bear in yard

[Sman]

Wild life around where we are is thriving, plenty of foxes and a mink...and last Friday night at about 8:30 PM a bear walked right through my yard, we are on the water in a pretty populated area in Gilford, he walked from our beach up the yard and out to the driveway, don't ask me why but I whistled and he stopped turned around and looked at me then kept going across the street into the woods presumably...not sure I decided not to follow, sorry no pics. All the hiking I have done in ME and NH over the years, have never seen one, and finally do in my own yard? He was not aggresive but not afraid either. Trying to tell you how big he was is like telling someone how big the fish was that got away, but it was not a young cub and by no means full grown, my guess is somewhere around 150lbs +/-. I usually let the dog out right about then, but that night I took it on a leash with a light.

[fatlazyless]

Was the bear driving a segway....can you believe it...Echo the bear, up at Clark's in North Woodstock has his own segway set up with big knobby tires for the woods. Be on the look-out on hiking trails now, for a five year old black bear driving a segway!

Talking about wildlife, believe that was a white ibis which flew in for a landing here this afternoon on the water and decided to take a rest on a neighboring dock. This ibis stood about three feet tall with long skinny legs, and great big wings. Do not recall ever seeing a large whitish grey ibis around here before. Could be all this peace and solitude that now hovers over the big lake, what with the dramatic decrease in motor boats, allows the ibis its' piece of this peacefull lake?

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Sman

"...All the hiking I have done in ME and NH over the years, have never seen one, and finally do in my own yard...?"

Try a chain-link fence...

[Sman]

so you guys are funny, I plan to sit on my deck with a beer and a camera friday night, maybe he will commute through again and I can get a pic, if not the beer plan is still a good one...has anyone else seen any bear activity lately other than the above sited examples?

[hilltopper]

My wife was dropping off our daughter at day car last week on Stevens Ave (basically between Main St. and Route 3 in Meredith). As she parked the truck a big 'ol Black Bear crossed the road heading toward Waukewan. Folks at the day care had spotted the bear and hustled all the kids indoors...

[JacksonB]

Monday, we were going into West Alton Marina when a young black bear swam across the channel directly in front of us. Never have a camera when you need one.

[gravy boat]

Haven't seen one in the yard since last May, but we hear one or two a month in the woods behind the house. Usually we hear one in the wee hours -- between 3 am and 5 am. Sometimes it's a call, sometimes it's more of a huffing. I believe our dog keeps them at a distance.

GB

[gravy boat]

I shared this photo w/the folks at work and one question is under discussion:

Would it be quicker to escape by diving into the pool and swimming across to the other side, or by jumping off of the board to the side and running around the pool ?



I say either way you're an appetizer.

[Lakesrider]

I'd like to have seen the person that supposedly took that photo, go up and tap that bear on the back.

I'm calling it a photoshop. I highly doubt someone with a brain in their head went and snuck up behind a bear that was standing up like that....


If it is real, as soon as that camera clicked, I'll bet that picture taker uttered something like "Oh $#!t".

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Last week upon arriving to the lake house I noticed trash all over my driveway and the garage door 1/2 way opened. The wife had cleaned the freezer out and there was a ton of good eatin in the trash which I stored in the closed garage area. My neighbors said that 4 bears came over and probably with their noses lifted the garage door and had a field day.

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

I'd like to have seen the person that supposedly took that photo, go up and tap that bear on the back.

I'm calling it a photoshop. I highly doubt someone with a brain in their head went and snuck up behind a bear that was standing up like that....


If it is real, as soon as that camera clicked, I'll bet that picture taker uttered something like "Oh $#!t".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218


Anyway... "this is an EX- Bear", and the photo is staged with a stuffed bear.

http://www.amysteinphoto.com/book.html

From her book "Domesticated"

"The images often involve re-creations of real stories of human and animal encounters in a small town in Pennsylvania that borders a forest. Once she has a story that she finds interesting, she researches the behavior of the animal involved, scouts locations, casts people and secures the appropriate taxidermied animals to recreate the event. Because of the "freeze-frame" nature of a photograph, it is nearly impossible to tell that the animals in the images are dead. The mix of real and fake creates an effect that is wonderfully unsettling."

APS.. you should have used the

[Argie's Wife]

There's a bear that hangs out at the end of Letter S Road/Main St in Alton - I've seen him a couple of times now...

[SteveA]

Charlie, one of our cats that we refer to as the "policeman" figures it's his job to keep an eye on our backyard. He will "chatter" his teeth if anything out there concerns him... look what he found just an hour ago..



When I hear Charlie "chatter" I go grab the camera..

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This is a young one isn't any more than 4' tall based on the height of the hummingbird feeder. The "flash" is off the window of our sun room.

[Rose]

Originally Posted by SteveA

Charlie, one of our cats that we refer to as the "policeman" figures it's his job to keep an eye on our backyard. He will "chatter" his teeth if anything out there concerns him... look what he found just an hour ago..

Attachment 2683

When I hear Charlie "chatter" I go grab the camera..

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This is a young one isn't any more than 4' tall based on the height of the hummingbird feeder. The "flash" is off the window of our sun room.

What great pictures!!!

It was our dog that warned us a couple of years ago about our visitor...but our visitor was just lounging on a rock at the border between lawn and woods on our property.

[EricP]

This picture was taken out our kitchen window May 29th. We usually bring the feeders in before dark every day but we were out a bit late and there they were! Last night apparently one of them walked up onto the deck and left a gift for us on the deck to clean up this morning, apparently feedback on their opinion of us bringing the feeders in every night.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SteveA

Anyway... "this is an EX- Bear", and the photo is staged with a stuffed bear.APS.. you should have used the ..."

Well, she is looking off-camera, so the bear was a "suspect" bear.

Anyway, here is a followup image to match that earlier "story":

ETA: After the light rains we had late on July 10th, my Dad, who lives in Wolfeboro, had his birdfeeder visited by the resident black bear.

The bear left a muddy footprint that I couldn't cover with my size 10-D shoe!

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by gravy boat

... escape by diving into the pool ... or ... running around the pool ?...

Most state parks and forests have advice on how to handle bears on their notice boards. My advice is to read one of those if you haven't already.

It is generally advised not to flee from a black bear. They are opportunistic foragers but running away stimulates their predator responses and they will instictvely pursue anything that shows weakness. You should stand your ground, maintain eye contact and make threatening noise. Pick up a stick and fight back if attacked. When it backs away you should slowly back off too. It's like a negotiation.

The exception to this is a mother with cubs. Stand quietly. If you are unfortunate enough to be between the mother and her cubs and have not yet been attacked, move slowly in a direction that removes you from between them. This is not a good place to be regardless of the species.

The good news is that black bear attacks are extremely rare. Usually involving old or sick animals or mothers with cubs. More good news, I think it's been something like 150 years since a person in NH was killed by a black bear. One program I watched said the most likely person to be injured by a black bear is a hunter who tries to dress a bear that isn't completly dead yet. More are injured by deer for the same reason, though.

Disclaimer: I'm not an Ursatologist. I just watch a lot of educational TV.

2nd Disclaimer: Ursatologist. I just made that up.

Everything else is true to the best of my knowledge but if you have any concerns on the subject you should do some research or contact Fish & Game for educational materials on the subject.

Have fun, be safe!

[Kamper]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/...5zYXlzYmVhcm0-

"Man says bear mugged him for his Italian sandwich... "

[SteveA]

They do happen, a quick search found these two in TN over the last three years.

Best to be careful around and wild animal.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/16/bear.attack/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,402482,00.html

Even the "officials" seemed perplexed in the comments they made after each attack.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Kamper

"...if you have any concerns on the subject you should do some research or contact Fish & Game for educational materials on the subject... "

Having had a one-y-o black bear stroll by me at 15 feet, I'm not overwrought with black bear concerns: Consider the many Pit Bull dog attacks—and they're a so-called "domesticated" species!

(And dogs are dedicated carnivores!)

Black bears are just all-around granivores/carnivore/herbivores/omnivores looking around for some birdseed, wild berries, honeycombs, fallen fruit, and maybe some garbage from us omnivores. They're more like a dog than any other critter, but less carnivorous—perhaps even playful.

(How about the offered-up nose-to-nose greeting with the little girl in this photo?)