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webfoot

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The fire brought down a lot of wildlife. There is no where left for them in the hills. So this evening I had 2 people tell me that they saw a black bear sow with 2 cubs on my property which they saw from the road. A bit ago the dogs were barking in their kennel. The wife went out and shined a flashlight around. Mrs Bear and her 2 cubs are eating windfall apples about 30 feet from our house. I went out and put the light on her. She is the other side of the yard fence . The light didn't seem to bother her at all. Maybe she wants me to come out and hold the light for her so she can find the apples easier. The second time I went out I saw the cubs. Then I decide to try to take a picture of them. I guess I had bothered them enough because they were no longer in sight. But there is enough tall grass and weeds over there that I am not venturing over there in the dark. Have a nice night Mrs Bear.
 
Answer to the age old question. Does a bear poop in the woods? Well last night one pooped in my front yard. Maybe 20 feet from the house. Based on the amount pooped out I am guessing it was one of the baby bears. That and Mrs Bear would have torn something up getting into the yard where as the baby could easily go under the fence where the dogs do. I measured. It is 35 feet from the corner of the house to the base of that apple tree. Last night Mrs Bear was standing right at that man gate. Glad she didn't turn it into a bear gate. I refer to her as Mrs Bear. I hope she is married. We wouldn't want any unwed mother bears wandering around the neighborhood.

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At least the little guy didn't go poo at the dinner table.

Being in that close of proximity to a bear with cubs is not where I would want to find myself day or night.
 
Puzzled said:
At least the little guy didn't go poo at the dinner table.

Being in that close of proximity to a bear with cubs is not where I would want to find myself day or night.
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You just don't want to be in between the sow and her cubs. I have been there one time. I was armed. She was popping her teeth and not happy. I talked softly and slowly backed away. She let me know she wasn't happy but didn't do any thing else.
 
It was just turning dark tonight. I was thinking about feeding the dogs and putting them in the kennel for the night. All of a sudden the dogs go to barking like crazy. I called them back. Up on the hill across the field and above the ditch sits a bear cub. We go into the garage for their dog food. Off they go again. Border Collie bear hounds. I put them in the kennel and go back to the driveway. I can see that cub is still sitting there and I can hear mom grunting in the weeds the other side of the apple tree. Is this going to be a nightly event? If so how long will it go on?
 
I went to the sale yesterday. I tried to give away my bear but had no takers. I explained that she is a good mother raising twins and an easy keeper. But the downside is that she is cinnamon and not black. So she wont make CAB (certvided Angus bear). Some people think that would dock the value.
 
Puzzled said:
Maybe a couple strands of electric fencing around the orchard.
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Not an orchard. Two big old trees, one in the southwest corner of the yard, the other in the northeast corner. The house in between.
First 2 pictures are the Gravenstein tree in the northeast corner. Apples are just now coming ripe. It is the one the bear is working on. The third picture is the golden delicious in the southwest corner. It will be a few weeks before they are ripe but they will last well into October.

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webfoot said:
I went to the sale yesterday. I tried to give away my bear but had no takers. I explained that she is a good mother raising twins and an easy keeper. But the downside is that she is cinnamon and not black. So she wont make CAB (certvided Angus bear). Some people think that would dock the value.
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I should have used the low overwintering cost as a selling point.
 
There is enough apples on the ground that the bear should need to climb. But being bears they probably will.
 
When my parents would slaughter a beef there was a bear that would come in and clean up the offals.
To get into the corral he had to climb over the fence, which would result in broken boards. So after the first time
of that happening they would always leave the corral gates open for the bear. But the bear would not go through
an open gate, he would still climb over the fence.
 
Wife saw the bear climb a tree in front of the house. Not the apple tree. It is a black walnut maybe 18 inches on the stump and about 20 feet from the house. As it got lighter out we spotted a cub and eventually the second cub. I tried to take pictures of them in the tree but it was still too dark. When they came down I got pictures. All taken through the living room window. First mom at the base of the tree. Then cub #1 taking off following mom. Finally after some orders from mom, cub #2 climbed down and then scurried off.

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webfoot said:
Wife saw the bear climb a tree in front of the house. Not the apple tree. It is a black walnut maybe 18 inches on the stump and about 20 feet from the house. As it got lighter out we spotted a cub and eventually the second cub. I tried to take pictures of them in the tree but it was still too dark. When they came down I got pictures. All taken through the living room window. First mom at the base of the tree. Then cub #1 taking off following mom. Finally after some orders from mom, cub #2 climbed down and then scurried off.

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Cute little buggers!!
 
Faster horses said:
Cute little buggers!!
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They are but they poop in the yard enough to make it look like a bear feedlot. The wife shovels off 15 to 18 piles everyday. Neighbor had a big fat cow die. I picked it up and put it in my bone yard which is over half a mile from the house. I am hoping the bear would rather eat beef than apples.
 

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