OT- Bear Problem

[66GTO]

I never thought I'd be saying this, but we have a problem bear in our suburban neighborhood. I live in the Pensacola, Florida area (extreme NW panhandle) on a small bayou not far from the Interstate. This morning I found my trash can upset and the contents spread in the yard. My neighbor had the same thing and found bear tracks.

About an hour ago I heard the unmistakable sound of a trash can falling, went for my flashlight and found every can on the street turned over (pick up is tomorrow AM). Shined my light across in the neighbors yard and two eyes reflected back at me! Now I am no bear expert like a lot you fellows, but down on all fours he looked to be 250 or 300 lbs.

He came up on another neighbors back porch and they saw a green tag on him, so I assume he has been a problem bear before and has tagged and relocated. He also started scratching a tree in another neighbors yard.

My neighbor across the street called the Game Commission and they seemed unconcerned. Easy for them to be unconcerned, it isn't turning over their trash. They said you can't even shoot it with a BB gun to scare it off.

Any ideas on how to get rid of this black bruin?

[Gun Smith]

In our part of the country (Oregon coast) a fed bear is a dead bear. No matter where they take a bear he will come back to where he was feeding. They are destroyed around here. That should be done before someone is injured or killed in your neighborhood. Relocating bears is a waste of time and money. Hard to accept but the truth.

[TedH]

SSS

[mescalero1]

what I was going to say

[66GTO]

SSS

Going to be hard to do in this suburban neighborhood. The "shutup" part would be doable, but the shooting and shoveling part would be noticed!

The latest update from the neighbors is that the bear has TWO tags, one in each ear. When that was relayed to the Game Warden, it finally got his attention. He said the bear is a problem bear that has been captured and released twice already. They will send an officer and a biologist out tomorrow to investigate and set a trap.

I agree with GunSmith on this one. I think that bear is not long for this world. Three strikes and you are out. There just aren't any places in Florida far enough away from civilization to release a bear where he can't find his way back into trouble.

[TedH]

They might need to ship that one out west. Air drop him into the Rockies.

[2ndovc]

They can ship him to Ohio.

We can use a new face around here.

The way people are moving out of this area you could drop him right down town and no one
would notice for a week!

Don't know where the heck everybody is going but half our county is up
for sale or already been repossesed.


jb

[BenT]

I don't have the trash can issue , but I have to take my birdfeeders in every night. They seem to like sunflowers seeds and suet cake sandwiches.

[RIHMFIRE]

set out some chocalate x-lax

[kimwcook]

Sounds like a bear not long for this world.

Goat, when you say you can't even shoot it with a BB gun to scare it off, do you mean you aren't allowed to or it won't bother it? If it won't bother it sounds like time for some less lethal rubber bullets or bean bags. Them suckers hurt no matter whose taking the hit. You have to be kind of close, but that doesn't sound like a problem. Might not be able to shoot legally in your area though.

I just know I wouldn't want to be looking around all the time for a bear when I went outside that's accustomed to ignoring humans.

Hopefully, the Game Commission will get a quick handle on it.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

We have the same problem here in my neighborhood. A large sow and her fairly large cub are tipping over the cans on the nights before garbage day. Then, during the day, they come along the backs of the houses and pull down all of the full bird feeders and eat the seeds. They also like to stroll through open garages.

It worries me that my 6 year old girl will run into it while out in the yard or on the dock.

[O.S.O.K.]

Uh, put the cans out in the morning...?

[Travis Morgan]

Shoot him at night; close range, in the head with 12 ga. slugs. Then, leave him laying in the road. Then shut up. Don't report it, don't tell us about it, just shut up. You were on Tylenol PM's and didn't hear any gunshots. Folks rarely report one gunshot, and cops rarely bother investigating.

PICK UP YOUR HULLS!

[Kansas Ed]

Or maybe you need a popcorn ball in your trash loaded with a full bottle of Tylenol PM....Bear takes a nap and never wakes up?

Ed

[El Chivo]

I was going to say poison, people poison cats all the time for getting into the garbage.

[66GTO]

Uh, put the cans out in the morning...?

He got into mine the night before I put it out. Everyone keeps the cans next to their house until pick up. I don't want a stinking garbage can in my garage, even if there was room for it, which there isn't. My tool shed has thin aluminum siding which he would just rip through. If the problem persists I may have to rig a lock on the lid. I could put some of those useless padlocks to use that come with every gun I purchase.

Kimwcook, the "can't shoot with a BB gun" is per the Game Warden!

Funny thing is the gators that show up under my dock don't really bother me because I usually know right where they are, plus they stay out of my garbage I even hooked a small gator on a top water plug once, just for fun. Luckily he turned it loose when I got him close. And as far as SSS goes with gators, I once saw a 7 foot gator floating belly up in the bayou with a hole in his head. It wasn't me, I promise!

[kimwcook]

[quote="66GTO"][quote=Kimwcook, the "can't shoot with a BB gun" is per the Game Warden!/quote]

BB guns are pretty quiet.

[silverbuzzard]

you sure it's a bear?
Could be a Haitian dressed as a bear. Try some regae music first and lead him outa state

[Buck Elliott]

They might need to ship that one out west. Air drop him into the Rockies.

Got enough bears of our own, thank you...

One favorite tactic of the Game & Fish boys here is to "Cross-Transplant" problem bears...
Take a bear from one over(bear)-populated area and dump him in a different overpopulated area. Some of these bears seem to delight in getting caught, just for the thrill of the drugs & the chopper ride...

Then the nest time around they'll take a bear from the 2nd area and drop it into the first area, basically equalizing the bruin population again.

All too often, the drop zone is very close to ranches and/or recreation sites, such as campgrounds. The PR information is never clear as to just where the bears are placed, but there are enough eye-witness accounts to verufy the facts...

[66GTO]

you sure it's a bear?
Could be a Haitian dressed as a bear. Try some regae music first and lead him outa state

No Haitians in this part of the state (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Pensacola ... cola%20map) . They are about 700 miles down the road from here in Miami. It could be one of my LA (Lower Alabama) relatives playing a prank

[3leggedturtle]

And whatever you do, dont accidentally leave a 1 gallon container of anti-freeze out; as most critters love the taste of it!!

[silverbuzzard]

Had a cousin that was that hairy,made his livin barkin for the yaak women at the carnival
YA Buck ,I lived in western montana and the dumbos kept movin the bears around when they got in trouble. Trouble was when they moved em, they didn't know where the food was so they went straight to the garbage cans. Brilliant idea

[JReed]

Do you have a bow? A broad head in the boiler room is quiet and effective plus they cant be traced via ballistics.

[Bigahh]

Paint Ball Gun. Orange sits well on Black!

[Alan Wood]

Hm given the circumstances and the fact that you have posted about it on the web I suspect that the best you can safely do is render your trash unpalletable. Say some extremly hot hot sauce. Of course my luck would be that the dang bear would like hot sauce.

[Streetstar]

I really feel sorry for the poor fellas whose habitat is reduced to the point that they have to prey on garbage cans Drop 'em in SE Oklahoma, there is still a l ittle bit of room to roam here !

[Travis Morgan]

Drop 'em in the reas where they have hog problems. Problem solved.

[PaulB]

Wire your trash can to a fence charger. That should be entertaining.

One favorite tactic of the Game & Fish boys here is to "Cross-Transplant" problem bears...
Take a bear from one over(bear)-populated area and dump him in a different overpopulated area.

It's called "job security". Your tax dollars at work.

[kimwcook]

Wire your trash can to a fence charger. That should be entertaining.

One favorite tactic of the Game & Fish boys here is to "Cross-Transplant" problem bears...
Take a bear from one over(bear)-populated area and dump him in a different overpopulated area.

It's called "job security". Your tax dollars at work.

I'd love to see a video of that!

[silverbuzzard]

How bout making a bear gun on the lines of a potatoe gun !!?!!!! Talk about fun KABLOOOY
In all seriousness, if he won't leave ya alone, let him live with you. Let him watch FOX everyday and on voting day we just gained one more vote, HEY we could do that with all kinds of animals, the Demon crats do !

[BobM]

They can ship him to Ohio.

We can use a new face around here.

The way people are moving out of this area you could drop him right down town and no one
would notice for a week!

Don't know where the heck everybody is going but half our county is up
for sale or already been repossesed.


jb

I live in SW Ohio and last week there was supposedly a bear running around the Clinton/Highland County area, but I've not heard anything new since Friday night.
There was one sighted in Clinton Co. a few years ago and the DNR ended up trapping it in Highland or Ross Co.; from what I heard it wandered through Kentucky from West Virginia and into Ohio.

[silverbuzzard]

few years ago, a wolf with radio collar on was found shot outside of Muncie Indiana [ even with Indy !]
Was collared in the UP of Michigan

[66GTO]

No further signs of the bear for the past two nights. And no signs of the Wildlife Commission employees either. I thought he might show up again last night because my son went fishing yesterday and I cleaned several snapper and a king mackeral, then cooked them on the back deck for supper last night. There was plenty of fresh fish smell around from the cleaning and cooking, but Mr. Bear was not seen. He may have been around and I just missed him but no signs of him rummaging about.

[Old Ironsights]

FWIW... Since there is very little report...

A 12ga loaded with "Dragon's Breath" loads make a great Bear Deterrent and you don't have to worry about your backstop...