# BEAR!



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I have to be honest. As much as I like to tell myself I am prepared and understand what it means to live this far in the mountains I am not. I just peed myself a little...

I just came face to face with an adult brown bear. The only thing separating us was Roo's bedroom patio door. I did keep my head and Roo and our dog has no clue there was anything out there. Winter would have barked and growled which I didn't want her to do and Roo would have squealed at the "big puppy". I watched it from the windows as it circled the house sniffing the air and blinking in the sun like it just woke up. After about a half hour it walked back into the woods behind the house. 

Now that it is gone I have my shot gun and shells on top of the fridge just in case. The cats are also calming down. Roo's cat, Dori, was the one to let me know the bear was there. She was sitting at the door growling and hissing. The bear didn't seem to notice her or me through the glass but it still made me wet myself.

I was curious what those of you that live in bear country do when a bear gets that close. Technically we can't shot the bears unless they attack or get in to the house. We live on the border of a wildlife preserve so we have to play by the book when the animals get too close. Plus brown bears are the state animal so they are protected.

And yeah, I'm a big scaredy cat.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

wow!! glad everything worked out!

You might want to invest in one or two of these. Keep one in the house and one in the car maybe?

http://www.amazon.com/SABRE-FRONTIE...qid=1367514867&sr=8-1&keywords=bear+repellent

I've never used one, but this particular one has 56 reviews and is well over a 4 star average.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Unless it excaped from a zoo you probably didn't see a Brown/grizzly. The last Brown bear was killed in California in 1923, I believe.


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## GaryS (Nov 15, 2011)

Several year ago in Montana, a friend of my mother was baking and canning in their cabin a few miles from town. She set some pies near a screened window to cool. She was working at the stove when she heard a tearing noise behind her. She turned and saw a grizzly with his head and one paw inside the window reaching for a pie. The woman panicked and threw a pot of boiling water on the bear. It bellowed and took off. The game warden tracked the bear and had to shoot it because of the severe burns to its head and paw. 

Sad for the bear just doing bear things, but I'd probably react that way also.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

In her defense the black bear (Ursus arctos) can be a dark brown. Ive spent a lot of time watching Brutus and Buckeye at the Columbus zoo and while a black bear is nothing to scoff at a Grizzy is just HUGE. We also have polar bears now at the zoo. Wow, definitely get some bear spray my friend.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

biobacon said:


> In her defense the black bear (Ursus arctos) can be a dark brown. Ive spent a lot of time watching Brutus and Buckeye at the Columbus zoo and while a black bear is nothing to scoff at a Grizzy is just HUGE. We also have polar bears now at the zoo. Wow, definitely get some bear spray my friend.


Ursus arctos is the California Brown Bear.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

swjohnsey said:


> Unless it excaped from a zoo you probably didn't see a Brown/grizzly. The last Brown bear was killed in California in 1923, I believe.


You are 100% wrong.

The bear you refer to is the California GOLDEN BEAR! It is extinct, the last one shot in 1922!

And there is a zoo 49 miles UP the mountain from us.

Two Brown bears make a house call in California


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

California golden bear is subspecies of grizz. I don't think there are any grizz in California except pet/zoo.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

your right it is Ursus americanus. Brain fart. But it can still be a bit brown. I don't know anything about bears in Cail but I know we have black bears in Ohio.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here is a video of a bear IN the town we live outside of. This town is 2 miles up the mountain from us.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Black bear.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

We've had our first bear attack this year, and the snow is still on the ground. The bear spray may help but you need to get within ten yards to be effective. The problem is that bears are very fast. remember, no predator makes a living by being slow. Loud noises may also help. You can get a siren, large firecrackers like cherry bombs if your ground cover is not combustible, or set up outside speakers just to list a few. Your shotgun, with slugs, is still your best defense.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

This is the bear everyone told us about. He was passive around people and loved to lick people's BBQ grills.

We were told the story about him being hit by a car and the man buried him in the river bed where he landed. Burying any dead animal is illegal here as it will poison our water supply- the river!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I did get some pictures of the bear outside Roo's window when he backed up off the patio. I am still digging up the camera cord to upload them.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

O yeah, this happened in my town


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

If it was wearing a tie, you would only need to worry about the Pic-i-nic baskets ... 


:rofl:


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Dakine said:


> wow!! glad everything worked out!
> 
> You might want to invest in one or two of these. Keep one in the house and one in the car maybe?
> 
> ...


I don't know how this will work with the bears but I'd feel better having this when walking Winter at night.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

so then we got this, 




Just wanted to make you smile after a scary day. this is a true story however


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

OMG I'd peed my pants girl! I've never seen a bear!! 

I've heard of people having to lock deep freezers, etc. to keep them away. 

I'd be scared. What a way to start your rural mountain home adventure huh?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

DJgang said:


> OMG I'd peed my pants girl! I've never seen a bear!!
> 
> I've heard of people having to lock deep freezers, etc. to keep them away.
> 
> I'd be scared. What a way to start your rural mountain home adventure huh?


And here I was thinking that knowing our luck we'd live here for years and never see a bear that close...


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Biobacon is right. Some black bears are relatively light in color and some brown bears are relatively dark. Identifying a bear strictly by color is unreliable. Also, some black bears are relatively large while some brown bears are relatively small so size is also not a defining factor. However, black bears climb trees and brown bears don't. So, climb a tree. If the bear climbs the tree after you it is a black and if it knocks the tree down it is a brown bear.


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## WatchUr6 (May 18, 2012)

I'd rather deal with the four legged animals than the two legged kind.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Caribou said:


> Biobacon is right. Some black bears are relatively light in color and some brown bears are relatively dark. Identifying a bear strictly by color is unreliable. Also, some black bears are relatively large while some brown bears are relatively small so size is also not a defining factor. However, black bears climb trees and brown bears don't. So, climb a tree. If the bear climbs the tree after you it is a black and if it knocks the tree down it is a brown bear.


If its a light color black bear or a brown bear I'm not sure but around here they call them by color. I still think it was a brown bear as I have never seen a black bear with a white patch on its chest and stomach. I'll post the pictures once I find the cord. The picture I posted above looks similar to the bear I saw.


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

Grimm said:


> I was curious what those of you that live in bear country do when a bear gets that close. Technically we can't shot the bears unless they attack or get in to the house. We live on the border of a wildlife preserve so we have to play by the book when the animals get too close. Plus brown bears are the state animal so they are protected.
> 
> And yeah, I'm a big scaredy cat.


Ok, now that they have told you what kind of bear you saw, what to do about it...

First off, sorry it scared you. Anyone with common sense would be shaken by something that thinks you taste like chicken...

Ok, this is what you do, providing you have a large enough rifle (the shotgun may work if it is a 12 ga with slugs), KILL IT!!! I understand he has to be in your house or attacking you, with that said, after you KILL him, drag into the house, on the way in, stop long enough to make incriminating bear marks on the door. Once inside make some incriminating marks on your shirt, jacket or pants. Now you can call the proper athorities...

Oh, one more thing, get rid of drag marks, and blood trail...

On a serious note, hope he does not come back, if he did not get anything to eat, he may just keep on walking.

Good luck...
ps: We won't tell, if you don't tell:sssh:


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## memrymaker (Dec 12, 2012)

Wow! So glad you and Roo are safe! Be careful and keep that shotgun nearby.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Grimm,I know you were scared,when you have a child you never know what can happen in the backwoods.Point made: with a bear walking around your home.I would have peed my pants too. If noise scares them,they have those blaring horns they use for women walking in the dark alone.Just be sure he/she didn't find anything to eat for it to try to come back later.I would shoot first and ask questions later if I had a child to look after(always always),you were in fear of your and baby's life.No court would ever put you down for that.


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

I look outside and I see a red bird...I'm calling it a red bird! As for the bear....I BET that scared the crap out of you , to be almost face to face with it, just a window between you!....(and your child!) I'd keep a shotgun near by, if only to shoot it into the air to scare him away.....and if the scaring didn't work, rechamber........!!


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

soooo...grimm,i hope you know i love ya to death. and i do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. however, if you listen to any of these people that say to shoot it i would think i lot less of you. come on people...she moved to a mountain and saw a bear and the first thing you want to do is shoot it??? SHE MOVED TO A MOUNTAIN....WHERE BEARS LIVE. the bear wasnt beating down the door trying to eat Roo. it was walking around doing bear things. make sure it can't get food(so it doesnt want to come back), and when it comes around hit a horn or some other very loud noisemaker. bears are naturally curious, just let him know that what you got there isnt worth his/her time. I'm not saying you shouldnt keep a gun loaded, i'm just saying shooting the bear for coming by is ridiculous. perhaps oneoldchief should sit down with the bear and explain how property ownership works....while wearing a salmon necklace.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Naw, I wouldn't shoot it at all unless I was hungry or it was about to get me.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I doubt it will be back unless it found something to eat there. Just yesterday morning there was bear tracks about 1/2 mile from my house in the dry wash. I seen plenty of bears when I was in Minnesota. When they came around and we seen them we always chased them off (usually just yelled at them). They always wrecked all the bird feeders. You have to make it uncomfortable for them at your place or you will wind up with another pet.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Wow! What an experience!

First get some bear repellant (bear spray) and keep lt handy. The shotgun is good at close range if you need it too.

Don't kill it unless it is threatening you but if it's a threat you have every right to kill it.

Be sure to remove anything that might attract it (garbage , bbq grill, bird feeder, pet food) to a place the bear cannot access.

Most likely lt is a brown colored black bear but even then it is a potential threat to prepare for. Don't take any chances. Even black bears have been known to attack and kill people.

We have black and grizzly bears plus mtn lions, bobcats, coyotes, wolves and lynx. I've got some great photos on my blog from last summer and fall of a mtn lion with two cubs (about 100 yards from the cabin), and a boar grizzly at our chicken house. All weretaken on game cameras.

Our dog is fhe warning system. If she's raising a ruckus i investigate with my shotgun. Skunks are our biggest problem but we've had bigger critters visit also.


Be sure to notify the game warden of your visitor. He can advise you more specifically.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

OHprepper said:


> soooo...grimm,i hope you know i love ya to death. and i do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. however, if you listen to any of these people that say to shoot it i would think i lot less of you. come on people...she moved to a mountain and saw a bear and the first thing you want to do is shoot it??? SHE MOVED TO A MOUNTAIN....WHERE BEARS LIVE. the bear wasnt beating down the door trying to eat Roo. it was walking around doing bear things. make sure it can't get food(so it doesnt want to come back), and when it comes around hit a horn or some other very loud noisemaker. bears are naturally curious, just let him know that what you got there isnt worth his/her time. I'm not saying you shouldnt keep a gun loaded, i'm just saying shooting the bear for coming by is ridiculous. perhaps oneoldchief should sit down with the bear and explain how property ownership works....while wearing a salmon necklace.


My first reaction to seeing the bear was to keep Roo from seeing it. Then get the cats out of the room and shut the door.

If it came down to it and a bear tried to get in the house I'd shoot but not if its just doing its own thing.

We do keep our trashcans in the basement until an hour before pickup. That's really to keep the raccoons from dumping out the cans. We also don't keep any food trash in the car. That one is because we have already had a raccoon get in the car to get the crumbs from Roo's car seat.


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

That all sounds pretty reasonable. Black bear are becoming more and more common down here. We have a big lockable bin for our garbage. We figure its best to leave it out where they know its there and cant get to it, rather than have them try to get in a small basement window. That happened to a guy i know. It was a cub....naturally mama was outside and pretty p.o'ed that baby couldn't get out. The way he explained it was a careful procedure of throwing a blanket over baby and running it out front, while someone distracted momma from the window.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

If a bear shows no fear of people at close range it is a problem bear. You can probably blame some disneyland indoctrinated idiot for feeding it. The problem is that eventually it will cross the line and have to be killed.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

mosquitomountainman said:


> If a bear shows no fear of people at close range it is a problem bear. You can probably blame some disneyland indoctrinated idiot for feeding it. The problem is that eventually it will cross the line and have to be killed.


I really don't think it saw me through the glass as all the south windows have heavy tint on them. I have a hard time seeing in the back windows when I am hanging clothes on the line on the same patio. I think for my own sanity I am going to have my DH set up a pulley clothes line from our upstairs balcony/deck to a tree.  I had been planning to do a load of wash until I saw the bear under my clothes line.

FYI I am a former Disney Cast Member. Not all of us are stupid.


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## d_saum (Jan 17, 2012)

GaryS said:


> She set some pies near a screened window to cool.


People really do this???? Did the aroma waft out in a white vapor and form a hand with a finger grabbing the bear by the nostrils and luring it to the house? So yeah... that totally was the evil pies fault, and NOT the bear. I've seen it happen before! No one can resist the pie finger!


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Glad this encounter worked out OK, there are lots of nonlethal bear or other pest deterents out there 12gage shells loaded with pencil erasers, bear bangers http://kananaskisblog.com/bear-bangers/2009/


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

You might want to read "Forty Years in the Wilderness" by Dolly Faulkner. This gal lived with her kids, and sometimes her husband, in the middle of bear country. Some bears she shot and others she didn't. She is quite clear on how she decided. 

If there is ever any doubt, drop the bear. The bear will kill you if it is threatened, or hungry, or just bored and wants something to play with. My dad shared a hospital room with a man that had been mauled by a bear. This man decided to play possum. The bear left and after a bit this guy tried to crawl away. The bear came back and chewed on him a bit more. The story repeated itself for hours with the bear waiting where the man could not see it and then returning and chewing on him each time he tried to crawl away. 

Fear is a good thing, it will keep you alive. Learn to control fear and use it to your benefit. Your vision will sharpen though you may have to take care not to develop tunnel vision. There may be more than one threat. Your hearing may also improve as well as your reaction time. It sounds like you kept in control and I commend you for that.

You may have moved into critter country but remember, every critter there will defend itself if necessary and so must you. If you don't defend yourself, who will defend your family? Besides I like to read your posts.

P.S. What I said about the size and color of bears is true. It is the underlying truth that makes a joke funny.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Not so. Bears generally fear people. To give you an indication of the risk, there were 6 fatal black bear attacks from 2000 - 2009, two west of the Mississippi. Most of the black bear I have seen were headin' south as soon as they detected a person.


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

uhhh???? what?? 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#2000s

my math may be off, but i read 16 killed by black bear 2000-2009 in North America.
and 12 killed by brown bear.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Yep, 10 of 'em were in Canada. I don't think she is in Canada.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

I say firecrackers. The small packs with about 20 or 50, anytime you even think it is around and scare the crap out of it.
I keep seeing people say it is unlikely that it would attack you. But, there is no way I would take a chance with Roo. I'd kill it if it came around again. Just like I'd kill a wolf or mountain lion that was snooping around my house with children around.
Sorry people, I love animals and nature. I love seeing critters around my house and in my yard, (we don't have what I would consider maneaters) but if there was a chance it could hurt my grand daughter..It's dead!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

swjohnsey said:


> Not so. Bears generally fear people. To give you an indication of the risk, there were 6 fatal black bear attacks from 2000 - 2009, two west of the Mississippi. Most of the black bear I have seen were headin' south as soon as they detected a person.


While you are right, MOST bears will run away, it is the others that killed the six you admit too. Many people have also survived being mauled. Critters are like people, while you might make general statements about any species each individual has its own personality. If you have ever had two dogs or two cats you know what I mean. Don't become complacent around wild animals.

My grandfather was walking along a path next to a stream. There were fresh bear tracks so he was on alert. As he came to a large cedar next to the trail he had a weird feeling so he left the trail and went around the back side of the tree. The bear was peering down the trail, from behind the cedar, lying in wait for Grandpa.

A friend of mine was hunting the ridge line while his wife hunted the valley. He shot the wolf that was stalking her.

My uncle saw a wolf, charging at him at full tilt, out from the other side of a clearing about a hundred yards wide. In the time it took him to shoulder his rifle, aim, and fire he only had to walk fifty feet up to the carcass. Most wolves will avoid humans.

I don't tell these stories to scare anyone, they certainly didn't keep me out of the woods. These stories taught me to respect what I was dealing with.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

An encounter like that can certainly rattle someone, sounds like you are taking it pretty darn well imo 

I have had many encounters with bears, with all the range of reactions you hear about, the vast majority of the time they want nothing to do with us.
Around our property I generally try to give them a negative experience whenever they wander too close to the yard, this can range from noise makers, to dog barking, to electric fence, automatic water sprinklers, then ramping up to pepper spray then firearms. I have also hunted black bear purposely at times. A shotgun will work excellent at close distance but a hunting rifle (.270, 30-06 whatever) will drop them like a rock from hundreds of yards away and that is more up my alley though bow-hunting black bear from a tree stand is a good way to get the heart-rate up, don't miss.
This may sound to some like I spend tons of time thinking and dealing with bear issues, truth is it rarely crosses my mind or takes up any time, just a natural part of living on the land and very near the bottom of my list of worries.

The one thing that very few people want to do that improves their security from SO many things is to put in a good fence. I have been in a few place in the mountains of Canada where the bears just would not be deterred by other methods, and I have seen the destruction bears can cause to beekeepers  The solution in both these cases was just to put in an appropriate fence, problem solved.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Grimm said:


> I really don't think it saw me through the glass as all the south windows have heavy tint on them. I have a hard time seeing in the back windows when I am hanging clothes on the line on the same patio. I think for my own sanity I am going to have my DH set up a pulley clothes line from our upstairs balcony/deck to a tree. I had been planning to do a load of wash until I saw the bear under my clothes line.
> 
> FYI I am a former Disney Cast Member. Not all of us are stupid.


Nothing personal intended. A lot of people are so out of touch with reality in the woods that they think all animals are cute and cuddly and will respond like the family dog. All wild animals have a pecking order. When a person treats them as equals the animals begin to see themselves as equals and react accordingly. Worse is when the animals begin to see people as subservient to them. That's when the problems really begin.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

biobacon said:


> In her defense the black bear (Ursus arctos) can be a dark brown. Ive spent a lot of time watching Brutus and Buckeye at the Columbus zoo and while a black bear is nothing to scoff at a Grizzy is just HUGE. We also have polar bears now at the zoo. Wow, definitely get some bear spray my friend.


They can be red as well and are sometimes called cinnamon bear, I saw one of those not far from the Rogue River way down stream from Grants Pass, Oregon. Oh yeah, a black bear is nothing to scoff at, they can run up to 35 mph and climb a tree faster than a high speed freight elevator.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Yeah, I would agree with Viking's point for sure, people are always so afraid of grizzlies compared to black bear and it doesn't make any sense. I have dealt with both and have had less trouble from the grizzlies I have seen. Do people honestly think the size difference changes something? Like they could somehow wrestle the black bear but the grizzly is just too much
More people are killed by black bear than grizzlies. Black bear can climb amazingly well. They (larger subspecies in particular) have been known to take down adult moose and caribou.
One difference to note, NEVER play dead with a black bear, some still believe this is a viable last ditch strategy with grizzlies because they are often attacking out of dominance etc, but if you play dead with a black bear it will eat you


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

swjohnsey said:


> Yep, 10 of 'em were in Canada. I don't think she is in Canada.


and none of the black bears were in california, and only one of the brown bears. if we are simple ignoring bear attacks based on political boundaries, then we might as well whittle it down to the state she lives in.


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> Yeah, I would agree with Viking's point for sure, people are always so afraid of grizzlies compared to black bear and it doesn't make any sense. I have dealt with both and have had less trouble from the grizzlies I have seen. Do people honestly think the size difference changes something? Like they could somehow wrestle the black bear but the grizzly is just too much
> More people are killed by black bear than grizzlies. Black bear can climb amazingly well. They (larger subspecies in particular) have been known to take down adult moose and caribou.
> One difference to note, NEVER play dead with a black bear, some still believe this is a viable last ditch strategy with grizzlies because they are often attacking out of dominance etc, but if you play dead with a black bear it will eat you


i saw a video the other day, it may have been on here. it was of two black bear hunters sitting in a stand. they were watching a bear on the bait, and it ran right up the guides tree. they both stayed absolutely still and it went back down. it quite literally ran right up the tree and was right behind the stand before they knew what was happening. very impressive


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

OHprepper said:


> and none of the black bears were in california, and only one of the brown bears. if we are simple ignoring bear attacks based on political boundaries, then we might as well whittle it down to the state she lives in.


Sounds like a good idea. No fatal bear attacks in California in recent history. Now to look at deaths in California from meteor strikes.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

My DH chatted with one of our neighbors when he took Winter for her walk last night. It seems the bear I saw had come up from lower down the mountain and decided to trash said neighbor's work truck then take a nap in the bed before he came up to our place. 

The neighbor also told us that before we moved in the house was a seasonal rental. The renters would leave their trash and leftover food after them left. This is the reason the bears would break in every season. After the bears left the property management would go in to repair windows/doors to find food and trash were left by the renters.

The neighbor also told my DH that in his 33 years here the bears have never charged him and he has encounters every few months with them- he's a linesmen out here. Plus his pug trees the bears if they don't run back up the hill first.

We are going to get some bear spray in case they try to get in.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Your neighbor has good advice and experience ...


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

See I'd be running through the house screaming "A BEAR, A BEAR!!!" grabing for my camera gear. 

You've gotten some great advise on the issue not all I agree with). At least now you know why he was there, free food in the past. One thing I would recommend doing is to study up on bear behavior, so you can read them. They make noises and posturing just like ole grumpy men do. Once you learn what your seeing then you'll have more of an idea of how to react. (An example ears up or back.) 

Before we went camping in the back country (elk hunting) for the first time, I studied everything I could get my hands on about bears and bear attacks. I was surprised that a black bear is considered more dangerous than a grizzly (I think that's been covered though). Grizzly's are one of my favorite animals to photograph. Who am I kidding, I love to photograph all big game =D 

How old is Roo? I would show her a photo and explain to stay away, if it comes into the yard (if she's old enough to understand). 

If it makes you feel any better, I'm jealous!! I'd love to have a bear in my yard!! But I'm weird like that =D


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

razorback said:


> See I'd be running through the house screaming "A BEAR, A BEAR!!!" grabing for my camera gear.
> 
> You've gotten some great advise on the issue not all I agree with). At least now you know why he was there, free food in the past. One thing I would recommend doing is to study up on bear behavior, so you can read them. They make noises and posturing just like ole grumpy men do. Once you learn what your seeing then you'll have more of an idea of how to react. (An example ears up or back.)
> 
> ...


Roo is almost 2yrs old. She knows what a bear is but not the finer points of what they can do. I have been showing her pictures online of all the native animals so she knows what they are. She is too young to be outside without holding our hands. Since the house is on an incline she is still learning to walk it without slipping.

I did convince my DH to hang a clothes line from our upstairs deck so I can do laundry without a bear stealing my undies.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

A bear in undies, that might get NatGeo camped out in your yard.

It won't be long and she'll being pulling ya down the hill. I bet she's old enough to understand to stay away. I'd make a game of it, you don't exactly want her hugging a shunk either. 

Another angle to look at this, you said you have tint on the window so you don't think he saw in and I'm guessing at it being a he. If he sees his reflection, come rut things might get a bit more interesting. And I'm not saying that to scare you, just make sure she knows to come find you if she sees a bear (or any animal) from inside the house.

Make it a game, get her when you see something and show her the little animals too. Heck I still smile when I see even a bunny in the yard. As she gets older you can keep score on who shows the more animals to each other. Do a grid on the computer and print it out once a month write the date, the animal and who spotted it first. This will teach her to pay attention to her surroundings too. Before long ya'll will start seeing small movements in your peripheral vision.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Wish I had a bear in my back yard.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

razorback said:


> A bear in undies, that might get NatGeo camped out in your yard.
> 
> It won't be long and she'll being pulling ya down the hill. I bet she's old enough to understand to stay away. I'd make a game of it, you don't exactly want her hugging a shunk either.
> 
> ...


We already play a game like that. We point out the squirrels, chipmunks, birds and lizards to her and she points them out to us. She even points out the bird sized moths flapping at our windows after dark. She loves it.

I'd like to take her to the zoo up the mountain and show her the local animals and teach her about the dangers. We plan on spending lots of time up the mountain verses down so this is an important thing to teach her.

Thanks for all the support and ideas. It really makes me glad I joined this forum when I can share experiences like this and get such great feedback.


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## MDsapper (Mar 12, 2013)

> Heck I still smile when I see even a bunny in the yard.


yeah i smile too, but thats cuz i know i'm going to have some lunch that day


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Well at least it was outside and there were no cubs.

I had 7 different bear encounters at my cabin last year.

One was even a blonde colored grizzly so they all come in different colors.

Now out of all those encounters, the one that was the closest was the morning I opened the front door and 8 feet from me there was a sow with 2 cubs trying to get into the barrel of dog food. They did not succeed because of the lock ring I had on the lid. Never the less it is quite unnerving to open the door and have a black bear momma stand up on her hind legs about 8 feet from you.

Well I can tell you what does not work, those loud horns. I had bought one of those that you have on a boat and it did not even faze them. Banging on pots and pans for noise will sometimes work. Shooting in the air may or may not work.

But, fire up the chainsaw and they run like scalded dogs every time. Yes my chainsaw was kept in the cabin. I would suggest an outside dog to give you warnings. Mine were over the hill that morning and were not there to warn me about the bear but every other time I knew about the bear when they were still over 50 yards away.

I don't know about bear spray because I never wanted to be that close to test it.

BTW the next week I had a new and stronger door made out of 2x6's that I made and installed. The old door was the original with just plastic covering the broken window... LOL


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I second (or third ) the study up on bear behavior ... :flower:

Like this would not be the time to look into getting a bee hive. (You can take my word on that. ) Bears are great, I look forward each year to getting a glance of our bear (and her cubs). 

But I know her habits ... we keep our trash cans locked and make sure all pet food is eaten before dark or taken up. Then again after my son brought in all his **** dogs, we have not seen much of her. She did raid the neighbors trash cans a few weeks ago but we did tell him ... (what can I say...)

Best of luck.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

If you see an angry bear , try to make your self look as large as possable and don't look it directly in the eye.

This is what I do when confronted with my angry wife .

If she charges me , I play dead until she wanders off !


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Grim, don't matter what "make" a bear it be, yall gotta bear in the area. Black bears can be many colors an yup even have white on em. So what? It's a bear! Yall stayed calm an that were the right thin ta do.

Read up on bears an ecounters with em. Keep the trash an food stuffs where they ain't temptin them bear. See, yall got a problem already cause the folk what lived there before got that bear used ta a free hand out. Yall gonna have ta change his habits. 

Most times a bear just be doin bear stuff. Lookin fer somethin ta eat er a place ta nap. But ifin sumtin sets him off, well, then ya got a problem. There be no need to just kill the bear ifin yall can do sumtin ta keep him interested else where. Shootin em should be the last resort.

Yall do a bit a research an I be sure you'll habitate just fine in yer new location. We can get along with nature, we just need ta learn how. Ain't nobodies fault, yers er the bears, just happen ta be yall call the same spot home. Ya started out fine, with a bit more learnin yall gonna do great. Good luck.

An the story a "there ain't any a them here" don't hold squat. We got us a cougar not far way from here (bout a hours drive), Natural Resources said weren't possible. Yeah, tell that ta the farmer whats cows er bein dinner! How'd it get here? Don't know, don't care, it's here. Now time ta figure out how ta deal with it.

Man an nature can live tagether, just takes some cooperation be all.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

> Wish I had a bear in my back yard.


Weren't you a bear from 1973-1975, right after serving as a Ninja for the Royal Air Force but before inventing the Rubik's Cube?


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

That musta been Mongo.


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## bushpilot (Dec 3, 2012)

Our first bear sighting, returning from night out on town. As we approached our drive, a bear was walking across the street in front of B inlaws P/U a big Chevy. As he passed, we could not see the hood of the P/U. He decided to sit in the front yard. We drove around the block. When we returned he had head on down the mountain. That was eighteen years ago. Second, our neighbor was out saying good but to his wife's parents. The bear, probably 3-4 year old walked down the middle of the street. They never saw it. We tried to warn them, but didn't want to draw the bears attention. Third time, out on raised deck, neighbor down the road had his horses there. If you have never heard a horse scream in fear! It is a hair raising sound. The bear just walked through my property and only got within 200 feet of the horses. I suppose they smelled him or heard his grunts. Had few more in between, MOM's and cubs, last was funny, had all the local LE, CHP, etc, on foot in the hood shooting off blanks trying to scare him from the hood. That horse screaming thing though, I'll never forget that!


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

So what does bear meat taste like? Anyone?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Like bear. Ya gotta cook it so the fat getsa way from the meat. Roasts er good, my favorite be ta smoke it.

Bear sausage be good to!


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

Grimm, if you're not already aware... not all slugs are created equal. I greatly prefer Brenneke slugs to any of the Remington or Winchester "hunting" products.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Like bear. Ya gotta cook it so the fat getsa way from the meat. Roasts er good, my favorite be ta smoke it.
> 
> Bear sausage be good to!


As long as the bear hasn't been eating fish. I made that mistake once, just once. Even the spices in chile could't hide the flavor.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

The trick to cooking bear meat is low heat and long times. If cooked too fast it can be tougher than your boot. It has the same texture as beef but the flavor is all it's own. I was leery of trying it the first time but I had a haunch that was given to me so I had to eat it. Roast was the best I have ever had and the smaller pieces went into a chili. mmmmmm...

Hint: Never listen to people that tell you something does not taste good. Try it for yourself. They say that fall bear is better because there is more fat but I have not had both a fall and spring bear so I can't tell you for certain.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Grimm...

Bears do not like electric fences. Maybe you need one around the immediate area of the house


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

They tell me that the Bear paw is the best, or was that the "Bear Claw" ?


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

swjohnsey said:


> Sounds like a good idea. No fatal bear attacks in California in recent history. Now to look at deaths in California from meteor strikes.


lets look at deaths from *******s released from prison into the population.

oops! politicians and judges dont want us looking at that! and we dont get squads of trigger happy retards guarding us when one of their own goes off the reservation...


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Like bear. Ya gotta cook it so the fat getsa way from the meat. Roasts er good, my favorite be ta smoke it.
> 
> Bear sausage be good to!


I've always wanted to try bear.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

You reacted well! Proud of ya!
The bear knew you were there he just didn't care.
He don't need to see you he can feel you.
Did you ( civilized human) ever feel eyes on you?
He ain't tame you are.
If I could I would mail you a pyr.
I even have an extra just no money to mail it.
Sorry.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

It is very slowly sinking in what it means to live in the mountains. I just met the local bobcat. He was coming down my neighbors driveway to the street when Winter and I saw him. I could only see his head and thought he was someones house cat... until he turned around and I saw the little stubby tail wagging like a dog. Winter and I went back up the driveway to our own deck and watched him go back around my neighbor's house and back up the mountain behind our house. No running or growling. Once he was up the mountain a ways and out of sight I took Winter for her walk.

It seems he comes down the mountain to play with the other neighbor down the hill's oversized fat barn cat. I haven't seen this but all the neighbors down the hill say the bobcat is very playful with other animals but shy with people.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

cnsper said:


> Grimm...
> 
> Bears do not like electric fences. Maybe you need one around the immediate area of the house


Sorry ... been there and done that ...

No difference... They just mow it down and keep on coming.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

An electric fencer really will work if done right, have used it in conjunction with permanent fence to keep out bears that had repeatedly decimated an apiary, stopped them completely overnight. I wouldn't recommend the portable style wire for predator control and you need a physical barrier to actually make them slow down or crawl over/under/through for it to work. Multiple strands of high tensile wire work, so will barb wire, alternated hot/cold. 
The best imo though is some kind of grid like chainlink, field fence, anything stronger than chicken wire to form the physical barrier, this you ground and tie to the fencer ground. Then you can stand off a hot wire about 1' away at the bottom, 6" to 1' off the ground, this prevents them from digging if that is an issue, if it is not or as an extra precaution you can put a hot wire 6" to 1 foot above the mesh to get anything trying to climb over. The details of spacing may vary depending on you situation.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

Grimm said:


> And here I was thinking that knowing our luck we'd live here for years and never see a bear that close...


Since you are in bear country you may want to take note of the National Park Rangers advisory



> The National Park Rangers are advising hikers to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
> They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
> 
> Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
> ...


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

Black bears are not always black, we have cinnamon colored one around here.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Bears are mostly nocturnal and many people have them near their homes but never see them.


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

I think they watch me while i sleep....


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

hiwall said:


> Bears are mostly nocturnal and many people have them near their homes but never see them.


All the ones I've seen have been in the daylight 

I couldnt resist


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

razorback said:


> All the ones I've seen have been in the daylight
> 
> I couldnt resist


Same here. They have never been down on our property but in my hikes up the mountains behind our place I've seen them a number of times. Saw a cougar at the top of our property once in the 32 years we've lived here, however I've heard them scream a few times during the night and does make the hair stand up on the back of the neck a bit. I have no doubt that we get night visitors we never see or hear so I never go out without a flashlight and frequently a firearm, if for no other reason we have frequent visits by skunks and I prefer not to get sprayed.


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## twiggie (Jan 3, 2009)

We had an incident with a black bear yesterday, we had a chest freezer on the front porch containing our extra food. The bear came early in the morning before we got up and ate a box of pierogis a pound of butter and pulled out some pork ribs, it also made off with a 14 pound turkey. It was at the trash can feasting on the ribs that had to be thrown out, it ran off when I drove up to the road and was back again 30 minutes later when I got back home. It doesn't seem to fear people. Late last night the wife and I were watching some TV before bed and the dang bear came back, looking for the freezer I suppose, it started pawing at the door then found the bird seed that we had out front. My wife calls 911 as I start to load a small powder charge in my muzzleloader to serve as a warning shot, 911 operator tells us it would be ill advised to fire being that we're in the city limits. Well about 15 minutes later the local barney fifes pull up and it runs off, they just say well he must have been hungry and they leave. Not even 30 minutes pass and ol' bear is back again so I put a primer in my rifle and fire that instead of a small powder charge, well he runs off scared as heck and that's the last we hear of him for the evening.


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## Momturtle (Nov 2, 2009)

We had a black bear tear up a chicken coop and eat all the birds and the feed on Friday night. (Chicken feed causes severe intestinal distress in bears and we had several piles of scat in the yard so we knew who the culprit was). He also crushed another pen but the birds escaped into the woods, tore down the blue bird house and ate them, ripped a bush out of the ground to get to an ant nest and just created mayhem in general throughout the yard. We knew there are bears in the area because we have seen them on game cameras. 

DH sat on the porch Saturday night with a shotgun loaded with rubber buckshot. It is very dark out here at night. Sure enough, 9:15 pm up strolls the bear like he owns the place. Surprise! Two rounds of rubber buckshot broadside and a screaming 7 foot tall man chasing him and firing a couple more rounds into the air. My goodness a bear can move fast when it wants to. We have had pretty good luck with woven electric fence and chickenwire on the ground around it. Grounds those big fellas just fine but it turns out one of the batteries had gone bad. If we had been here it would have been fine because they do run from shotguns because they hunt bears here. This has happened once before with a young bear that some froo froo's down the road were feeding because "the bear is our brother" and had basically trained it not to fear people. That problem only lasted until the next bear season. I like bears but I like them far away from my farm and livestock.
DH


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

Grimm said:


> It is very slowly sinking in what it means to live in the mountains. I just met the local bobcat. He was coming down my neighbors driveway to the street when Winter and I saw him. I could only see his head and thought he was someones house cat... until he turned around and I saw the little stubby tail wagging like a dog. Winter and I went back up the driveway to our own deck and watched him go back around my neighbor's house and back up the mountain behind our house. No running or growling. Once he was up the mountain a ways and out of sight I took Winter for her walk.
> 
> It seems he comes down the mountain to play with the other neighbor down the hill's oversized fat barn cat. I haven't seen this but all the neighbors down the hill say the bobcat is very playful with other animals but shy with people.


A few months back a bobcat got his paw stuck under a log. After calming him down so he was not hissing and spitting I lifted the log a good ten feet from where he was stuck. He shot out and flew right past me laying my left forearm wide open leaving three deep and wide claw marks. The neighbors forty acres away heard me as I put together phrases of profanity they had never imagined before as I scrubbed out the wound with a fingernail brush and bleach. Point being wild animals are wild and unpredictable. As has been stated getting them accustomed to humans is bad for them and us.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

LongRider said:


> A few months back a bobcat got his paw stuck under a log. After calming him down so he was not hissing and spitting I lifted the log a good ten feet from where he was stuck. He shot out and flew right past me laying my left forearm wide open leaving three deep and wide claw marks. The neighbors forty acres away heard me as I put together phrases of profanity they had never imagined before as I scrubbed out the wound with a fingernail brush and bleach. Point being wild animals are wild and unpredictable. As has been stated getting them accustomed to humans is bad for them and us.


I have no intentions of getting friendly with ANY of the wild animals around here. Not even the birds. My immediate neighbors are of the same belief of not getting chummy with the wildlife. Since we are the highest up the mountain we see all the wildlife first (and the only ones that border the preserve).

The bobcat never got less than 100 feet to me and didn't even want to stick around when it saw us heading down the hill. I didn't want to be caught in the open in case this was a mom with babies so I headed back up to our deck while he sauntered back up the mountain and into the preserve. He would turn and make sure we (the dog and I) were not following him as he headed back up.

Everyone below us on the mountain doesn't even realize how often the wildlife comes down. I have seen more animals in the past week than the family down the hill from us sees in a month. From the stories everyone has told the deer are the only ones that will continue down the mountain when they see people.

And speaking of claw marks... I have scars from putting our little Lilli "Bare" in a carrier. I actually have been asked by some dumb people if I have attempted suicide because of all the marks and scars on my arms and wrists. Still waiting for this last set to fade in color. They are still an angry red but no scabs. But then that is life with a semi feral cat. She is getting better. She only shreds my arms when my DH gets involved in her capture. :brickwall:


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

I have those wrist scars too =( Mine are from a mean ole kitty though. He's not feral just a meanie. 

I've never seen a bobcat in the wild =( DH has has plenty of time, but never when I'm with him (I talk to much). 

LongRider I'm glad you helped him!! I've been told more than once that's natures way. I understand that to a degree but sometimes you just have to step in and offer a hand. I'm sure DH would have helped him, too. 

I pick on my husband and call him the ******* that has to touch everything. Told him I was going to start a blog about him, I'm sure before long he'd have his on show LOL!! But then I started thinking it's usually my fault he has to touch something 
Well sometimes shooing something would work but he has to pick it up LOL!!

Things he's had to pick up because of me: He says the scariest by far was a Barred Owl with no gloves. He said it wasn't the claws that got him, it was the head turning 180 degrees and making eye contact. A great blue heron, Ok I made him pick him up the first time, but the other time he just had to hold him before we released him. (Both had been hit by cars). Baby skunks playing in the road, they were so cute!!! But stinky!!!! I actually took video of that encounter LOL!! A whole lot of snakes and turtles. One trip out west we had to hike a mile down a mountain holding a Raven. The looks we were getting, folks were actually getting off the trail when they saw us. A bat =) though that wasn't the first bat he'd ever held. He got a two for one once, bet ya can't guess what they were doing LOL!!! I'm sure I'm forgetting some over 20 years there have been quite a few that are my fault.

There are the ones that aren't my fault, too. The one that sticks out the most in my mind is the hog. OhMyGosh why anyone would want to touch a wild hog I have no idea. But he did, so he did. I cringe now when my phone rings and I hear a wsipered "guessing what I'm doing" on the other end. At least it wasn't a boar, just a very hungry, very preggo sow.

Wow I wrote a book LOl!!! Sorry!!!


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

OHprepper said:


> soooo...grimm,i hope you know i love ya to death. and i do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. however, if you listen to any of these people that say to shoot it i would think i lot less of you. come on people...she moved to a mountain and saw a bear and the first thing you want to do is shoot it??? SHE MOVED TO A MOUNTAIN....WHERE BEARS LIVE. the bear wasnt beating down the door trying to eat Roo. it was walking around doing bear things. make sure it can't get food(so it doesnt want to come back), and when it comes around hit a horn or some other very loud noisemaker. bears are naturally curious, just let him know that what you got there isnt worth his/her time. I'm not saying you shouldnt keep a gun loaded, i'm just saying shooting the bear for coming by is ridiculous. perhaps oneoldchief should sit down with the bear and explain how property ownership works....while wearing a salmon necklace.


I would love that... I would explain to the bear that, there is nothing here worth your life. 
ps: I hate it when people do not have a sense of humor...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here are the pictures I took of the bear...


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## dlharris (Apr 3, 2011)

I'm sure that was scary....but AWESOME pictures!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

dlharris said:


> I'm sure that was scary....but AWESOME pictures!


He was closer when I first saw him. If you notice the clothesline in the pictures, he was sitting under it. These pictures were taken a half hour later when he started moving down the ravine.


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

Ok maybe I had to many stuffed Ted E. Bears growing up but he's cute =D 

He does have bedroom hair though LOL!!!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

razorback said:


> Ok maybe I had to many stuffed Ted E. Bears growing up but he's cute =D
> 
> He does have bedroom hair though LOL!!!


I use to collect Boyds Bears when I was a teen. He reminds me of them but BIGGER and WILD!

He did spend a lot of time sitting in the sun sniffing and blinking like he just woke up.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

Pretty sure that is in fact a black bear, but I might be wrong. If you like teddy bears my wife and I are members of this, 
http://www.goodbearsoftheworld.org/ A lot of bear collectors in that club. We have far too many.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

And great scary pics


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

biobacon said:


> And great scary pics


I took them without a flash and from Roo's room. If I had taken them from the "nursery" they would be a lot closer. The rock he is standing on is right in front of the "nursery" patio door. I had taken a few from the upstairs balcony but they look grainy from shooting through the tinted glass and the screen.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

biobacon said:


> Pretty sure that is in fact a black bear, but I might be wrong. If you like teddy bears my wife and I are members of this,
> http://www.goodbearsoftheworld.org/ A lot of bear collectors in that club. We have far too many.


I think everyone here has decided it was a black bear. Looks brown to me but then I am not referring to a grizzly but his color.

My "aunt" is a teddy bear collector. She has thousands of them. I got into the Boyds Bears when I worked in Hobby City at a doll shop. There was a bear shop across the way and I spent my lunches browsing and putting bears on layaway.

There was a Barbie shop next door and I also spent toooooo much time there. That shop got me started collecting Gene dolls. I have over 25 of them now. I haven't bought any since Roo was born but I only see 3 I would even want to add.

Like I have mentioned I have a very large doll and toy collection that could bring us a lot of money if I sold them at the right time or the need not to buy Roo presents since I know I'll give them to her. I never really got into not "playing" with my dolls so they are all from various play lines or in played with condition. Hell! I have a custom American Girl doll that looks like me. I always wanted one as a girl and bought all the ones they retired so Roo will have them since I never did. I just want to get the books for them so she can enjoy learning American history the way I did.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Awesome photos! You're really living the wild life now, aren't you? Quite a difference from city apartment living. Although, I suppose you did have a different sort of wild life there, hmm?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> Awesome photos! You're really living the wild life now, aren't you? Quite a difference from city apartment living. Although, I suppose you did have a different sort of wild life there, hmm?


In the apartment we lived above an old jobless stoner. If you have never caught a whiff of their scent they STINK! I'd rather live above a skunk.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

swjohnsey said:


> Unless it excaped from a zoo you probably didn't see a Brown/grizzly. The last Brown bear was killed in California in 1923, I believe.


We have seen ELK[one got shot in deer season]here in Ga.things migrate, get lost all the time.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

razorback said:


> I have those wrist scars too =( Mine are from a mean ole kitty though. He's not feral just a meanie.


Bobcat claw marks are not anything like kitten scratches. They were a good quarter inch wide and as much as half an inch deep. Left scars a 16th inch wide four to five inches long. The wife thinks I should of had stitches.


razorback said:


> LongRider I'm glad you helped him!! I've been told more than once that's natures way. I understand that to a degree but sometimes you just have to step in and offer a hand. I'm sure DH would have helped him, too.


In retrospect he would have made a nice pelt still had his winter fur. Maybe Creator was offering me a gift and I got slapped for not being grateful enough to take it. But I never have been much for fur trapping, if I can't eat it and its not bothering me I prefer not to kill it. Of course I use the hide off of anything I eat, cept fish. Your post had me cracking up thinking of all the stupid crap my wife has gotten me to do


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

jeff47041 said:


> I say firecrackers. The small packs with about 20 or 50, anytime you even think it is around and scare the crap out of it.


This I have no problem with but remember it is possible that you may piss him off instead of scaring him.


jeff47041 said:


> I'd kill it if it came around again. Just like I'd kill a wolf or mountain lion that was snooping around my house with children around.


This here is pure BS and ticks me off to no end. We have a cougar lives up here. He is one of the neighbors I've seen twice in twelve years. We see our bears comparatively often. There are folks up here with small kids no one freaks out because he lives here or shows up on occasion. Unless an animal is being a direct active threat there is no reason to kill them just because they scare you. They were here first, its their neighborhood.



OHprepper said:


> soooo...grimm,i hope you know i love ya to death. and i do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. however, if you listen to any of these people that say to shoot it i would think i lot less of you. come on people...she moved to a mountain and saw a bear and the first thing you want to do is shoot it??? SHE MOVED TO A MOUNTAIN....WHERE BEARS LIVE. the bear wasnt beating down the door trying to eat Roo. it was walking around doing bear things. make sure it can't get food(so it doesnt want to come back), and when it comes around hit a horn or some other very loud noisemaker. bears are naturally curious, just let him know that what you got there isnt worth his/her time. I'm not saying you shouldnt keep a gun loaded, i'm just saying *shooting the bear for coming by is ridiculous.*


THANK YOU! Like you I appreciated Grimm's response and awesome pictures. That's the kind of folks that belong out here. Those that think it is OK to move into the neighborhood and start massacring all the residents because they are afraid of them are complete idiots. If folks can not get along with the original inhabitants of the land Please STAY OUT.
There are lots of manicured parks and residential urban areas with their cute fabricated Disneyland forested parks and fairy lands wilderness. For those kinds of folks to live.


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

OHprepper said:


> i saw a video the other day, it may have been on here. it was of two black bear hunters sitting in a stand. they were watching a bear on the bait, and it ran right up the guides tree. they both stayed absolutely still and it went back down. it quite literally ran right up the tree and was right behind the stand before they knew what was happening. very impressive


I saw that video too! I know I would have been crapping my pants! That bear was literally within reach of the two guys. Luckily, it was more interested in running from the incoming bigger bear! Italy would have been much worse if both bears climbed up after one another and then noticed the hunters! Lol


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

I'm not sure if its been said yet...didn't go through all the posts. If you want to scare the bears away without killing them, talk to the game commissioners or wildlife officers about beanbag shot. They make beanbag shot for shotguns. The combination of the loud bang with the stinging pain of the beanbag shot from a 12 gauge should make them thing twice before returning to your place. Especially since they are not getting any more free food. Just a thought


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## razorback (Jul 17, 2012)

For some reason my kitties start out kitten size but over time they start weighing in at 20+ lbs. Smoky the one that got me this time is right at 25lbs. 

He didn't mean to do it, Shadow aka Buzz Saw does mean to, and she will go to the bone. Of course she doesn't have a tail and has little tuffs of hair that come to points on the tips of her ears =D

I hate stitches and avoid at all costs, they look like bugs on your skin LOL!!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Looks like you have a really calm bear from the pictures, any chance of putting a camera on a tripod to video the bear hanging out? I would love to figure out his "mood" when he is in your yard. From some videos, it could be possible to give you a general idea of what to expect from him (her - maybe).

Calm and sunning means that you have a good place to rest.

Searching out food because it is still hungry means that you may have problems if the bear figures that you are between it and lunch.

Also, with the video camera working "upstairs", make your self known to the bear that you are there (in a very safe manner) to see what the bears reaction is (leave calm, run away scared, defensive, anger / attack-mode) ... 





Now, as a "funny" story.


My aunt lives not far from where I grew up (the next town over). She put up bird-feeders on her wrap-around deck, hanging from the eves. Seems a bear thought that she put up bear-feeders and would eat the seeds.

She came out of the side door of the house, walked towards the front where the feeders were and found the bear sitting on the railing enjoying a snack ... 

She screamed, ran inside.

The bear grunted and ran down the stairs ... 


I don't know who was more scared, auntie or the bear. :rofl:


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

NaeKid said:


> Looks like you have a really calm bear from the pictures, any chance of putting a camera on a tripod to video the bear hanging out? I would love to figure out his "mood" when he is in your yard. From some videos, it could be possible to give you a general idea of what to expect from him (her - maybe).
> 
> Calm and sunning means that you have a good place to rest.
> 
> ...


The bear seemed calm and peaceful. He just sat there blinking in the sun and sniffing the air. Looks like he had just woken up for a nap or was sun bathing. I think the cats and I were more frantic with him being there! I'm sure the bear was just investigating since this has been a place to find food in the past.

Not sure if this will bring the bears to our home but there is a peach tree on the west side of the house. There are no doors or windows on that side of the house so I can't watch the tree for bears.

Right now I am beginning to think I am a magnet for wildlife! As I was typing the above a large crow flew into our window! It was trying to fly through the window to get in the house! WTF!? It flew off but not before trying to peck at the glass!


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Grimm said:


> The bear seemed calm and peaceful. He just sat there blinking in the sun and sniffing the air. Looks like he had just woken up for a nap or was sun bathing. I think the cats and I were more frantic with him being there! I'm sure the bear was just investigating since this has been a place to find food in the past.


That sounds like it is a "good" situation ... calm and peaceful is best. With that kind of attitude from the bear you could make things uncomfortable for him ... consider some heavy-metal music playing on outdoor speakers ... something with some screaming guitar rifts ... :congrat:



Grimm said:


> Right now I am beginning to think I am a magnet for wildlife! As I was typing the above a large crow flew into our window! It was trying to fly through the window to get in the house! WTF!? It flew off but not before trying to peck at the glass!


That is fairly normal - if you hang something outside the windows the birds will see that and stay away. Things like flagging-tape or whatever will let the birds know that there is something there. Very clean windows cannot be seen by most birds - many die each year by breaking their necks when they fly into glass windows.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

NaeKid said:


> Now, as a "funny" story.
> 
> My aunt lives not far from where I grew up (the next town over). She put up bird-feeders on her wrap-around deck, hanging from the eves. Seems a bear thought that she put up bear-feeders and would eat the seeds.
> 
> ...


This story is not too different from what I went throughmany years ago while hiking just upstream from Baker Lake in the Northern Cascades in Washington. A friend and I were a bit off trail and had run across a small avalanche where I chucked a few beers into the snow while he sat down leaning against a tree, I had walk over to the edge of the snow and was hearing some weird noises when a black bear suddenly came running straight at me. My reaction was to say OH, Sh!t and I run to the other side of a cedar tree (as if that was going to protect me), however at the same time I did that the bear made a left hand turn and ran up the mountain. Needless to say my heart felt like it was in my throat for a few minutes but I came to the conclusion that both the bear and I were equally scared by the encounter.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

LongRider said:


> This I have no problem with but remember it is possible that you may piss him off instead of scaring him.
> 
> This here is pure BS and ticks me off to no end. We have a cougar lives up here. He is one of the neighbors I've seen twice in twelve years. We see our bears comparatively often. There are folks up here with small kids no one freaks out because he lives here or shows up on occasion. Unless an animal is being a direct active threat there is no reason to kill them just because they scare you. They were here first, its their neighborhood.
> 
> ...


Well I don't know what to say. I love nature and animals. I've lived here all of my life. I live about 2 miles from where I grew up, but on the same farm. So, no animal alive was here before me. (You know what I mean)
I stated that we don't have what I consider maneaters around here. But if my 5 year old granddaughter is playing outside and a copperhead snake is around, I don't just say, well it's a neighbor. We hunt it down and kill it. Other snakes are a different story (for the most part)
Is Roo just never going to be able to play outside by herself when she is, say 5 or 8? Or is that just a risk you take?
When we are outside doing stuff, which is pretty much always, I'm not constantly right beside my grand daughter. I don't ignore her, just not right by my side. The thought of something like a bear, or mountain lion being able to beat me to her is beyond me.
I guess growing up with that kind of thing would make you more used to it. We live on a farm and I get yelled at for "dangerous" things I let her do on her own. But nothing I can imagine like being bear bait?? I do have some citified friends that can't believe the dangerous things my granddaughter does, that are just normal things around here. So maybe I'm just overprotective of the most important thing in my life.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

razorback said:


> For some reason my kitties start out kitten size but over time they start weighing in at 20+ lbs. Smoky the one that got me this time is right at 25lbs.


Bobcat are double, even triple that 40 to 60 pounds, the larger ones are around herein the north with the small bobcats staying in the south. I'd guess that the one that got me was 35 pounds maybe more, though he looked bigger because he was wearing his winter coat I know when he came flying up at me he was like that .22 barrel that looks like a .50 cal



Grimm said:


> Here are the pictures I took of the bear...


Thanks for the share awesome pics . If I knew how I'd post my neighbors bear clip



NaeKid said:


> Looks like you have a really calm bear from the pictures, any chance of putting a camera on a tripod to video the bear hanging out? I would love to figure out his "mood" when he is in your yard. From some videos, it could be possible to give you a general idea of what to expect from him (her - maybe).


How do you upload movies from your desk top? I have short clip my neighbor took of a regular visitor with his phone


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

LongRider said:


> How do you upload movies from your desk top? I have short clip my neighbor took of a regular visitor with his phone


This is going off-topic for the thread about a bear .. see reply at: http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f45/making-putting-up-video-19233/


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

Cinnamon Black bears in California

Living With California Black Bears

"California has a large population of black bears. (ursus americanus), estimated at 16,000 to 24,000 animals. *Black bears range in color from black to cinnamon* ..."

"*The only species of bears in California and Nevada are black bears*. However, they do range in color from blonde to black, with *cinnamon brown being the most common color in both states*."


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Ok, since the colour/race debate is still raging
Up in Canada some of our black bears are white:rofl:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear


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## fondini (Mar 18, 2012)

Cudos on keeping your wits!


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Bears are cute


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## Roslyn (Feb 20, 2012)

I grew up in the country, but bears were few and far between back then (70's-80's). My husband and I were "back to the landers" when we moved back to his families land 11 years ago (we have since moved closer to town since).

For a year before we moved I read and read about homesteading and country life and skill building etc. Our first winter I put out bird feeders and planned the chickens and garden. I also did a lot of reading about bears. Hubbies Dad had recently moved from the property and he told several stories about his close encounters with bears. One being coming home and a bear was lounging in front of the front door. It wouldn't move, and the house had no back door, so he left and decided to eat dinner out vs waiting the bear out. He was very careful with trash burning etc and never had any real issues. Some people in the area tell stories of bears breaking back doors and ransacking peoples kitchens, destroying BBQ grills, and breaking in basement windows.

My first bear encounter was at night. I had a new Pug puppy and I was taking him outside on a leash for his before bed "business" trip. I walked out the front door and was just zoned out while he sniffed and sniffed every blade of grass when a movement caught my eye. I only had the light from the kitchen window and I saw a 7-8 foot shadow under my peach tree. He was standing up pulling down my bird feeder. I yanked the leash, grabbed the puppy and ran to my truck so I could turn on the headlights. I'm not even sure it knew I was standing only about 7-8 feet away!!

I sat in the truck until I didn't see it, then I waited a little longer before going back into the house. I had just read about bringing in the bird feeder at night and made a mental note to get into the habit. Learned the hard way.

I saw the same bear off and on over the next 2 years. We would be grilling outside and it would wander under the apple trees, about 50 feet away. I would be on the garden swing and would see him walk out of the woods and cut through the yard. I never had fear of that bear past that first night, but I never set foot outside at night without a powerful light!!!!! I still don't go outside without a light.

However, that was the ONLY bear that was complacent. After that first two years the bears were more aggressive. They destroyed porches and doors of neighbors. My immediate neighbor (1/4 mile) had to replace his heavy front door when a bear tore it up. And then came the big year when we started losing chickens to bears. 

It started one night when there was a weird noise, and we realized something was ripping up the chicken coop. Hubbie grabs the shotgun, I grab the spotlight and out we go. It takes off into the woods, but it punched through the coop roof and tried to "fish" for the hens on the roost. They were smart enough to jump off the roost and run away. But, the whole roof had to be replaced. About two weeks later a similar thing happened, but we had booby trapped the roof and I put some tins on it to make noise if anything messed with it. Once again we were outside in our underwear in the middle of the night. He got off a few shots and we heard it banging off in the woods.

We lost quite a few chickens, all of them in the middle of the day when we were at work. The neighbor about 5 miles away spotted a mama and 3 cubs and judging by the sizes of the poo in the yard we thought that she may be visiting us as well. Not a lot you can do when you have 60+ chickens free ranging during the day.

What changed everything was putting an electric fence around the garden. I baited it with peanut butter and we never had an issue with bears again. The bears would come out of the woods, cross the creek and into our yard, then they could turn and come up to the house and coop or go the other way and back into the woods. They always chose the house and coop until the garden fence went up. Then they would test the fence, get shocked, and return to the woods like a good bear.

The game commission was the most irritating thing to deal with. I was really tired of being told "Oh, they are just after the chicken feed" when the bears were leaving full 20-pound feeders and killing chickens!! We had bear traps brought in, and lots of poo around the traps, but no one ever took the plunge and climbed in.

I talked with one woman who was having issues with bears and one broke through her basement door, then broke through an interior door and smashed up a metal can to eat her dog food. The snotty game commissioner told her to "STOP putting out feed for the bears" and "She could get fined for doing that!!" :laugh:


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

Ok, ya'll have made me tell my bear story! This happened in 1960.

When I was 12 years old, my friend Mark and his father Joe and I went on a cross country trip all the way to the Rocky Mountains and throughout the western states.

We camped on the side of the road and cooked over a fire every night and morning.

When we could stay in a state or national park, we did so.

We went to Yellowstone National Park and stayed three days. We were assigned to a "primitive camping area.

After setting up our tent, we went to see some of the sights. When we returned to camp, I took a bow saw and when into the nearby forest to cut up some fire wood from a downed tree, (the collection of dead wood was permissible)

Separated from Mark and Joe, I began to saw on a large limb but heard something walking. It was a huge sow Grizzly and her two cubs walking right past me and into the camp.

I froze and I remember thinking how sharp the bow saw was but how large she was and how I wouldn't stand a chance if she attacked.

She walked on and went into the camping area and raided an open cooler at the camp next to ours, creating a pretty good commotion.

The next day we went fishing and had a good day. We caught our limit of three cutthroat Trout each.

We returned to camp and cooked six of them for supper. We placed the other three in an aluminum cook pot full of water on top of a picnic table, planning to eat them for breakfast in the morning.

During the night, the sow Grizzly and her cubs returned and she destroyed a Colman gas stove and took the pot with her. I found it the next morning at the edge of the woods , punctured with teeth marks.

We decided to stay one more day but to go ahead and pack up everything into the small trailer we pulled behind Joes Triumph sports car.

We had the tent down and folded on the ground when I heard a small child say puppy, puppy.

I looked over toward the camp next to ours and there was a little girl about two years old standing in the door of one of those small egg shaped trailers holding out her hand and looking toward the woods.

I looked toward the woods and here came the sow Grizzly and the two cubs at a very fast walk in her direction.

I yelled at Joe and ran to the child and shoved her into the trailer and shut the door. Her mom and dad were still asleep.

When I turned to see where the Bear was, she was still coming toward me and Joe had jumped right in her path with a small camp axe.

Mark was throwing everything he could find at the bear and in that instant I realized that Joe was going to be killed.

He would not run or step out of the Bear's path!

Then I remembered the first encounter when the bear raided the cooler.

It was sitting under the camp trailer door being used for a step into the trailer.

I grabbed it and pulled it away from the trailer and the bear veered away just as Joe came down with the axe.

I fumbled with the metal latch and got it open, dumping the contents on the ground. 

The bear went for the cooler and I ran around the trailer back to the other side of our camp just in time to see Joe with his seventy pound hunting bow, (which he had removed from the trailer) he shot one arrow, (a blunt tipped arrow) and it buried it's self about eight inches into the hip of the bear. 

She roared at her cubs and ran into the woods with them right behind her.

I ran to see where she was going and could readily see her trail through the pine needles.

About fifty yards into the woods, I found the arrow and started back.

I heard someone coming and thinking it might be a ranger, I ran the arrow up under the pine needles.

It was Joe. He had his bow and two broad heads.

He asked me why I chased the bear into the woods and I told him that it had his arrow sticking in its hip.

He asked me if it was still in the bear's hip and I told him that it fell out and that I had run it up under the pine needles when I heard him coming.

He grabbed me by the shirt collar and started me back out of the woods.

When we got back to the camp there were at least twenty people there, all arguing about whether Joe had done the right thing shooting the bear.

While the argument was going on, we packed up everything and left Yellowstone for friendlier places.

I have thought about this many times. 

This is when I learned that the good guy doesn't always win. In fact most of the time he loses but if you want to be a good guy, you have to be willing to lose the good fight for the right reason!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the stories. They make me feel better about my first encounter with the bear.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Seeing a momma bear with two or three cubs makes me happy.


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## twiggie (Jan 3, 2009)

Hearing about the bear tearing down a door and going inside a house reminded me of a story of a friend from years ago. They lived practically in the middle of nowhere and had no real reason to lock their doors at night, apparently bears know how to turn door knobs. My friend was upstairs in her room and woke up in the night to go get a glass of water or something, and proceeded to the kitchen. I don't know how she didn't smell the thing but she got down the stairs and turned the light on to be greeted by a large black bear sitting in the middle of the room with the door standing wide open. She of course screamed and the bear took off, I can't remember if it had taken anything or not but the whole family got up and came downstairs.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

So my dad had a run in with the local bobcat today. He was walking around the property to really get a look at where we moved his granddaughter. He thought one of our cats was outside and continued his tour. When he got to the back of the house and the "cat" hid under the back steps. An hour or so later he told us about the "cat" and I went looking for the cat that may have gotten out. K did a head count and all our cats were accounted for. I showed my dad some pictures of bobcats and he said that was what he saw.

Seems the bobcat knows we have house cats and is coming to play. The neighbor told K yesterday that one was sitting on the roof line near our loft windows pawing at the cat in the window. Guess he is going to be a regular visitor now.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Wow ...

The only time we see our local bobcats are very early in the morning or very later at night.

Cool!


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

Grimm said:


> So my dad had a run in with the local bobcat today. He was walking around the property to really get a look at where we moved his granddaughter. He thought one of our cats was outside and continued his tour. When he got to the back of the house and the "cat" hid under the back steps. An hour or so later he told us about the "cat" and I went looking for the cat that may have gotten out. K did a head count and all our cats were accounted for. I showed my dad some pictures of bobcats and he said that was what he saw.
> 
> Seems the bobcat knows we have house cats and is coming to play. The neighbor told K yesterday that one was sitting on the roof line near our loft windows pawing at the cat in the window. Guess he is going to be a regular visitor now.


Be very careful! I hope you carry a weapon on your property when you're outside


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

Around here we rarely see bobcats there are plenty of them around but they tend to be kinda shy. Interesting that this guy is out and about...


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Beart Spray*



Startingout-Blair said:


> Be very careful! I hope you carry a weapon on your property when you're outside


I would rather have "Bear Spray" than a weapon.

It will stop a charging Bear whereas a weapon may not!

I would hate to know I had one shot from a pistol to stop a bear charging me at thirty miles per hour.


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