Backyard Bear!

[onejay]

Our feeders seem to attract a lot more then just birds...We now have mice, chipmunks, (two resident chipmunks, named Chip and Dale) squirrels, raccoons, deer, and a bear!

Now, it is one thing if they stop by for a bite to eat but this bear takes our (squirrel proof ha ha) feeders along with him. He manages to do this without spilling any of the seeds inside!

Anyone know of bear proof bird feeders?









Oh, and in case anyone is wondering...We DO get some birds too yet!

[butterfly]

Wow! Great photos! Is there any room left in the yard for you Snow White? We can't help with bear proof feeders, we're still trying to figure out cat proof feeders! ;-)

[ed]

Your photos are wonderful. The bear is beautiful! I wish there were such an item as a bear proof bird feeder. Living in urban areas away from mountains and bush like I do, the feeders can be up in fall or anytime. In areas with bear populations, the feeders are magnets for bears. It is interesting how bears adapt...in places like Whistler some bears no longer hibernate because they have a year round supply of food. You may have to consider limiting your bird feeding to winter months only.
Actually a feeder on a well anchored metal pole may work.

[Gord]

Great shot of that bear! What an endearing pose. It looks like it is quite a young one too.

Ed is right though, bears can make backyard feeding a challenge especially if the bears start to make themselves at home. Outside of some fancy setups like up on a pole out of reach or on clothesline it's pretty tough to deter them. Even these 'fancy setups' dont work if you get a bear who thinks he's Indiana Jones. (click the link for some amusing photos and even more amusing theories from bored people wondering if it's true or not...that bear is lucky if it's 250lbs)

selever.freeshell.org/projects/rand/

Bears in the Lower Mainland dont always hibernate between milder winters and food supplies (garbage, pet food, bird feeders etc). The ones in the 'wild' such as Cheam Mtn do hibernate but the ones near or in towns dont necessarily. This can put a cramp in bird feeding! I do know that honey farms protect their hives with electric fencing with success. It might be a pain but if I was in the situation where bears were a problem but I wanted to feed I would use it. The tough part would be the deer but they are good jumpers and would probably jump the fence no problem.

The main priority is being safe. If the bear gets used to the neighborhood and is also getting into garbage it could be a problem which will end badly for the bear in the end. They do not relocate Black Bears.