much less agressive. i watched a neighbour shout at one till it left(i ran for the high powered rifle but didn't need it). but it was in his garden and it knew it was out of its territory. it was going down to get the salmon run. if you want to see a lot of bears at once find the local salmon run--i don't advise it but i did it carefully once from a cliff above. hundreds of bears catching and eating. the grizzliesa and the black bears stayed on opposite sides of the river, and the mothers were fattening up the young so they were too preoccupied to notoce people. still i wouldn't go down and fish. generall if you don't do dumb things you have no trouble. grizzlies do bnot hibernate all winter. they get up once or twice to fatten up again. yu really don't want to meet one then. so when cross country skiing still keep you eyes open, and take a trained malamute. the dog will notice the bear long before you do. i was up high once with three senior dogs(the best trained) and one grumbled and i looked down about a thousand or fifteen hundred feeet, and there was a grizz standing and sniffing the air. bead of winter and lots of snow. i skiied about five miles out of my usualy way to get home. bears don't like horses as stated but if a bear sppoks a horse you're in trouble. two ranchers i knew dies that way. they weren't found for months when people noticed the smell. the grizzly will burry a corpse to soften it up for later. on the whole though they were intertaining neighbours as long as you strictly do not feed them or put any garbage or compost anywhere they can smell or get at |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Tangledwood Date: 25 Jul 10 - 07:55 PM Nowadays a taser is considered pretty fool proof. Please tell me that the general public cannot buy tasers? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 26 Jul 10 - 02:42 AM by Rebecca Palsha Thursday, July 22, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Almost nothing is as startling as finding a black bear on your porch -- even if you're Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker. A small black bear was causing trouble at homes on the Anchorage Hillside Thursday morning. Parker thinks the same bear snuck up onto his porch. "I could tell the bear was shocked by the whole thing -- it was certainly startled," Parker said. "I noticed it, this morning, was out on our porch again and was going into a fish fryer that we have out there -- I grabbed my rifle just in case and thought, 'I didn't want to shoot this bear.'" It was the Police |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 26 Jul 10 - 06:25 PM Maybe it will teach this particular bear not to contact humans... without having to kill it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: olddude Date: 26 Jul 10 - 07:28 PM It would take me 100 years to list my encounters with the critters. I never once hunted one or had to shoot one. I have had to climb a tree when I walked between a mom and her cub ... she would have killed me if she could ... that was my worst encounter. Most of the time you yell at them , throw some sticks and they take off ... But yes that can kill you but attacks were always pretty rare in my neck of the woods .. usually again only when they have cubs. At least in Pennsylvania. Now here in western NY ... I never ran across one but they are here. I have seen many tracks but haven't see any of them. now a grizzly ... another story entirely ... big , mean and will hunt you. I am well armed when I walk in that valley of the shadow of death |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 26 Jul 10 - 07:32 PM I keep reading this as 'Livin' with Black Beans... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: GUEST,redhorse at work Date: 27 Jul 10 - 08:26 AM I remember reading somewhere that the way to tell a black bear from a grizzly is to shout at it. If it's a black bear it'll run up a tree If it's a grizzly you'll run up a tree.......... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Ebbie Date: 27 Jul 10 - 01:54 PM lol |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: kendall Date: 27 Jul 10 - 10:19 PM If someone has posted this I didn't see it. Black Bears.... Fight back with anything you can use as a weapon! Even a tree branch or a bush, go for the eyes. No predator will risk its eyes. And, Dave is right about using a modern rifle bullet. Do not ever fire a .410 shotgun with a modern bullet in it.. Check the thickness of the shotgun, then a modern rifle barrel. See for yourself. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 29 Jul 10 - 03:29 PM Out for lunch and shopping for the cubs. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 13 Aug 10 - 03:38 PM I did this with a black bear at the window of my trailer (caravan). But, I was in a trailer and I had a shotgun I could easily get to. No way "my" bear coulda got at me. If I was in that tent, I woulda done the same thing that buddy did to the polar bear. And, then, I woulda changed me drawers. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 23 Aug 10 - 07:25 AM Hey Bobert... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: gnu Date: 09 Sep 10 - 01:51 PM Here's the windup... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Livin' with Black Bears Question.... From: Bobert Date: 09 Sep 10 - 09:15 PM Man, brings new meaning to "let's get stoned", don't it, gn-ze??? |
