You know it's spring when...

[GunnyMack]

Woke up this morning and headed down the stairs to take the dogs out and what the !! Aw man the bear decided it wanted the barrel of sunflower that was inside the screened porch. It tore one screen down, picked up the barrel, pulled it through the opening dumped it over. But it hardly ate anything. Maybe we scared it off. The dogs weren't too bent, normally they go nuts with bear smell. Now I have to find a new home for my bird seed and deer feed.

Also going to spread some cayenne pepper around the porch!

[GunnyMack]

SON OF A ...
0620 and it's coming back to eat! I grab a pack of fire crackers and out the door I go. These bears are fearless! They don't care about people at all.
I'd guess this one at 250-275 lbs, no ear tags( not a problem bear) solid black. At one point it was about to step up on the deck again, about 3 yards from my glass doors.

[Ysabel Kid]

Gee, and I was thinking that I knew it was spring when my car - and every other thing outside - turned yellow, being covered in pollen!

[crs]

Gunny,
In your part of the country, what are the laws about dispatching problem animals?

[GunnyMack]

Well, the folks at fish & game told me 'since you are feeding the birds you are baiting for bears so we will not do anything about the bear'. This was AFTER a bear chewed siding off the house! I said if the bear comes inside the house who do I call to clean up the dead bear!? They told me flat out I couldn't shoot a bear inside my house- I said oh yeah watch me!they said call the police afterward.... Chief is a buddy of mine!

As far as a problem animal is concerned the state would trap the animal, tag it and release it, if it was caught again then a tag in other ear, a third time they would euthanize it.

Now these bears are fearless, they have moved in with gusto, having cubs( see lots of sows with 4 cubs) they raid garbage cans, eat dog/cat food and destroy the corn fields. As far as everyone that has to pick up their garbage all bears are a problem.

Someone said to just gut shoot it with a .22, but that's just wrong, long cruel death...

[piller]

Can you get any habanero peppers? Soak them in vinegar and spray the liquid where the bears put their noses or mouths. Habaneros are hotter than cayenne.

[Malamute]

The info about pepper spray is to NOT consider it a repellant for an area or objects. People have tried that, the bears sometimes come roll in it. It acts completely differently on the ground or whatever versus sprayed in their eyes and nose. so, Id guess you may be making it worse with cayenne or other hot pepper stuff. It doesn't affect them like the spray in the eyes and nose does. Set up a remote can of spray on the bird feed can and give them a shot when they come back and see if that works. Or just walk out and spray them in the face.

[crs]

Is there a bear season where you live?
Can they be trapped with leg hold traps?
Are you familiar with DCON strips/bars?

In 2012, Colorado had banned using bait or dogs to hunt bear and in September, 20 + bears were exterminated in Colorado City alone, one by a homeowner who returned to a very messy house full of bear.
I was hunting elk southeast from Colorado City and had a bear tag, but the only one I saw was jumping from the top/lid of the ranch dumpster as we returned from a morning hunt. I thought it was a black dog until my guide told me it was a bear. Sorry that I could not try my .338 mag on it.
There were lots of bear in the ranch are because we saw tracks near all water sources. We also saw o a 40 inch mule deer, but of course it was not in season; what a crappy way to run a game management program; there is even a season on RATTLESNAKES!

[GunnyMack]

We had 2 seasons last year, a week in October, 3 days bow only, 3 days muzzleloader/ bow. Then another 6 days in December. The December season is a joke as the bears are already sleeping most of the time. The state KNOWS the season should be spring rut but the bunny huggers think too many sows would be shot. So they cave and we hunt the fall only.
We can't be within 300 feet of bait.
There have been many bears taken well over 400 lbs, not bad for the 4 NW counties of NJ! One from last October dressed over 600!!!

When I lived in Trinidad CO the McDonalds always had culvert trap in the parking lot during the summer. A bear a week average was the norm.