I was sitting with my back to the living room window when I heard a noise behind me, turned around and was eyeball to eyeball with a black bear cub scratching at the glass. :o It was gone by the time I got the camera out but neighbor says it is still hanging around so c/o has been called. It looks like a yearling but haven't seen the sow. I live in town but this is not uncommon.
I thought it was going to be something scaly and slithery. Reminds me several years we took a trip to Yosimite and after about 5 days into our trip our daughter mentioned "You know we have not seen a bear this whole trip." That afternoon we were having a late lunch at the foot of El Capitane when my daughter looked up and said "Oh my God. Its a bear!" She, my wife and our travel buddy ran to grab their cameras while I packed up the food. It was a young grizzly cub about 300 lbs or so with big fuzzy looking ears. I was waving at him and he was real tentative and stood and leaned on a nearby tree and sniffed the air and smelled food from a couple a couple hundred feet away. I didn't want to yell and scare the bear away so I was waving my arms till they saw me then I pointed to the bear headed their way and they jumped up and started packing too. He wasn't hurting anything but we knew if he got too comfortable around people he would have to be relocated or destroyed so the best thing to do was keep the food away and try to scare him off.
That is my concern about this one. A habituated bear is a dead bear. I once worked in a national park, a bear was trapped and relocated after tearing up a tent. The wardens stopped for lunch on the way back, by the time they returned it was at the campground so had to be put down.
Our scaly and slithery neighbors are garter snakes and bull snakes which are quite harmless. Further down the valley they get the northern Pacific rattler which normally leave people alone, their most frequent encounters are with nosy dogs.
My first home sat on a lake about 1/2 mile off the road, no neighbors - absolutely loved it there. The bathroom was off the kitchen and being a bachelor I walked into the kitchen one day after taking a shower while towling off. Turned around and right there in the kitchen window was a mature cow moose with her nose through the opening. Not sure which of us jumped higher!! ;D
I've came across 3 bears in different locations so far this spring. None much over 200 lbs. Haven't seen any cubs.
I haven't seen any bears this year and I'm deep in the middle of nowhere. Sightings are somewhat frequent here. Haven't heard coyotes yapping in the night for awhile either, I see lots of deer though, I can almost walk up to one, same with the rabbits(snowshoe hares) here, actually I was wheel barrelling dirt around yesterday and one ran right up to me and got on his rear legs and sniffed the dirt I had in the wheel barrel :D , figure I must be active enough with the sounds of saws, machinery, boulders smashing etc that they keep their distance from my area. I do have frequent bobcats
I get frequent neighbor's barn cats. :D
Quote from: SwampDonkey on May 28, 2021, 05:02:57 AM
I get frequent neighbor's barn cats. :D
We use to get a barn cat show up, he was a hard old fella, parts of ears missing, bobtail, his name was lard ass :D . I believe he is long gone now, hasn't been around since 2010.
Quote from: sawguy21 on May 27, 2021, 10:29:12 PM
That is my concern about this one. A habituated bear is a dead bear. I once worked in a national park, a bear was trapped and relocated after tearing up a tent. The wardens stopped for lunch on the way back, by the time they returned it was at the campground so had to be put down.
Anybody know this book? Talk about a habituated bear! Wasn't the warden who was supposed to put him down. Different times.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/21495/the_biggest_bear.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1622198330)
The warden most likely should have.
Quote from: Tacotodd on May 28, 2021, 07:49:36 AM
The warden most likely should have.
Warnt no warden.
Since we are talking about bears did you know a bear is one of the ultimate omnivores? He will eat meat, fish, berries, nuts, grass, honey, most planted row crops, and anything he can find in your trash can. In the northern regions they fatten up so they can hibernate during the coldest parts of the winter but in the warmer areas of the south they hibernate little if any and remain active during the winter.
Omnivores.
Bears make the news all the time here. But this story wasn't so cute and cuddly.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.knoxnews.com/amp/5779398002 (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.knoxnews.com/amp/5779398002)
My little guy was entertaining to watch but not all encounters end well for either party. A few years ago a couple were camping near Mackenzie BC and presumably he got into the adult libation a little too heavily. She went to bed leaving him sitting by the fire, came out in the morning to find what was left being guarded by a wolf and a bear.
Blacks are generally quite timid and will leave us alone unless cornered or guarding food or young. Grizzlies on the other hand can be quite aggressive and are best avoided unless one is well armed and knows how to use it. They are in this area but I have seen very few.
I hate bears. One cost me a new hot water heater. There is a game trail crossing under my neighbor's fence and my natural gas line runs right under it. Several years ago we started having problems with the gas hot water heater and replaced the thermocouple. That did not fix the problem so we bought a new gas hot water heater. It did the same things so we called the gas company to check the meter. The first thing he did was ask if we had any shutoff valves between the meter and the house. "Yeah, there is one over there under the fence. There is a orange stake beside it to keep the road department from mowing into it." He went out and came back laughing. Evidently a bear had walked under the fence and stepped on the gate valve to the gas line and shut it about 3/4 shut reducing the flow. He opened it back up and there were no other problems. I went out and duct tapped it open to prevent a recurrence. So I figure that bear cost me the price of my new water heater.
Actually, I don't hate bears and don't hunt or let anybody else hunt them on my place.
He was just trying to help you conserve energy! :D
He better not try it again or I may decide instead of gas heat I can just wear a heavy bearskin coat and hat! :D
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 28, 2021, 04:06:51 PM
He better not try it again or I may decide instead of gas heat I can just wear a heavy bearskin coat and hat! :D
I would not suggest "a heavy bearskin coat and hat" as proper outdoor wear during hunting season.
You might be the recipient of a high speed telegram.
GAB
How about if I wear the hair side in? ;) I can wear my orange collar as a hatband too.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on May 28, 2021, 05:56:51 PM
How about if I wear the hair side in? ;) I can wear my orange collar as a hatband too.
Mr. Green it's you're safety so do as you wish.
Suggestion: make sure your will is up to date, just in case.
Remember where you are.
GAB
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0658.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1464915340)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/PICT0492.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1465699141)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/PICT0997.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1466730812)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0725.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1467411871)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0727.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1467411975)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0764.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1470531645)
Never any problem in 66 years with them.
You must not have any exposed gas line valves. :D :D
The cat doesn't look the least bit concerned.
I wouldn't be too sure of that, @sawguy21 (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=1763). The cat's ears bent back and the fluffed tail tell a different tale, at least to me. But I could be wrong.
Quote from: Peter Drouin on May 29, 2021, 06:59:34 AM
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0658.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1464915340)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/PICT0492.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1465699141)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/PICT0997.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1466730812)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0725.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1467411871)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0727.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1467411975)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22511/SAM_0764.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1470531645)
Never any problem in 66 years with them.
Fella in the last photo smiles for camera! :D