bears vs bird feeders

[upthesaukee]

Bears 1, feeders and us 0!

I decided to put up feeders in our back yard after having bears pull over our very nice wrought iron feeder stands in the front yard over a year ago. Twice. Make that three time:(.

I strung wire about 9 feet off the ground and put some bottles on the wire to keep off the squirrels (feeders and us 1, squirrels 0).

On Friday morning, around six AM, I was awakened by a really loud sound of the bottles on the wire, and thinking it was a squirrel evening the score, I looked out the slider to the porch overlooking the feeders and saw a large black bear sitting down eating seed from the square house like feeder we have. He had climbed one of the trees the wire was attached to and pulled it down to his reach.

I stepped out on the porch (raised and screened in, with no steps up to it) and yelled at the bear and clapped my hands really loud, several times. The bear moved down the banking toward the stream, and then started back up. I again did the yelling and clapping thing, and he grunted several times at me; even got on his back legs, front legs off the ground a couple of feet, and then ran off to the left, stopping once to look back at me, before continuing across the road, and heading back up toward Alton Mt.

Bears 1, feeders and us 0.

Here are the claw marks on the tree, which in the next picture is the tree closest to me, with the wind chime on it.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/509/claw-mark-2.jpg

Here are the feeders re-strung, no bottles to draw attention, now ten feet off the ground, requiring a step ladder to fill. Squirrels soon to be able to even up the score, and probably surge ahead.
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/509/feeders.jpg

Hopefully, bears to lose interest, and we will be able to square things up here.:rolleye1:

[Slickcraft]

The bear will be back, they never forget about a source of food. Also they are very creative at foiling any scheme you devise to keep the food out of reach.

We have a similar set-up with wire about 12 feet up, step ladder access to hang the feeders. We have the feeders out only during bear hibernation season then they get put away.

[mcdude]

.... stopping once to look back at me, before continuing across the road.....

...probably expecting more applause!!!!

[Slickcraft]

I was just checking this thread and my wife called out "there is a bear out back".....

The bear was full grown, 20' from the window and 6' from the low deck, just looking around and sniffing the air. The empty flower pots are on the deck. There was a small grill next to the door the photo was taken through, now the grill is in the garage!

We often leave the garage door open if we take a short trip on the bike but as the trash and the bird seed are out there, the door will now stay shut. Leaving the slider door to the deck open at night for ventilation does not look like a good option either.

[chipj29]

Wow! very cool picture slick!!

[Lin]

Very nice photo of the bear slickcraft.

[fmgate]

The Winnipesaukee area is not unlike much of the northeast in that it has experienced an increase in its bear population over past several years. For example, in Massachusetts, the bear population doubled over the past 10 years.

Bear/human interactions will increase as bear populations grow, human development enters more bear habitat, and conservation/hunting behaviors change.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to discuss the pros/cons of feeding birds in the summer (either in this forum, or some other forum). NH Fish and Game strongly urges birders to take their feeders in during the summer. And in Alaska, the legislature even attempted to include a bird feeder provision in a recent bill that would fine birders for feeding birds in the summer (the provision was ultimately left out of the bill).

[Orion]

My sister, in Tuftonboro took her feeders down early in the season after a bear tore out large chunks of wood with it's teeth, from the 4x4's holding the porch roof!

[EricP]

Took this one last year out behind the house

[Lin]

We don't have feeders at our place in NH. We do have them in MA, however once the berries and seeds sprout out we slowly stop putting the feed out so that by end of June through November no feeders even here. Too much wildlife roaming about to give them a free supper and have them hang around with our own pets/livestock.

The Winnipesaukee area is not unlike much of the northeast in that it has experienced an increase in its bear population over past several years. For example, in Massachusetts, the bear population doubled over the past 10 years.

Bear/human interactions will increase as bear populations grow, human development enters more bear habitat, and conservation/hunting behaviors change.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to discuss the pros/cons of feeding birds in the summer (either in this forum, or some other forum). NH Fish and Game strongly urges birders to take their feeders in during the summer. And in Alaska, the legislature even attempted to include a bird feeder provision in a recent bill that would fine birders for feeding birds in the summer (the provision was ultimately left out of the bill).

[hilltopper]

For what it's worht, Fish and Game advocates the use of bird feeders from December 1 until April 1 at which point they advise you take them down. I follow their advice because I don't want a protective mama bear around our pets and infant daughter.

http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Somethings_Bruin.htm

[Slickcraft]

This morning I was going down Stark Street from the Gilford side into Lakeport heading for the water works to pick-up a test kit.

I was on the Harley going about 35 mph in 3rd on the steep downhill when a black bear bolted out of the woods going left to right. :eek: I hit the breaks and the bear passed about one bike length in front of me and into the woods on the right. It was not too big, maybe 150 lbs, but plenty big enough to ruin my day if I had hit it.

The crossing was only about 1/4 mile up from Union Ave so there must be food of some sort available in the neighborhood. Maybe a bird feeder or two. Of course there is the strawberry patch up at Sleeper Hill Road.

[Lin]

That did happen to a district fire chief from Worcester this weekend while he was on his bike in Charlton, MA, luckily he only ended up with roadrash, unknown about the bear. Here's the article, they archive it in 14 days http://www.telegram.com/article/20080709/NEWS/807090496

This morning I was going down Stark Street from the Gilford side into Lakeport heading for the water works to pick-up a test kit.

I was on the Harley going about 35 mph in 3rd on the steep downhill when a black bear bolted out of the woods going left to right. :eek: I hit the breaks and the bear passed about one bike length in front of me and into the woods on the right. It was not too big, maybe 150 lbs, but plenty big enough to ruin my day if I had hit it.

The crossing was only about 1/4 mile up from Union Ave so there must be food of some sort available in the neighborhood. Maybe a bird feeder or two. Of course there is the strawberry patch up at Sleeper Hill Road.

[Slickcraft]

That did happen to a district fire chief from Worcester this weekend while he was on his bike in Charlton, MA, luckily he only ended up with roadrash, unknown about the bear. Here's the article, they archive it in 14 days http://www.telegram.com/article/20080709/NEWS/807090496

Interesting article Lin, makes me realize that the bear and I were lucky. :)

[Irish mist]

A bear ran in front of my car on White Oaks Road in Laconia on July third. Lol, the person I was with said hey, look at that really big dog:) This was right near the old Prescott farm.