A Dog’s Eye View looks at Bears in the Spring

Mar 6, 2012 | A Dog's Eye View

One of the side effects of modern living is that there are a lot of homes where there used to be woods and scrubby fields. This has led to a steady increase in wildlife sightings in many areas. Deer are seen trying to cross the road more often. Folks in the Westlands have seen moose. Wild turkeys are everywhere, and last Halloween, there was a bear on the loose.

Every spring and fall come the calls to the police station from upset residents because their birdfeeders have been bent and smashed. What’s wrong with these kids? Why can’t they leave my stuff alone? That’s when we know a bear is in town.

Bears eat a lot in the late summer and throughout the fall to build up body fat so they can hibernate through the winter. When they wake, between February and April, they’re hungry. They will eat whatever they can find. They will go through your trash, empty out your bird feeders, steal your pet’s food right off the porch, rip the bark off a convenient tree, and take out that bee hive. Once they’ve had their fill, they will go away quietly.

A bear’s natural curiousity and search for food is commonly mistaken for aggression. Unfortunately, this is also usually fatal for the bear. A male bear can weigh as much as 800 lbs, while females are generally smaller, but can still weigh about 500 lbs. A bear can sprint up to 30MPH if it has to. Compare this to the size of a Smartcar, and three times as strong.

So what do you do if a bear should wander in your yard?

If you are in your house, stay there. The bear will leave when its good and ready.

If you are outside, the general rule is to back away slowly and quietly, and do not announce your presence to the bear if it has not seen you.  If the bear has seen you, speak calmly so the bear thinks you are no threat. A bear’s eyesight is actually quite poor, so speaking allows the bear to figure out you are human, and they will generally go away at that point on their own. Whatever you do-do not run. A bear can outrun you any day of the week. I found information that recommends climbing a tree, however, black bears can climb very well-so I would say the goal is to get as much distance between you and the bear as possible-without running, and without making the bear feel threatened. Most bears do not want a confrontation, and they may make a “bluff charge” rather than attacking. One website recommended using pepper spray on the bear, but most people do not bring pepper spray with them in their own back yard, plus it would just annoy the heck out of the bear-if he didn’t want to smack you before, he might just reconsider now. If a bear feels threatened, it may attack, especially if there are cubs nearby. In this situation you will need to fight the bear off with anything you have available with the hope of scaring him off.

Bears are attracted to food by their sense of smell. This is another reason not to put meat, fish and dairy products in your compost pile. Try to remember to clean off your barbeque grill after using it, as it smells delicious to a hungry bear as well. Research any new plantings to see if they could be doubling as bear attractants. Common varieties include berry bushes like blueberry, raspberry, honeysuckle and strawberry, and trees like cherry, dogwood and mountain ash.

Feel free to share your bear stories here.

Bear & Cubs
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