Bears

[michiganmom]

I know its not time yett for our big mama to come out of hybernation but i have a few questions. Do any of you know how long their cubs stay with them and do they have cubs every year or every two? This bear has lived around here for a long time and never a problem untill last year. She always kept to herself and stayed at the edge of our woods when passing thru but last year she had a cub and thats when the fun started. We first found out because my husband was walking to the back of our land and big mama let out a growl but not mean like and right after hubby heard that the cub answered back to her so he slowly turned around and came back to the house and told us. Well it wasnt long after that and big mama snuck right close to my house and bit the bottom out of my thistle seed feeder and had dinner so we stopped feeding the birds after that she came back and knocked over my garbage dumpster and had her self another dinner. I am worried what she might pull this year. She also went to one of our neibhors and clawed up their car trying to get in and got into barrells they had full of bird seed. I pray for a better year for them, last year every thing was hungry and bears were not the only problem (coons & skunks)here. When i hear a chicken go off in the night i would run out the back door with my gun but now i am scared to. I sure do not want to run into big mama exspecially if she still has that cub or a new one.
Any advice. Thanks
michiganmom

[johnjmw]

I know I am being mean and that every animal has a right to live and eat, until they start invading my space. Then they become a pest/nuisance. Then it is time to start caring a bigger gun.
John

[DM]

I've lived around bears most of my life, includeing many years around brown bears... I never had more than a passing problem with them. And the problem was for the same reason your having a problem.

Bears come to food, take away the food source, and they will leave. They have cubs every 2 years, and they will teach there cubs to come to any food source... Once you train them that there's food around, things get harder, as they will keep coming back to check things out.

Get rid of the food they are coming after, and break the cycle of them coming to look for it...

I've found bears to be a MUCH less of a problem than wolves, or a pack of coyotes!! I'd take the bear every time...

DM

[harvester]

they have cubs every two years and keep their cubs for about two years.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Sorry to say this........

But no matter how you look at it "a problem bear is a dead bear"

They are too smart for there own good. Unfortunately once they learn a bad habit, that is usually the end of it.

You are right to eliminate the food sources at your house. But that will just move the problem to the neighbors. The bear can be relocated, but that just relocates the problem.

Best to let you Conservation Department know what is happening before some damage happens, or someone gets hurt.

Sad, but there is no turning back now.
Best wishes
Wyo

[Capndog]

I have to agree with most everyone else.
Once a bear takes a shine to your house there's not much you can do.
They can smell you cooking.
I built my house with reinforced doors opening OUT so bears could'nt lean on them and get in.
They've ripped the windows out of my truck. Here the D.O.W. tags them and relocates them a hundred miles away.
9 time in ten they're back in a month.

[michiganmom]

WOW, i guess i was hoping she would just go away. What really scares me is that my picture window is hudge, i sure would hate for her to break it wanting in. The neibhor that she scrached up their said he had went out with pots and pans banging them together and she didnt care then he saw the cub and went right back in the house. So now i have to worry about a naughty cub too. The first sign of trouble i will call them to come get her and the cub or cubs.
Thanks for all the help.
michiganmom

[walls0stone]

sure you can put a ballon full of Amonia water under your bird feeder on a string. DOn't get the stuff on the ballon it's self, just inside. When a bear goes to eat, he plays first, and get's a big amount of that stuff in his nose. it works. Electric wife and bacon, ZAP!

we have a state record Cinamin Bear here. He has been captured 3 times and taken 2 hour drive away..but like Dogs, they have a place they belong and unless a bear fits a new spot, he is pushed back to his old spot. they would have killed this one, but he has been a draw to the area for out of town hunters. But spray stuff with amonia, like the trash ect... don't leave things out and don't let your compost, or other smelly things out side. they even rip open wraped hay bails.

and don't keep people from hunting them. :)

[michiganmom]

I will have to try the amonia good idea thanks. Have any of you ever put human hair down to repell skunks, i have by the hen house and it really worked. The only problem is i keep forgetting to have every one save it when they get it cut LOL.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Howdy

Glad to hear about the human hair thing for skunks. Only problem I have is not enough hair after a trim to do any good. Bwahahahaha

Skunks are a piece of cake to catch in a live trap. Bait with a small chunk of banana. That will keep you from catching the neighbors cat........... Unless..............

Set the trap, bait, cover with a disposable tarp. When caught, wrap trap and all in the tarp to move. As long as they are in the dark, they are OK. Then you can drowned them or my Dad used to gas them with an old vacume cleaner hose off the pickup exhaust. Rarely will they spray with either method. Even if they do, the tarp is expendable and the trap can be washed.

Good luck
Wyo

[harvester]

We trapped hundreds of skunks as animal control. Ok, lets say I trapped them, no one else would be around when they heard the word "skunk"!
Place the trap inside a large leaf bag, bait it with whatever you can catch them with, we used canned cat food and sardines sometimes too. sardines seem to catch cats for miles around tho. If a bannana will work then by all means use it to cut down the chances of catching cats.
When the trap is sprung come up behind it on the closed end of the bag its in, close down the front open end of the bag and put the trap in your truck. Go for a good looooooooooooooooooong drive. I took skunks out about 20 miles and dumped them off in a forrest full of wildlife near a beautiful stream.
Another hint is to put the trap in the back of your truck after you have released the skunk and drive strait to a carwash. you can wash out the trap without ever touching it, and the back end of your truck at the same time. Sun dry the trap. If its your own trap then get a gallon of white vinegar and pour it all over that trap after you have washed it, let it sun dry. it will smell brand new, if not a bit pickley..ha! ;D Happy skunking!

[michiganmom]

Thank You Harvester
Usually when i go out its POW and then i bury them. Last year the skunks come in and ate 5 baby chicks and two bantam laying hens. People say they wont come in the light but thats not true they come right out under my big yard light. I like it when i go in the hen house and they are backed up in a corner so i can just POW and not get sprayed. I have had one little skunk come out after me instead of trying to get away, shot him right before he got to my feet. I need to do some fixin inside the hen house this year so they cant get in.

[BrightFlower]

We have black bears that roam through our property now and again. That's all they seem to do so far. We have yet to have any problem with them but that isn't saying we won't. We try to keep our garbage cans tightly closed and animal food out of sight and smell as much as possible. So far so good.

[AlchemyAcres]

we have a state record Cinamin Bear here.

State record, huh? How could it be a state record if it has never been scored?

I saw that bear on Prutsman's Hill. It's a long legged skinny ugly almost sickly looking thing.


~Martin

[DM]

State record, huh? How could it be a state record if it has never been scored?

I saw that bear on Prutsman's Hill. It's a long legged skinny ugly almost sickly looking thing.


~Martin


The "record" is for how much "Cinnamon" they harvest off that bear every time they capture it... ha ha ha

DM

[walls0stone]

hhaaa haaa funny,
He is the one who has been trapped and taken away so many times. He is very healthy. You are in Roseville enough, do you not recall all the troubles with him 4 years ago? The 2nd time they trapped him was before hunting season. They take his weaght, pull his tooth to be scored and tag him.

Go to Zig Zag's and check the pics

[harvester]

well eventually you wont have a problem with him anymore if they keep catching him and pulling a tooth!! hahahahhahaaa

[huckelberry]

bears an skunks are both pests,just ger yer licence an plug em they are pretty good eatin,black bears not skunks ;D

[walls0stone]

Ha ah Funny Harvester.
Normaly they destroy the bear after 3 trappings. however I'm sure the state keeps him around for tourism/sportsmen's money. He has been in a few articals round the state. Local game warden looked into the trouble he was cause'n The bear had taken a 50lb sack of bird seed from a shed and following the trail took the warden to a small wood filled W/bird house parts, garbage bags ect.

one night I woke up to hear what I suspected to be a Horn'n Bee party outside my house. to my supprise it was the bear with a massive bag of trash. I yelled at him, he ran...bag in his mouth...scattering trash all over the road.

Leaving me to pick it up in my PJ's at 3am.. still a funny site.

[DM]

well eventually you wont have a problem with him anymore if they keep catching him and pulling a tooth!! hahahahhahaaa

I was thinking the same thing... And without teeth, i guess garbarage is all that's left for him to eat?

DM

[Mad_Professor]

bears an skunks are both pests,just ger yer licence an plug em they are pretty good eatin,black bears not skunks ;D

Make nice rugs/blankets too