More on Black bears, advice please

[AshleyB]

With all the talk about black bears lately I decided it was time for me to learn how to shoot a gun and know how to take down a bear. there have been some big black bears spotted a mile or so away. I had scheduled with a hunter from church to go over and learn to shoot, he even went out and bought a bear target, but we had to reschedule for this week.

Well, this morning my neighbor calls and tells me that three doors down a black bear was going through the garbage. The lady went out to see what the commotion was and it ran off. My great pyr started barking like crazy around the time it all started. I wandered what she saw, but just thought it was a bunny. She's mostly a housedog, though I leave her out for a few hours during the day, she has one of those invisible electric fences to keep her on our property. Now I am freaking out. I am here with no vehicle with three small children and the only gun I have is a 22. I know that realistically I will be fine. There have never been any black bear fatalities in VA, however I am really paranoid now. I brought the dog in when the neighbor called, but when I called dh he told me to put her back outside. She's on the small side, probably not more than 80 pounds, I'm not sure she'll be much of a deterrent, I also have chickens and goats. The garbage cans are right beside the house. I thought I should go ahead and move them to the shed which is farther away from the house but dh told me not to go outside.

It is going to be a long six hours until he gets home. He said he would pick up a single shot 12 gauge that I can use until we can get a better gun for me. If the worst case scenario happens what can I realistically do to protect me and the kids?

[CSA again]

we just eat um and tack their hides up on the barn door... but really Try not to worry so much. keep the dog around if your outside. If he or you see the bear just go inside , hes just looking for food, and your not it . If he comes close to the house yell and bang some pots and pans together he should run away.might want to call wildlife , gamewarden office see what thay say sometimes thay will trap the bear and haul it off. I would not shoot at the bear though unless it is a last resort. You may find yourself locked up for hunting out of season or without a permit. good luck and try not to worry,

[gracie88]

Yeah, what CSA said. Unless bears on the east coast are waaay different than on the west coast, all they want is an easy, safe meal. Also, smaller (within reason), faster, and louder dogs are often better with bears. They can harass it until it gives up and leaves without getting slapped by the bear.

You might consider electric wire around your garbage cans, chickens, and goats if it's not there already.

[Pops2]

a 12guage pump shotgun w/00 buck in the chamber and the tube alternating between slug & 00
if you don't want to kill it you can load up w/ rubber buck

[Jen H]

Do get the garbage cans into the shed. And while you're at it, take down any bird feeders and hummingbird feeders you have around. Bears are after easy food. If your home doesn't offer them anything easy, they'll wander off and leave you alone.

If the bear is sick, wounded, or used to humans all bets are off. That's a dangerous bear and best dealt with via the 12 guage Pops is talking about.

[Jolly]

1. Don't shoot a bear unless you have to. A good dog is invaluable for helping keep them away, or for delivering the alarm should you get a midnight visitor. If you do have to kill one, practice the 3S rule. (Although bear meat is pretty tasty.)

2. If you have to shoot one...anatomy is anatomy. A side shot should be taken in the heart/lung area, and should have enough force to penetrate, and to kill in a reasonable amount of time. Choose your weapon accordingly.

If a bear is coming straight at you, aim for the nose. A bear's nose rocks as he runs, but the lower range is never lower than the bottom of his lungs, and the upper range is never higher than the spinal column. A bear hit in the face with a load of buckshot usually will cease and desist, if not cease and succumb.

3. Weapons. Black bear are not grizzlies, but a wise old man once said, "Use enough gun". Enough gun in this case, IMNSHO, is a 12 gauge shotgun, or a rifle of at least 270 power, with good bullets.

[Old Vet]

AshleyB I doubt that you will ever shoot a bear unless you hunt it down. Shoting is something that is good for most preators either animial or human. Probliy the only thing that you will shoot is a racoon or other small preator. The .22 will take care of these and a 20 gague or larger will take care of the rest. Be sure that you can shoot if nessery and hit what you are aming at.

I was in the Army for a long time and a security Guard for a long time and most people become so excited that they are no good with a gun. Just conceratate and you can hit anything you aim at . Just do it by the number and everything will fall in place.

[tiogacounty]

First of all, if you don't start separating your fear from reality, this will end badly. Stop worrying about getting a gun, and start learning more about Black Bears in your area. The best thing to do is to get away from this screen and all the hysterical fools who are going to give you advice on how to kill something that has no interest in harming you, or other fools who will tell you how much danger you are in. The Black Bears that inhabit the Mid-atlantic region are some of the least dangerous of all the North American bears. They have no interest in attacking you, your children, or any other human. They will become nuisance bears in areas where people refuse to be responsible and allow garbage to be left unattended, or worse yet, deliberately feed them. Generally, they avoid contact with dogs and humans, and run at the sight of people. I have had countless encounters with them while doing everything from walking from my house to the truck, to walking in the woods. I have been face to face with several, and found that once you speak, even in a low tone, they bolt. Remember, these particular bears have had centuries of human contact, and the predatory "killers" have been culled from the herd long ago. Don't get me wrong,I'm not saying that it is impossible to get hurt, or even killed by an eastern Black Bear, it is however an EXTREMELY RARE OCCURANCE!!!! What I am saying is that you are much more likely to get killed driving to the grocery store, or walking down a flight of steps. The last thing you need is a loaded shot gun, in a house full of little kids, to address an irrational fear. Please give your local game warden a call and speak to them for a few minutes. I'm sure he will be able to put things in persective. Please stop getting yourself all worked up here on the forum. There are lots of folks, who don't have a clue about YOUR bears, and are happy to post all sorts of trash here, based on their own fears and ignorance. Don't continue to allow yourself to get suck up in it. There are many places in the world where predatory bears are a serious concern, but, trust me, VA isn't one of them. BTW, I once had a conversation with a "move-in" at the local general store. He had just seen a Black Bear in his yard, and was wild with fear, telling all who would listen about how he was going to kill it to "protect his family". I asked about the specific threatening moves the bear made that made it's execution necessary? He said that it leaned up against the garage, then tore his bird feeder down. I told him that NO person was ever killed or injured by a bear in the history of this area, So if he was going to kill a harmless animal, he better have some serious claw marks on his body to show the Game protector, or he was going to be looking at a fine and a criminal record. He was shocked to say the least. Like yourself, he had no right to commit a crime and kill a harmless animal, based on his irrational fear. Good luck, and stay cool. I have been struck at by a few rattle snakes, way too close to a Grizzly, or two, but I don't give our local Black Bears a second thought. I would prefer them ten to one, over some of the vicious dogs that the some of the city trash think they need to protect themselves here in the "Wild". Stay cool.

[Jolly]

I've been around bears in the woods on more than one occasion. Black bear, brown bear, and even polar bear. Polar bears are a whole 'nuther world, since they don't mind hunting you a bit.

One time, eyeball to eyeball with a black bear at less than 30 feet, and all I had was my bow. And anybody who says they aren't scared when confronting a wild animal at close range, especially a wild animal with claws and teeth...well, those might be the folks I would label ill-informed and hysterical.

An armed homesteader is a prudent homesteader. While I'm not saying that one needs to be overly afraid of a black bear attack, I wouldn't cotton too well to a black bear killing my livestock, or my farm dog. I wouldn't even be real happy with one raiding my cornfield.

So, in the remote chance one may actually have to use a weapon on an animal the size of black bear, I will say again - use enough gun, and shoot well.

[Bernadette]

Black bears are lazy eaters. They like garbage - so lock it up where they can't get it. Do you recycle? Wash your tin cans, rinse juice containers, etc. - anything that has food residue. Lock it up as well.

As someone else said, get rid of bird feeders of all description.

Is your feed storage area secure? We keep all our feed in plastic garbage cans, closed inside the back of an old van.

How do you dispose of dead animals? They must be buried.

Is the goat food and poultry food in a secure location where scroungers can't get at it?

Bears do not like electric fence. Run some electric wire around the outside of your chicken and/or goat pen if necessary.

Noise works as good as anything else to get a bear to leave. Bang some good noisy pots together, use one of those air horns for boats, clang the dinner bell, whatever. Best way to use the gun if you're worried about injuring a bear and getting it down right annoyed is to fire the gun in the air. The bear should leave.

The best thing to do is to make sure that the bear never, ever, finds a meal of any description at your house. They will go to where the food takes the least amount of effort.

If you live in an area that has bears (especially ones that are being visible) never, ever just open the door and walk outside - always be aware of what is around you, where your children are, where the dog is, etc.

Hope this helps.

By the way, black bears are about my very least favorite animal.

[Christiaan]

We've been getting reports of black bears in our area for the past few months. I'd be interested in seeing one. The only livestock I have that might fall prey to a bear are the rabbits and possibly the poultry if one should decide to bull its way through the electric netting. But, I expect the dogs will discourage him from coming on the place, and God help one if it gets in the pasture with my Highland cow. She already has a coyote to her credit.

[Beeman]

WHOA!!!!

Don't even start thinking about shooting things you don't understand.

[Janis Sauncy]

I live half a mile from "Bear Canyon." Local lore says the canyon got its name because in the "olden" days, people would dump their trash there, which lured the bears to that spot.

In the 21 months I've lived here, I have yet to see one, although people tell me they're around and are hunted not too far from here.

I'm more concerned about the coyotes and the occasional cougar sighting I hear about. (And the slugs, which are destroying my garden!)

Janis

[leecofarm]

getting a gun and learning to it a target is entirely different when you have to stand fairly close to one while it is growling and moving around. and wounding it would multiply the problem many times.

can you call an experienced hunter who will come and kill it?

but i have to admit that if it tries to come into my house id want to kill it right then and there.

[4nTN]

AshleyB,I don`t know what part of VA your in.We live in TN..10 minutes from the VA border near Damascus in the most remote part of the Cherokee NF.We have had a lot of bear run in`s this year.
I was recently in NY visiting my oldest daughter and we were watching the evening news.They were talking about a rogue bear they found wandering the streets of some NJ town not to far from NYC.They caught the bear and said the bear was going to be relocated to my neck of the woods an area they said where a lot of "problem" bears are taken.
We have never had a problem with any bear.We take proper precautions and have happily learned to live with them.'
I`m a Florida native for some generations back...Yes I take pride in that..Anyway I get so upset hearing about people building these huge developments in Alligator infested areas and then flipping out cause they find one in the pool
One thing I`d do though in your case is leave that dog outside so it can do it`s job that it was bred to do,which you know already is to Watch over it`s Flock.

[PineRidge]

Wow, we saw bear tracks in our woods last year and were "happy excited", healthy eco system and all that. The only time I worry about bears is when I'm in the woods alone, and purposely leave the dog at home, of course these times are when I practice stalking animals, and one day I might just see a bear. Otherwise, we just make too much darn noise for a bear to stick around when we go out.

We do keep our trash put up to keep the racoons and opossums out, and our dog sleeps outside in all but bitter weather to guard the house.

If you have a gun at home, by all means learn how to use it.

When you go outside, let your dog out first. Keep an eye on your animals for strange behavior, they will know before you that a predator is nearby. If you have to go out in the dark, turn porch lights on, make noise and let the dog out with you. If an aggressive bear does show up, abandon the dog and get in the house.

Now be sure to post back the first time you hear a mountain lion scream. That even curls my hair! Creepy. Those I am leary of

[stonykill]

tiogacounty and wind in her hair are right. You need to calm down. I've been uncomfortably close a few times to bear. It's not legal to shoot them here. I was armed twice as I was out hunting. Once the bear saw I was human, or something it was scared of anyway, they both left. The 3rd time I was walking from my workshop to my house, the whole 60 foot walk. I heard a noise to my left, and 15 feet away was a black bear out in the open, looking at me. I simply froze, looked at it to take in the beauty, but not in the eyes, never look a wild animal in the eyes. It looked me over, sniffed the air a few times, and slowly walked off. I then walked calmly to the house and my family and I watched it for a few more minutes thru the window till it left the area.

As others have stated, unless your life is in danger, you will be arrested for shooting a bear out of season. You needent fear the bears, but respect them. Respect for all wildlife, especially potentially dangerous wildlife, could save your life.

If you shoot at a bear out of fear, and just wound it, it will be VERY mad and most likely attack. This is a much worse situation than a bear going thru your garbage.

Keep your trash in a shed if it has to be outside at all, don't hang up birdfeeders, and pay attention to your suroundings, you will be fine.

[AshleyB]

I appreciate the advice, even the sarcastic. I went over to a hunter friend's house and he taught me how to use a 44 rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun. He had some bear targets that I got to shoot at too, so I could get a feel for the correct area to aim for. Please realize that I do understand the likelihood of my life ever being threatened by a bear is miniscule. I do however like to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Now I feel very comfortable with a gun so if that crazy-drug-addict-jacked-up-on-crack guy ever shows up, I'll know how to handle him too. I am here by myself with three precious children to protect and no vehicle. I was not born in the country, only lived here 1.5 years, these things don't come naturally to me. I am learning, and I feel vulnerable when I don't feel like I can handle a worst case scenario. If you think that I am foolish for preparing for a worst case scenario, that's okay, but I take my job seriously.

I do have one question. We keep our chicken and goat feed underneath an overhang at the back of the house where we do our milking. It is in metal garbage cans. We keep the lids tightly secured with bungee cords. Is this secure enough, or should I move those to the shed and lock them up with the regular garbage?

[Cabin Fever]

Move it to the locked shed. A metal garbage can is a toy for a bear.

And, if you're truly serious about being prepared for the worst case scenario, you'll keep those firearms loaded and acessible at all times.

[AshleyB]

Thank you, I will move them once this thunderstorm has passed.

We talked to our hunter friend about keeping a gun loaded and ready at all times, and he agreed that we should do it. He said to find a place up high, like a shelf and keep a pistol there. He said once the children are a bit older to explain to them that it is there, what it is for, etc. And to talk to them now about gun safety.

Cabin Fever, do you have any other tips about keeping loaded guns in the same house with children? I do want to have one, and I need to go about it in the safest way possible.