OT: Bears

[Cuango]

Heard it on some Animal Planet show, I think. Admittedly, I'm out of my depth here, Hoops. I've never been hunting, fishing or camping so for me, "roughing it" is opening the window at the Marriott.

Uh, here's another one:

Snakes
Red and black, venom lack.
Black and yellow, kill a fellow.

Actually, I believe it is; red on black, venom lack
Red on yellow, kill a fellow
The point being that if the red stripe is followed by a black stripe, it is not a coral snake while if red is touching yellow, then it is.

 

[triaddukefan]

There was a bear cub spotted in a tree at a hospital in Raleigh yesterday. They placed Krispy Kreme jelly donuts and sardines on the ground in hopes it would entice him to come down. It worked





From an article in the paper

Greg Batts with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said he bought the donuts from Krispy Kreme, which celebrated 84 years of business on Tuesday. Batts squeezed the raspberry jelly out of the donuts around the base of the tree and then put the donuts in a trail along with the sardines.

"I threw out all this food out in the base of this tree and he's laying up there in that tree and he's just smelling that," Batts said. "It's just coming up into his nostrils and some point you know you just gotta say 'I'm getting down out of here, I'm gonna grab some donuts and I'm gonna get out of town.'"

 

[The CDR-Ret]

The best bears of all...

View attachment 67997

I would say the 1985 Bears, and their Super Bowl Shuffle done before the Super Bowl was played...



Final: Bears 46 - Patriots 10

 

[Lurker]

The appearance of bears in CT likely has little to do with COVID, but rather is simply a continuation of range expansion, which has been going on for decades. CT (like most NE states that were formerly less forested) has become more inviting to bears because of suitable habitat. Adults have young, the young move away from the adult female, and those cubs need to find their own territories. Individual females with cubs might live in a territory of 5-10 square miles, whereas males about 10-50. So just think about it as new locations that have suitable but currently unoccupied bear territory now becoming occupied by resident bears that needed their own territory. It's a progression, and we're not anywhere near having our state populated as densely as it can be by bears. So human-bear interactions will increase, trash cans will be opened, houses breached, etc.. The challenge is that, unlike having more chipmunks or squirrels, an adult bear is extremely powerful and can do a lot of damage, and it can be dangerous. stay tuned...

Bears in CT that have had problematic encounters with people can be trapped and released, and will have large visible ear tags to identify them as problem bears (they're tracked and on their own progression at that point). If you have a bear on your property with ear tags, be cautious about trying to encourage it to leave. An unacclimated (to humans) black bear tends to be shy - that is their more natural state. The pictured bear was about 20' away (I had been in my yard when it suddenly appeared) when I put the phone down to stop taking pictures and escalated to yelling AND banging a shovel against a metal pail. It immediately pivoted and went in the opposite direction. It's not a step I would recommend to everyone and ever situation. I've had to co-exist with bears in wilderness campsites - you develop a feel for which bears to encourage to leave in which situations compared to letting them do what they want. I didn't want the pictured bear (no tags), who was pretty relaxed, to feel welcome and make itself at home.... so I decided to be proactive to chase it away. The bear was beautiful (great face) and I admired it, but I just preferred it not making itself at home.

And bobcats are also expanding. But they tend to retreat rapidly once they become aware of the presence of humans.

Sorry - decided to remove the attachments so they wouldn't be used in other ways...

 

[D J B]

Years ago, when I was a scoutmaster, I would talk to my scouts about bears, and bear safety. I personally have had experience with two bears up close and it was a nervous several minutes, but it worked out fine.

The number one rule is to never get between a mother bear and her cubs, but there are other things to consider as well.

I told them that most important was to alert bears well in advance of your presence if you were in bear country. Talk, make noise, rattle a few pots and pans if you could. Also, some people attach bells (like those jingle bells from Christmas) to their backpacks. Above all, you don't want to startle a bear. Given a chance, they will give you plenty of room.

Defensive safety is also important. Rule number one, never run from a bear, no matter how impossible that might sound. (I know the old joke that you only need to be able to outrun the person you are with.) Some folks carry guns in bear country, but that isn't always an option and a bad idea if you don't know what you're doing. Many hikers swear by bear spray and keep a can with them.

Also important is knowing which type of bear you are likely to find in your area. The best way of doing this is to examine any bear scat (poop) you find. If it contains mostly vegetation and berries, you are most likely dealing with small brown or black bears. Grizzly scat will smell like bear spray and contain little small bells.

 

[Pinhead]

Why now? My son, a veterinary tech, theorizes COVID reduction in human activity caused the bears to start expanding their territory southward out of the Berkshires region. Sounds plausible to me.

I can't speak for the Berkshire region, but here in SW Utah I'd suggest that COVID has increased, rather than reduced human activity, certainly in the backcountry, such that any more frequent bear sightings in and around town are not so much that they're expanding their territory, rather, they're being driven out of the "woods".

 

[todbo]

Three years ago, my wife called to me that we had a bear in our Colchester back yard. Sure enough, there it was, munching away at our squirrel-proof sunflower seed feeder. I got my camera and longer lens, stayed a distance away, and snapped. While I put a pic on Facebook, the bear opened our suet feeder, pulled down the hummingbird feeder, took a farewell drink from our birdbath, and strolled off. We have a lovely raised flower bed where the feeders once hung.

 

[Pinhead]

"by laying down, the bear will usually just give you a nip or two, cuff you, and leave."

I'm not suggesting your advice is wrong, nor do I have better, but I do suggest that this statement is a bit indifferent considering the stakes at play.

 

[CL82]

Lie down? Who gave you that advice, the bears?

Give him credit. He left out "smear yourself with honey."

 

[Cuango]

In April we had a large bear hanging around our property for a week or so. First in 25 years of living here in Fairfield County.

We do a lot of wild bird feeding. I had seven feeders out on the deck, atop 8-foot PVC pipes, bracketed to the deck railing at various points. Also, a large metal bin with bags of bird seed inside.

View attachment 67979
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That slanted roof opens upward, but has latches. I woke one morning to find it pushed up from the middle into a tent shape, which freed the front doors. Seed bags broken into.

Was baffled. What could have the strength to do that? Maybe a big raccoon could have a go at it if he didn''t have to sit on the same roof he was lifting. Wife suggested a bear, which I thought highly unlikely after all these years of seeing none.

So I bolted down the roof. Didn't need it to open, given the front doors. A couple mornings later, doors hanging open anyway. Latches sprung, a heavy seed bag dragged halfway down the lawn, 40 yards or so.

So I brought the bags into the garage. Next morning several of the PVC pipes down, brackets broken, feeders violated.

OK, a bear. Nothing else could've done that.

That night, Mrs. JS saw him, casually walking (lumbering, she said) along outside the front door. Big. Longer than my long coffee table and waist high.

Pipes restored, but only one used for a while, and the feeders on that brought inside overnight. Now Mr. Bear seems to have moved on, but I'm still only using that one pole until November, when I understand he'll be sleeping in.

So now, we're seeing lots of reports on the news of bear sightings in Fairfield County. Greenwich a couple of days ago, Trumbull, etc. We didn't report ours. Didn't want him bothered by animal control or trigger happy neighbors or anyone else. He's welcome to the seed, but feeding him and repairing after his sloppy eating habits was a bit of a pain.

Friends living north of Hartford have been seeing them forever, but not down here. We do live on the edge of a forest, and my bird feeding was on the profligate side, so we were a must-stop on the chow hunting trail.

Why now? My son, a veterinary tech, theorizes COVID reduction in human activity caused the bears to start expanding their territory southward out of the Berkshires region. Sounds plausible to me.

This was a black bear?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

And here I live in Arizona with a reputation for "critters" - but largely 10 years, very few critters. I was walking earlier this year out on the main road and saw one of our common ground rodents flying through the air - looked again and there was a rattlesnake - the first I've seen - uncurling. I don't know what the outcome of the snake / rodent encounter was, but I can guess.

 

[Cuango]

Lie down? Who gave you that advice, the bears?

He’s right! The experts say that if you are attacked by a brown bear (grizzly) your best move is to play dead while covering the back of your neck with your hands. Also helps to be wearing a solid backpack. The thing is… grizzly/brown bear attacks are rarely predatory and they are likely only wanting to slap you around as a warning rather than seriously wanting to eat you. Black bear attacks are usually predatory and will follow through with the attack because they see you as a food item rather than an irritant. I think we can all guess why there is nothing for white (polar) bears except kissing your a€£ goodbye!

 

[D J B]

He’s right! The experts say that if you are attacked by a brown bear (grizzly) your best move is to play dead while covering the back of your neck with your hands. Also helps to be wearing a solid backpack. The thing is… grizzly/brown bear attacks are rarely predatory and they are likely only wanting to slap you around as a warning rather than seriously wanting to eat you. Black bear attacks are usually predatory and will follow through with the attack because they see you as a food item rather than an irritant. I think we can all guess why there is nothing for white (polar) bears except kissing your a€£ goodbye!

I read somewhere that polar bears are the only animal that will actively track down a human being. I've never spotted one on my property, so I'm not too worried right now.

 

[Veteran]

 

[Ozimoto]

We have had a hunting season for bears in the two western most counties of Maryland for a decade or so now. They had become so numerous and damaging that DNR (in spite of howling protests from the folks "down state who thought they were cute) instituted the hunt to keep the population under control. In spite of that, the bears are expanding their range and moving east into more populated areas in central Maryland. Somehow the downstate folks don't find them so cute anymore...

 

[D J B]

We have had a hunting season for bears in the two western most counties of Maryland for a decade or so now. They had become so numerous and damaging that DNR (in spite of howling protests from the folks "down state who thought they were cute) instituted the hunt to keep the population under control. In spite of that, the bears are expanding their range and moving east into more populated areas in central Maryland. Somehow the downstate folks don't find them so cute anymore...

Many of those folks who think they are cute are also likely to feed them, or try to approach them. It was a major problem in California when I lived there. Now that I live in Maryland, it's sad to see it beginning here as well. There is a saying that "a fed bear is a dead bear", because if people feed them, sooner or later you have to shoot them. (The bear, not the people, unfortunately.)

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I read somewhere that polar bears are the only animal that will actively track down a human being. I've never spotted one on my property, so I'm not too worried right now.

lots of animals 'will actively track down a human being.' mountain lions, wolves, wasps, etc. pro tip: todays weather -hhh, is the kind that is most likely to make a wasp chase you down and remind you that u just caused a real or imagined threat to them. kinda like a driver stuck in traffic on 95, running late, and with no a/c. stay far back from that one.
DNA Confirms Bear Killed by Wildlife Officials Was Grizzly That Mauled Calif. Woman – NBC New York
black bears in the northeast are generally not a mortal threat to us, but it's getting to be too dang many of them, and most of us are starting to think 'get off my lawn.'

 

[Bigboote]

We have had a hunting season for bears in the two western most counties of Maryland for a decade or so now. They had become so numerous and damaging that DNR (in spite of howling protests from the folks "down state who thought they were cute) instituted the hunt to keep the population under control. In spite of that, the bears are expanding their range and moving east into more populated areas in central Maryland. Somehow the downstate folks don't find them so cute anymore...

A friend of mine who lived in Hagerstown went up to New Brunswick to go bear hunting, probably 10-15 years ago. Could've saved himself a lot of money if he'd waited.

In Monkey County I've seen bear scat at work (there have been two sightings) and I'm pretty sure coyote in my yard. A friend a couple of miles away has seena a coyote, and there are known to be lots in the area. I'd take a few black bears over some dozens of coyotes any day. But that's just me. I've seen bears in Maine and never got a bad vibe from them. The one coyote I saw in Virginia kind of shocked me because it was much bigger than I'd expected. I'd thought they usually went 40-50 lb, but was informed by my FIL, whose land it was on, that around there 75 or more isn't unusual.

 

[CL82]

A friend of mine who lived in Hagerstown went up to New Brunswick to go bear hunting, probably 10-15 years ago. Could've saved himself a lot of money if he'd waited.

In Monkey County I've seen bear scat at work (there have been two sightings) and I'm pretty sure coyote in my yard. A friend a couple of miles away has seena a coyote, and there are known to be lots in the area. I'd take a few black bears over some dozens of coyotes any day. But that's just me. I've seen bears in Maine and never got a bad vibe from them. The one coyote I saw in Virginia kind of shocked me because it was much bigger than I'd expected. I'd thought they usually went 40-50 lb, but was informed by my FIL, whose land it was on, that around there 75 or more isn't unusual.

A few years ago I read an article about coyotes and wolves cross breeding. The resulting “coy wolf” is supposedly larger than a coyote and more cooperative in packs. I wonder if that is what you saw.

 

[AmeriConn]

Bears:
Black: Fight back
Brown: Lie down
White: Good night

I can’t bear the thought!

 

[Zarathustra]

I live in MAINE, home of the University of Maine "BLACK BEARS"!!
So.....consider... no more feeding of anything in the back yard.
In psychology this would be considered discontinuing ++ positive reinforcement
(i.e. You Feed Them , they will come!). Also consider not going back to
feeding very soon, this would be an "intermittent reinforcement " schedule ( sometime
feeding, some times not feeding ) and this is one of the hardest behavioral patterns
to extinguish, See PSYCHOLOGY 102.
Also if you see a "baby" bear leave the scene quietly. MOMMA BEAR could
be around...... they are protective and can run rather fast.
A game warden can set a trap for truly troublesome animals. Leave it to
the professionals. Best Wishes

 

[dogged1]

I recently read an article that proposed exactly the same thing.

FWIW, In my experience, bears are not particularly dissuaded by human activity.

I can think of one - bear hunting.

 

[triaddukefan]

The look on that bear's face

 

[Dogstar]

I can think of one - bear hunting

I've lived on the Bloomfield Simsbury line for 15 years, seen at least 20 bears In my neighborhood, most just shuffle through, one was running at a highly quickened pace(you can't believe how fast they are until you see em moving), with the sows having 3-4cubs at a time and with no natural predators bear sightings and encounters will rise, they have to be relocated or have a lottery for a hunting tag, I'd prefer relocating first....The garage cans and bird feeders in my neighborhood sure would appreciate either solution .

 

[vtcwbuff]

I skipped most of the posts in this thread so I'm probably repeating things that have already been said, but I know the answer to why bear sightings are becoming more common in CT. It's because nobody is killing them. Simple as that. They have no predators and lots of food sources.