A Bear on my porch!

[judy]

We have been seeing bears much more than normally this summer. They are seen out in the daylight, and have become quite brazen. We have always had some bears in my community, but now they are seen on Main Street in my town, and in my daughter's town! They never see bears!

So....we are very careful with garbage. No bird feeders either, although there are some people who keep them out.

Last night, the dogs began barking and running around quite late. I heard something on our steps too, but I sure wasn't opening the door~! Nobody comes walking on our steps going somewhere. Outsiders don't come in, so I just knew it was a bear.

Sure enough, when I left this morning, I saw that my neighbors garbage storage was actually ripped off of the outside of her house! My neighbor Terry told me that she found garbage all over in front of her house. So...it was a bear.

We are all pretty scared because they have been seen strolling across our grounds in the afternoon. I don't take the dogs far for a walk either!

[Blueyes]

Oh my gosh Judy!!! Bears??? That is so scary Be careful girl!

[gja1000]

Oh My! Bears! I know you are very careful - but please do be very very careful!

[JJJ]

B E A R S !!! Oh goodness, I would have fainted.

[JJJ]

Originally Posted by JJJ

B E A R S !!! Oh goodness, I would have fainted.

On a good note, it keeps burglars away

[Janet]

Originally Posted by JJJ

On a good note, it keeps burglars away

Good one!

Judy you be careful. If they can break through car windows they can break into houses.....that is just too scary for me. Have you a plan in case one just won't go away or does get in?

[judy]

I don't have a plan. I now keep my patio doors closed at night, and my front door is closed anyway. A bear could get through the glass of the patio doors, I think.

People are suggesting rubber bullets. I have never shot a gun, but I may have to learn.

I have heard that they are going to have a bear hunt. I believe it isn't legal right now, it used to be legal, and now we need it back again. I'm new to country living, but I am going to ask around about this. A bear hunt is probably what is needed. We have deer hunting season, and that works out well.

I don't hunt, and would have a hard time shooting an animal, but I certainly believe that keeping the food chain stable is important. If there are too many bears, a lot will die anyway, as will other species. Not having to hunt for food is a luxury anyway.

I would also like to get rid of some of the coyotes around, but their population is not out of control. I just hate them!

[Lindsey]

Be careful Judy! What kind of bears are they? It seems that they are getting accustomed to people, and that's never good. If I were you I'd pick up some bear spray, just in case you happen to encounter one outside.

[paula1961]

WOW!!! I would be scared to death! Be careful Judy and for sure don't walk your babies too far. Are they black bears? How big are they?

[DianaB]

Oh my goodness .......I would be so upset to have bears that close.....especially on my front porch!!! I would get some bear spray to keep them away especially if you're out walking the dogs!! Is there someone you can call when they get up on your porch? I would have been calling the police to come and do something!!!!! A bear hunt should help thin some of them out. Whew......just make sure you keep yourself safe!!!

[gja1000]

Like Lindsay, I would suggest you get some bear spray - just to be sure. We take it to Alaska with us as any time you are fishing in a river, you may be competing with the bears for the fish!

[Blueyes]

OK...What is in bear spray?

[gja1000]

It looks like a small fire extinguisher. It sprays a stream of super hot pepper spray quite a long distance so as to deter a bear from eating you!

[judy]

Thanks Gayle! I just went to Cabela's site, and found the bear spray. Is pepper spray as good? I will be getting a can of either bear spray or pepper spray.

I also hear that putting ammonia in the garbage deters them from wanting to eat it. I think an ammonia soaked towel in the garbage room will help.

I've been looking it up, and the main things that attract bears are garbage, bird feeders, and grills. My grill is on the deck, but I can clean it and bring the drippings pan inside.

I looked online and we do have a bear hunting season in the fall. One
bear/license/year is allowed. NJ is having a statewide bear hunt. I don't know what their regulations are.

I think the best I can do is to make my house as unappealing as possible, so the bears don't keep coming back.

I am going to ask who to call if I hear a bear again. I don't know if the sheriff will come or not.

[gja1000]

Judy, the reason you need actual Bear Spray is because it shoots the stream a much farther distance than regular pepper spray. You don't want to to let them get too close and if they seem like they are not going to back off, you want to spray them before they get too close to you.

Lindsay can probably give you another reason why bear spray is preferable to pepper spray. Bear spray is expensive $40-$50 per can. We only take it when we are going hiking in Alaska, and have never had to use it, so we are pretty novice when it comes to bear spray. We did encounter a bear on a trail in Colorado a few years ago. They tell you not to run, but I ran back down that tail as fast as can be! (we didn't have any bear spray with us)