Posted: 5/5/2014 8:28:54 AM EDT
| So, Starting this weekend i've been getting a lone black bear over 100lbs ravaging my garbage cans. This is my first interaction with the species as well as my two 65+ pound pits. I've Tried cayenne pepper in and around the cans, noise, the dogs have treed him atleast once he still comes back and has even stood off with them. Of course F&G wants me to move the cans inside(yeah Gross) my garage not happening, but short of rubber buck shot followed my 00 buck i don't see him stopping. Im still waiting to hear back from the wildlife officer but has anyone had similar issue? How did you get resolution? Im not willing to put my dogs at risk for a damn bear even if they are some mean old pits. Thanks. |
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Simple, though I don't like to have to take the measures. Suggest they come and place a cage trap to catch and transfer somewhere else as the best option.
If they decline for whatever reason, you then tried to do the right thing. It's not worth the risk to see what will happen for safety sake. Drop it. Then call them to come get it. Might be a good idea to document all correspondence in your defense and circumstances. Edited to add; Another option might be to get hold of a wildlife rescue agency and speak with them. Here's a bit of info. Scroll down to; Professional Assistance Black Bears - Living with wildlife Then just below, read Legal Status |
| Well of Course My local Fish And Game Officer is Off today, But the only other officer available (60 miles away) says hes going to have to find a trap and hopefully get it out here tomorrow. I told him that if I feel its putting my dogs in danger its toast, And due to me exhausting all other options, hes on my side. It a little bittersweet that my first Black Bear encounter is like this. I was hoping it would just move on and that a 350 pound bear that got toasted 5 miles down the road might have been related since thats the same night all this started but who knows. But now i'm debating whether to leave the rubber buckshot in or just switch out to just straight slugs and 00 buck? |
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Huh. If you aren't willing to move the garbage cans, you could instead get bear proof garbage cans. There's several options out there, looks like they're in the $200-300 range. This is dependent on whoever picks up your garbage being willing to let you use non-standard bins. Or you being willing to transfer from the bear proof bin to a normal bin right before pick up. Since you've indicated you're willing to walk out there with a shotgun and shoot it with rubber bullets you might try using bear spray on it before you pull the trigger, although maybe that is closer than you planned on getting. And depending on the bear that might just piss it off, ha.
examples (I have no experience with any of these products): http://www.bearsaver.com/Residential-Poly-Carts/c555/ http://www.bearicuda.com/critter-can/stealth-bear-proof-garbage-can.php |
| moving the cans doesn't solve the problem, much like the grizzlies of yellow stone, when they find something they like short of a large metal box you aren't keeping them out. And all this does is Cause the Problem bear to go next door to there trash thats also kept outside. Who here keeps stinking trash in there garage? I work and spend quite a bit of time in my Garage/man cave. Why should i have to put up with the smell of trash so a little fuzzy wuzzy bear keeps it skin. My trash cans have been there for the last ten years why move them now. And I don't have the option to use anything but cans due to the fact we don't get garbage service in the sticks so im trucking it 15 miles to the dump at around 30 bucks a load. |
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Are you on the west side, or the east side. I work with the WDFW person in charge of private land owner relations for Western Washington on special projects for Master Hunters. One of these was a damage bear hunt in my area, McCleary. Ended up removing a 309 pound black bear that was causing serious issues for a tree farmer after they had gone through the hoops to get rid on the bears. My shot was 8 yards with the .458 SOCOM.
There is a process you need to go through, securing your garbage is #1. Many ways to do that. Lock your cans, bear proof cans, keep the cans in the garage. If the bear still decides it wants to be around, they'll make you haze it. That won't work, but you'll need to try it anyway. Next, they'll probably try trapping, but that only really moves the bear on to somewhere else, and a bear conditioned to feeding on garbage will find garbage in his new digs. The more people in your area, the more likely they'll trap it quicker. If you don't take any steps to remove the attractant, the WDFW won't likely help you. In reality, your actions caught the attention of the bear and are what is causing the issue, and the WDFW will take that stance. Not making a judgment, just telling you what to expect. If you are in a city or built up area, a rural neighborhood, shooting isn't really a viable option. Really only as a last resort. If you have some distance between you an neighbors, shooting is more viable. Bears are really skittish, have great (bionic) hearing, and poor eyesight. A paintball gun would be a great deterrant. Non lethal, and it marks the bear. Let me know if you need my contact's name and number. It is a bit of a process though, and the situation will not be cured overnight. |
| Im In Kitsap County. And my garbage is secured short of a bear, lids are kept closed, and emptied twice a week. I also rigged a loud bell to sound when he attempted to get at the trash so i would know. I chased him off 5 times screaming pots and pans wailing, from 2am to 3:40 till i had to go to work this morning and last night. So i have tried the nice way i just hold a lot of value in mans best friend over something thats going to try to steal my picnic basket(damn you black cousins of BOOBOO). I have a two car garage with my convertible and motorcyle on one side, and a work bench tool/ loading/entertainment station on the other side if i had room in my garage i would park my truck in there not store stinky garbage. And as far as Neighbors there's 4 houses on a private road outside of town a few shots at 2am ain't going to get no calls since i've already given them the heads up. Anyways this is all moot cause me telling them ill shoot it, if need be caused them to expedite the process . And it should be here within the hour now from a neighboring jurisdiction. Kinda like when you tell 911 no im not in any danger im justing getting robbed and they tell you it will be 30mins, but when you tell them your itchy trigger may slip in the direction of a criminal in that amount of time, then there right there in under 5mins flat lights and sirens going . |
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Hope you get your bear problem handled quickly. While someone may respond today, the situation most likely may not be solved today. Sounds like a free fire zone as long as you mind the no-shoot quadrants.
I was targeting two specific boars on orders from the forester and it took me 8 days to get the main offender hunting over apples. (Damage bears can be hunted using natural bait.) Their noses are also bionic. Some bears they've tried trapping have taken a while as well. Be safe and take care. Please keep us up on the progress. |
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Quoted:
Kinda like when you tell 911 no im not in any danger im justing getting robbed and they tell you it will be 30mins, but when you tell them your itchy trigger may slip in the direction of a criminal in that amount of time, then there right there in under 5mins flat lights and sirens going . Gotta love it. A paintball gun sounds like the ticket if you want to chance pissing it off. Not worth the time or investment. Deal with it the way you see fit I say. Then call them (or not) Bear stew buddy 
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One of my friends lived southy of Ketchikan, AK, near Herring Cove. Herring Cove is home to a large salmon hatchery. They had a resident black bear that would come to the shores of the cover looking for salmon, his name was "Pinky". Warren used paintball rounds with pink paint, hence the nickname pinky, for those occassions when Pinky came into his yard.
Black bears are generally much more afraid of you than you are of them. In all of my encounters with black bears, they have run away immediately if they weren't killed on the spot. I've been in on 7 kills and have pulled the trigger on three. Tough animals, so go for the shoulder if you must shoot. For as big as their heads are, their skulls are actually pretty small. Lots of muscles associated with their jaws on either side of the head make their head wide. |
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Living in Western Washington out in the sticks we had a similar problem with a bear in the area. One day I was out in the woods exploring perimeters of our property and the terrain.
I come to a 2nd growth cedar tree that was literally (fresh) shredded to nearly 11ft up from the base. I never did see it, but it sure kept me on guard for a long time. Through the years I had tendency to look over my shoulder and listen more often then not. Never did see it though. Another time for about two weeks, we had a BIG balled cougar in the area that kept everyone within a few miles on the watch. We were all on "here kitty kitty" mode. With all the cutting in their surroundings the animals are getting pushed more and more. |
Damage/depredation permit, sanctioned by WDFW.
He came into my left to a spot about 8 yards away from my left blind window, probably because of the strong wind and he couldn't smell me. He had busted me a week ago, but from 20 yards out, in the same exact area. I just had to be lucky once. Fucking ears ring from shooting a muzzle braked .458 SOCOM from within a pop-up blind. Yellow ear tag is the depredation tag. Don't step in front of a .458 SOCOM at 8 yards. It WILL fuck you up. Interior shoulder as the bullet passed into the chest cavity. 
Bullet is lodged in the far shoulder, and didn't exit. Perfect performance yet again from the .458 SOCOM. 
309 pounds, and he measured 7' square. Not a bad bear for being 8 miles from the house. |
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Definitely not one to be getting confronted by unarmed. And for this region that's not that big.
Will ya look at the paws on that bad boy though, lethal weapons. That SOCOM did do some damage didn't it. WOW. I bet your ears rang for quite some time being closed in the blind eh? I'm curious, considering you had the permit to remove the beast, did you get to keep the candy, or? Thanks for the pics. I'd rather look at them this way rather than out on the trail. Hehe BTW, Dan A. is a shirt-tail to me. I haven't seen or spoke to him in years. |
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Had the choice of turning in the carcass or punching my own tag. Turn in = yellow tag. Keeping it = yellow tag +my regular tag. Ended up with 107 lbs of ground bear meat. Just about out.
Biggest bear one of my friends guided a client to was 450. Quinault res. They don't get much bigger than that in Washington State. Average bears here run 175-250. |
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Quinault area has some big boys, I can attest to that. I've hunted many Elk ( hence my comment. Hunted, never bagged and dragged an Elk in the area) and deer throughout the area over the years. Up the road, Campbell Tree area, man oh man, a friend and I were there scouting, and we come across several piles of scat. It's beautiful country out there.
The piles, they had to be from the same one, and they appeared to be strategically placed in one area as if an outhouse used regularly. The diameter of the scat was close to 5 inches plus in circumference. and piles the sizes of 12 inch dinner plates packed solid to a height of about 6-7 inches tall. Sasquatch, Yetti, yep crossed our minds. Uhhh HUH! When we come across all these piles we were almost at the highest points of the rocky ridge before you drop over to the Hump valley. Mainly a lot of scrub trees, but a lot of dense areas where there was their tasty skunk cabbage and moss through the lower areas with plenty of cover. We were both nervous as the scrub around us was real thick. We got the heck out of there I tell ya. I took pictures with my digital camera to prove what we'd seen as we knew there would be dis-believers calling BS. Somewhere I misplaced the memory card (as thin as a dime and about the same diameter) otherwise I'd show you. Another time we were scouting another area about half way up the Donkey Creek. It's all logged off now, has been for several years. Looking South East? I think from the asphalt up the tall ridges and hills we were up high on top. There was a lot of old growth. We we working our way across the tops and found more piles as mentioned above. We quickly, but cautiously got the heck out of there. Again, another Sasquatch, Hmmm moment. Seriously. |
| yeah no action as of this morning, traps still set minus the tailings of bait the crows took. This is the first night he has not come in so hopefully he moved on, or worst case hes already trap aware/put off by smell of the bears from previous trappings. I just don't like the uneasiness of not knowing, i'm not the kind to be looking over my shoulder, i zero in and deal with the problem. My dogs are left to freely roam/patrol the street as we have had break ins before (Neighborhood approved of course). And with the Black Berry Bushes Around my Property line hell have prime ambush settings should he get hungry for real meat or feel "threatened" and being as my dogs are not push overs there will be a fight and thats a scenario i cant win. I don't relish taking a creature unless i strictly plan to eat it or it is a danger or hazard to my family and a large part of my Extended family are my dogs. bears may be afraid of humans but not my dogs yet, and Loosing a dog is not an option so if the trap doesn't work, ill deal with the consequences, if i have to take the bear. And to the people who tell me to shoot it with a paintball gun that could be construed as harassment of wild game as explained to me by the fish and game warden when he dropped off the trap. |
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I live in a forest in eastern WA and have dealt with bears for more than 20 years.
I keep my food/garbage cleaned-up and give the bears nothing to be interested in so they can move on. I have yet to shoot one or contact fish and game to remove one. It's their home too.. |
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Whats funny is this house has been in the family for over 25yrs never had a bear problem till now. An ex gf of mine whos a hippy said the same thing about it being the bears home to. And what i told her ill tell you its welcome in my home as long as its a rug, i would think i posted on a peta forum. And did you want a cookie for being special?
The bear has been M.I.A. since they left the trap, no sightings, cans intact so has probably seen one before. Hopefully the Issue is resolved. |
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Quoted:
Whats funny is this house has been in the family for over 25yrs never had a bear problem till now. An ex gf of mine whos a hippy said the same thing about it being the bears home to. And what i told her ill tell you its welcome in my home as long as its a rug, i would think i posted on a peta forum. And did you want a cookie for being special? The bear has been M.I.A. since they left the trap, no sightings, cans intact so has probably seen one before. Hopefully the Issue is resolved. He'll be back. The scent of the other bears who have been in that trap probably have him freaked out a bit. We've spooked bears out of an area for a few days after encounters, but they always come back. |