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Nobadays
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2022 08:50am - Edited by: Nobadays
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Well.... apparently last year's bear has forgotten being chased across the draw by a screaming naked man at 3:30am! I'll post no pictures of that!!
We were awakened at 3:00am this morning by what I thought was one of our cats making a racket downstairs... nope he was sitting on the stairs staring out the window. Didn't take long to do the math. I hurried downstairs in time to see the motion light come on and a big black shape scurry by the window... Didn't get a good look but could tell it was a bear... raccoons just aren't that big! Looked out the back door to see the contents of the outside refrigerator freezer on the deck. Further investigation revealed 10 hummingbird feeders either on the decks or on the ground and the bird suet feeders down, but he apparently didn't like the taste. The bird seed feeders come in every night because of a pesky raccoon.
So, we need the freezer space. Has anyone had luck with putting a bear resistant/proof latch or hasp on an outside fridge? He didn't even get in the refrigerator part or at least he didn't need a beer or corn on the cob to go with the pound of butter, hot Italian sausage, tater tots and corn he ate!
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Alaskajohn
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2022 11:49am
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You might have better luck keeping bears away by getting rid of the bird/humming bird feeders and getting rid of the outdoor freezer. If you want the outdoor freezer, still get rid of the feeders and put down nail boards around the freezer. We have bears constantly about and we put down the nail boards each night at all the access points to the deck that surrounds our home and it has worked.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2022 02:08pm - Edited by: Nobadays
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Thanks AJ…. We are thinking nail boards. I know you’re right about the feeders but you’d never talk my wife out of her feeders! She brings the seed feeders in every night so guessing she will start bringing in the hummingbird feeders as well. Thinking about getting a larger indoor freezer and just keeping the outside fridge for drinks, those didn’t seem to interest him.
Kind of afraid if I put a hasp on the fridge/freezer that he would tip it over or try to rip the door off.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2022 07:32pm
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Pictures... not our place we were cabin #3 to get hit by "sugar bear!"
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FishHog
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2022 07:22am
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Well as they say “a fed bear is a dead bearâ€.
Bird feeders are nothing but small bait stations. Even taking them in at night isn’t enough as there will still be lots of seed on the ground and suet smells
I would highly recommend removing them before you are left with no choice but to kill the bear
But if you do remember bear meat is fantastic. I hunt them every year. But I do that away from the cottage and go out of my way to not attract them to it
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2022 09:18am - Edited by: Nobadays
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Yeah Fish.... I'm sorry we didn't think to bring in the hummingbird feeders, pretty sure that's what drew him to the porch. Getting into the freezer was a bonus.
I did find out we were cabin #4 that got hit that evening into the night. He was back twice yesterday. The neighbor's dog ran him off the face instead time and we ran him off the second. We were each ting dinner when he showed up right outside the window!
Headed to AZ tomorrow to check on that place. Going to move the fridge 8nside and remove all the feeders. Hopefully he would will get the message nothing here to eat.
BTW.... we think it's the same bear that was coming around last year. He visited a few times but when he didn't find anything he left. No one up until 2 days ago had seen a bear in our area... w e all got complacent.
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2022 04:50pm
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Hate to say it, but the only way this is going to end is for someone to shoot the bear. It's habituated now and there is no going back.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2022 06:41pm
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North.... not sure that is always the case. We had a bear poking around last year, might be the same one, he made a couple of visits and moved on. Same with other cabins in the area... have them once or twice then don't see them again.
He has visited us/neighbors twice so far, did not come by yesterday or last night. We are hoping... now that everyone is aware and taking in their feeders a(nd we moved our fridge into the cabin,) that he moves on.
We have a motion alarm on the deck... we will see if he returns. Hoping to go check on the AZ place but don't want to leave if the bear is still active in the area.
Here in Colorado, my understanding is they try to capture, ear tag and release the bear out of the area. Apparently they will try this twice... two ear tags... if they persist, then they are put down.
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2022 12:27pm
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Quoting: Nobadays North.... not sure that is always the case. We had a bear poking around last year, might be the same one, he made a couple of visits and moved on. Same with other cabins in the area... have them once or twice then don't see them again.
Speculation, but I bet the reason you didn't see them again is because someone killed them. Once a bear figures out that cabins have food they will keep breaking in. I have cabin neighbors that will kill any and every bear they get a chance to. I don't really agree with that but it does limit the problem.
Relocating a problem bear is almost always a waste of time and resources. All you do is make it someone else's problem.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2022 10:06pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Remove all food, make it to where he is no longer getting anything when he comes by. It may be too late now, other residents close? Let them know, he will head over to their place. Leave no food at all. He can not be successful in getting food, it will, in the end, be a death sentence for the bear.
He is just doing what bears do, feed, get fat for winter, taking the easy route avoids burning too many calories doing it.
I know the wife loved feeders, a big downside to bird feeders is they bring in mice and rats line no body's biz, not good at all. Bears like them too.
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2022 12:41pm
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Three days/ nights now without a bear. We, and all those in our area are aware and all feeders/foods have been brought in every night. I hope we are in the clear and the bears have moved on through. We and our immediate neighbor are pretty sure the bear that visited us was the same one from last year.... same coloring; he has brown around his muzzle and brown down his back, same as last year's bear, he just grew a bit. The other bear that was sighted... about a mile east of us was absolutely jet black. Saw pictures. As far as I've heard, he was only sighted one day. The one up here visited three cabins in about a 1/2 - 3/4 mile radius of each other. Has not visited any of them or others (only one other in that radius occupied) in three days. Same story last year, two visits.... found no food the second visit then moved on.
I highly doubt anyone has shot the bear....VERY SMALL, TIGHT community that are up here 6 -12 months a year, we would have been offered meat!
Bird feeders... I agree they draw rodents, and if we are careless, bears. That said we are ok with the trade-off and when not complacent, just see it as another chore morning and night bringing the feeders in and out. We have 15 - 20 different bird species visiting our feeders, including three of hummingbirds, two of which nest in this area every year. On any given morning/evening we will have upwards of 30 hummingbirds flying around and feeding at our feeders.
We take great joy in watching all of our birds. I know, we're old.... GET OFF MY LAWN! 
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FishHog
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2022 02:55pm
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Hope your right but I bait bears for hunting and can easily go a week or more between visits but after baiting for a month in one area I never go much more than a week without having the regular bears pop by to check things out.
With the exception of winter they will add a food source into their regular routes
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2022 03:10pm
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I guess we will see...
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paulz
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# Posted: 11 Sep 2022 03:10pm
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Hey Nobs, Yogi been around since? A pound of butter and hot sausage, that might have been enough to avoid future visits.
Been thinking about outside food storage again. As I've mentioned before, seems counterproductive when it's under 40F outside, burning wood in the cabin to keep it at 70, and burning electricity (or LP) to keep an inside fridge at 40.
So do the bears know what a fridge looks like, or can their keen sense of smell detect the food inside? Closest bear sighting I know of around here was 3 miles away, by the lake, but I wouldn't want to invite one over either. How about other animals?
Or was it just the bird feeders?
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FishHog
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2022 07:55am
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Paul a bear will definitely smell food inside a fridge and they roam much more than 3 miles. I’d play it safe if I were you
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2022 01:22pm
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No more bear visits at our cabin. Not even game cam pics. We take in the feeders every night and moved the outside fridge inside. I did hear of 2 other visits 3/4 of a mile from us. In both cases, seldom used cabins so no one there, but they had both left bags of garbage outside when they locked up and went home. That just wasn't right... they will, or have been told that is not acceptable.
Paul, we are going to build a bear resistant cabinet on the back porch where the outside fridge will reside. We have trouble in the spring when it's windy with the flame blowing out anyway so a cabinet has been in the works. Now we know to make it really sturdy!
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paulz
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2022 06:24pm
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I could also build a bear proof fridge cabinet. I don't get it though, if they can smell food in a fridge in an outside cabinet, they must be able to smell it in the cabin as well. So why don't they just go into the cabins too? I guess they do when no one's around.
How about the cooler on a pulley up a tree trick, anyone do that?
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Nobadays
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# Posted: 12 Sep 2022 07:16pm
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I think for the most part bears are looking for an easy score. It funny that.... with black bears....I read they want to avoid conflict as much as possible and they look at us humans and judging by our size they think, "naw ain't worth the fight, might get myself hurt." Fortunately no one has told them they could kick our buttons and not get a scratch! Don't tell them!
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FishHog
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2022 09:10am
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Quoting: paulz So why don't they just go into the cabins too? I guess they do when no one's around.
they absolutely do, but as Nobadays said, they tend to avoid humans, until they associate them with food then things go bad.
lots of remote cabins leave no food smells in the cabin when they are gone and still fortify against bears.
Bears smell significantly better than bloodhounds, so they definitely smell your food, no matter what you do.
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