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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - We had a visitor yesterday

Posted: 8/2/2017 8:22:00 AM EDT

I just got home from a meeting and it was only a few minutes later, I was told by my wife who was running from my room to the kids room that we had THIS VISITOR.

That is 15 feet or so from our basement door.

We thought he had ran away but then we woke up this morning to THIS DAMAGE for some examples.

At this point...maybe he moved on. So my kids got a little lesson on bear safety as well as an up close view of nature. It was a win-win...except for the tree.

Posted: 8/2/2017 9:10:16 AM EDT

[#1]

Did he push the tree over?

Posted: 8/2/2017 9:14:18 AM EDT

[#2]

This was taken about a mile from my house in Fluvanna a couple weeks ago.

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Posted: 8/2/2017 9:28:53 AM EDT

[#3]

My wife has a game camera set up to watch our bird feeders & back yard. We mostly see deer, raccoons, etc..., but back on July 12th a nice size black bear decided to visit, and make off with the Finch feeder I had bought for my wife. This is in Earlysville VA - Albemarle County.

So far the garbage can has been safe this year, but that might change.

Have fun,
Bob S.

Posted: 8/2/2017 9:47:16 AM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
This was taken about a mile from my house in Fluvanna a couple weeks ago. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4404-269482.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4406-269484.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4405-269483.JPG

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Those are really nice pics! My wife saw that the one in our yard stood up, but I did not see that one. I was going from upstairs to downstairs to catch a different view. I do believe that he did push it over. There are a couple of paw prints around the tree and all but one peach was eaten. Pits everywhere! While I was bummed about the peaches (I was looking forward to eating them) it was worth the loss to have my family see the bear up close. This is in Frederick County.

Posted: 8/2/2017 9:52:46 AM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
My wife has a game camera set up to watch our bird feeders & back yard. We mostly see deer, raccoons, etc..., but back on July 12th a nice size black bear decided to visit, and make off with the Finch feeder I had bought for my wife. This is in Earlysville VA - Albemarle County.

So far the garbage can has been safe this year, but that might change.

Have fun,
Bob S.

View Quote

We had talked about setting up some cameras, but decided against it...for now. I am not sure if it knocked over our feeder in the yard because it was not broken, but then again I may be wrong. Our trash can was thrown around the yard, but thankfully we had taken the trash two days ago so it was empty.

Besides the good of letting my kids see nature, another great thing came out of it...My wife is not a gun fan and as long as I don't hurt the family financially, she doesn't care if I own one...two...three...or more. Since she saw the bear, she is not complaining about me carrying my rifle around with me anymore

. I may just get her a rifle yet

!

Posted: 8/2/2017 10:17:00 AM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those are really nice pics! My wife saw that the one in our yard stood up, but I did not see that one. I was going from upstairs to downstairs to catch a different view. I do believe that he did push it over. There are a couple of paw prints around the tree and all but one peach was eaten. Pits everywhere! While I was bummed about the peaches (I was looking forward to eating them) it was worth the loss to have my family see the bear up close. This is in Frederick County.

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Yeah, not my pics though. A Facebook friend of my wife's took them. If you take a left up at the intersection, we're about a mile down the road. My trash can was turned over also and a couple bags hauled down into the woods. I wonder if this guy was the culprit.

Posted: 8/2/2017 10:26:32 AM EDT

[#7]

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Yeah, not my pics though. A Facebook friend of my wife's took them. If you take a left up at the intersection, we're about a mile down the road. My trash can was turned over also and a couple bags hauled down into the woods. I wonder if this guy was the culprit.

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He is indeed big enough. We thought a raccoon was the perp. but we were not aware of any coon that could do what we saw. We now know better. It looks like a very woody area. We are set back, from the main road, but we are not too far out of the city limits. That is why we are shocked to see him this close to town.

This has got me really considering bear hunting. Do you know if bear meat is any good?

Posted: 8/2/2017 1:12:33 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:

He is indeed big enough. We thought a raccoon was the perp. but we were not aware of any coon that could do what we saw. We now know better. It looks like a very woody area. We are set back, from the main road, but we are not too far out of the city limits. That is why we are shocked to see him this close to town.

This has got me really considering bear hunting. Do you know if bear meat is any good?

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Ive heard of a lot of people eat it and like it, including a few guys here at work. I've never tried it. My father in law said a coon knocked over the trash can but it was full and pretty heavy. I couldn't find any tracks around but did see a deadfall pine where it looked like something had stepped on it and scraped it up. I want to get a game camera also.

Posted: 8/2/2017 2:50:13 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

Ive heard of a lot of people eat it and like it, including a few guys here at work. I've never tried it. My father in law said a coon knocked over the trash can but it was full and pretty heavy. I couldn't find any tracks around but did see a deadfall pine where it looked like something had stepped on it and scraped it up. I want to get a game camera also.

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I have never had bear before. When I lived in NE I had thought about it, but there was no where to hunt for them. I would hate to shoot one and then find that I don't care for it. Is there a place that would take it, if that were the case?

That must have been a big coon! I know that their size deceives their strength and I wouldn't want to mess with them.

In regards to game cam, I still am not sure. I know there are so many brands and variety but to know what is a good one or not is not where I have ever had any experience.

Posted: 8/2/2017 5:56:38 PM EDT

[#10]

A friend of mine has some property in the Crozet area and saw one of those boo-boo's walking around a storage shed the other day.

Posted: 8/3/2017 8:45:53 AM EDT

[#11]

Last year we had a pair of brothers that decided our trash was their buffet. After 3x, DNR had to come up and relocate one of the brothers. The other found his way to somewhere else. This year we had one female early spring till about mid June, then she moved on. She only "killed" our trash cans once. Guess the 4 legged chainsaws (pitbulls) scared her off. they woke me up around 0330 one morning. I went to see what the noise was for. Soon as i flipped the light on, she stood straight up with a "oh shit" look and the dogs went bonkers. has not been back since. We see them on the property, but not near the house anymore.

Posted: 8/3/2017 7:48:28 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
A friend of mine has some property in the Crozet area and saw one of those boo-boo's walking around a storage shed the other day.

View Quote

This is foreign to me. The only thing we hat were stray cats. Still, it was really neat to see up close.

Posted: 8/3/2017 7:52:53 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Last year we had a pair of brothers that decided our trash was their buffet. After 3x, DNR had to come up and relocate one of the brothers. The other found his way to somewhere else. This year we had one female early spring till about mid June, then she moved on. She only "killed" our trash cans once. Guess the 4 legged chainsaws (pitbulls) scared her off. they woke me up around 0330 one morning. I went to see what the noise was for. Soon as i flipped the light on, she stood straight up with a "oh shit" look and the dogs went bonkers. has not been back since. We see them on the property, but not near the house anymore.

View Quote

4 legged chainsaw! I tried suggesting that with my daughters dog and I was jumped on by my wife and daughter! Of course I should explain that my daughters dog is a sixteen pound shel- poo.

I thought and there was my mistake.

.

Posted: 8/3/2017 10:59:30 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
This was taken about a mile from my house in Fluvanna a couple weeks ago. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4404-269482.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4406-269484.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/IMG-4405-269483.JPG

View Quote

Wow! Great photos.

Haven't seen one that size in Goochland since I've been back.

Posted: 8/4/2017 12:11:21 PM EDT

[#15]

Charlottesville had a small bear/cub hanging out the other day up around UVA. He was chillin' outside at the children's hospital front entrance. Wildlife guys were able to remove him without much trouble.

Posted: 8/4/2017 12:26:42 PM EDT

[#16]

That is kind of disconcerting. Having a cub where parents drop their kids off. At least they were able to move it quickly. From what I was told, the bear population is getting more noticeable recently and especially where I am at and even more so to the South of me.

Posted: 8/4/2017 1:07:16 PM EDT

[#17]

Hell, we had one running around Reston a couple years ago. I saw him a couple times, never heard what happened to him though.

Posted: 8/4/2017 4:56:31 PM EDT

[#18]

There was actually 5 of them. I had another picture of all 5 but it somehow got deleted.

up close.....

Posted: 8/7/2017 10:20:40 AM EDT

[#19]

One of my coworkers snapped a pic of a black bear in Quantico about 100 yards from my office. We're out in the woods, so we see lots of wildlife, but that's only the second bear that's been spotted.

As I was leaving work I once saw the biggest coyote I've ever seen being chased across the road right in front of me by two deer. They were defending their fawns. That was a big-ass coyote, though, I've heard there are hybrid coyote/wolves in the region, might have been one of those.

We also have flocks of turkeys that wonder by on occasion...our outside doors are reflective, and the turkeys think it's a rival gang....they'll get pissed and strut around our entrance for an hour, pecking at the door and shitting everywhere, lol.

ETA: Bear sighting was a month and a half ago.

Posted: 8/8/2017 1:08:38 PM EDT

[#20]

One technician at my dealer found a black bear under his front porch a few months ago ( may/april ) sleeping ( north fork Shenandoah river off rt55 )

2nd technician that lives by the strokes rd airport last week went home & saw that his trash can's were violated and his 13yr son who was home at the time didn't even hear it ( kid said that's cool )

Posted: 8/12/2017 8:06:16 PM EDT

[#21]

It sounds like bears are becoming more promenant. These are some great pics.

I am not sure where all of the locations you all are talking about, but I am assuming it is not very rural? Maybe I am wrong?

I have seen wolf/coyote hybrids. Big animals.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - We had a visitor yesterday

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