Black Bear Do's and Don'ts

So while we're waiting for the track to dry... last night had a black bear come into our garage, drag the cooler out about 20 feet away and chomp on some granola bars, that were wrapped. We live in a semi rural development, property backs onto a feed corn farm. See all sorts of wildlife, but bears a rarity, last one was about 10 years back.

Fred walked the perimeter, found him, shooed him away. But he came back to the spot where he had nutritious snack, wants more granola
bars? Shooed away again, he went to the front part of the property and scampered up a tree, about 40-50 feet. We kept him there, called police, who turned up...recommended call Game Commission, which will do today.

He's about the size of a St. Bernard, 250 lbs? We speculated a he, because he was alone. Neighbors had cookout all day yesterday afternoon/evening, and some amazing smells were coming from that direction. The bear was not overly aggressive, some light huffing, stamping. He probably was annoyed up the tree for half an hour, heard some complaining, growling, harrumphing.

We have three indoor/outdoor cats, and they all knew something was up. They were all outside when bear came around, hid, and came in house afterwards.

I have a five minute Google black bear degree and we're not doing anything routinely stupid. We want him to move on down the road. Pro tips?
@SpeedyE Thanks!

 

Uh, leave him alone???

Those race tracks are noisey. We should shut those down, now that we're here...

 

He was in our garage. Appreciate your helpful input!

 

You moved in to his front yard, and he's the issue?

 

Little early in the day to be so disagreeable and argumentative. So long!

 

I would play it safe and call animal control for everyone’s well being including the bear. Black bear are not going to mess around once he decides he’s had enough of everyone’s nonsense.

 

Leave him the hell alone, make sure the garage is shut and don't leave trash in the garage or outside.

Edit: and make sure you leave NOTHING in your cars that might be bear food. No granola bars, no soft drinks or coffee and definitely no pic-a- nic baskets.

 

We do all that routinely, yesterday evening Fred was prepping for riding roadtrip, so aberration. No food in our garbage, but the neighbors have plenty. Hopefully he will lose interest, calling regional gaming folks today.

 

You need to give him an unpleasant memory so he thinks twice about coming back. Get bear spray and use it. Their noses are thousands of times stronger than a dogs.

 

True. He now knows where the food supply is and won’t soon forget and is ready to peel through the garage door if he wants to. Sadly he is going to be an ongoing danger for you guys and the cats.

 

Thanks guys. We were laughing with the police officer, he dragged a closed cooler out of a garage, flung the Fiji water bottles everywhere, and "unwrapped" several granola bars from their individual wrapping and from the outside packaging as well. Next door was the place to be for eats.

We do usually keep the garage doors open, but will modify that until resolution.

 

I doubt he's any danger to the cats unless he tries to have sex with them or uses them to wipe his ass after taking a dump in the woods. Bears are more scavengers than hunters anymore. easier to eat out of a trash can then to try and catch a cat.

 

We know a family whose cats were killed by black bear. So just threw that caution out there.

 

I don't live far away from you, though a bit more country....When we have a bear around I carry, even when just going out to the barn, especially in the morning or evening. I don't mind bears but people >>>bears should it be required.

 

Yep, Fred didn't have a screwdriver in his hand when he walked the perimeter.

 

Meh...blackies are like overgrown puppies. Put out some food and water, it’ll keep the neighbors kids and dogs off of your lawn.

 

Start with Alton browns jerky Recipe...

Ingredients


2 pounds red meat (although you can use elk, bear, venison, wild boar or just about any other critter you can hunt. I stick with beef such as top round steak, flank steak or brisket)

Brine:
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

2/3 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon honey


Now its not a quilt...but a nice rug is a decent substitute so....
These guys recommend Nancy...so send her the hide and not only is the problem solved but you get some tasty treats and a new rug.

Ten Steps To A Great Bear Skin Rug
64

November 10th, 2012 05:00:00 pm

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By Alan J. Garbers



There are ten steps to a great bear skin rug. To find out what they are I talked with Nancy Jenkins, of Rugs By Nancy, one of the premier bear rug specialists in the nation.

1. One of the biggest mistakes is to salt a hide and then freeze it. Some outfitters even make this mistake! Salt is a thawing agent and can keep a hide from freezing properly. This can allow the hide to rot and cause hair slippage. If you have a freezer, just roll the hide and freeze it.
2. Only use salt if you’re out in the wilderness and have no other way to preserve it. Be sure to remove all fat off the hide before applying salt, otherwise it will not be effective. You will also need to turn the ears and split the lips.
3. Don’t drag the bear. While bear hair isn’t as brittle as deer hair, dragging can still cause marks or even make bald spots. If it is a big bear and you have a long distance to go, skin it and quarter the meat on the spot. This assures that the hide stays in prime condition and will make a great bear skin rug.
4. Wash the blood off as much as possible. Blood on the hide can cause hair slippage if it isn’t frozen quickly.
5. Skin the bear correctly. If making a rug, cut up the belly and inside the legs. Make sure the cuts make a “T” and not a “Y” otherwise the rug will look odd.
6. If you plan on a full body mount, skin the bear from the backside, up the spine. It is much easier to hide the seams in the thick back hair, than the thin belly hair. You may need to offer the outfitter more to skin it this way because it is a great deal of extra work.
7. Get the hide as cold as possible, as quick as possible. Hair slippage can ruin a bear pelt if it is allowed to stay warm.
8. Plan your hunt for the type of hide you want. Spring bears usually have fuller pelts, but fall bears have a higher gloss.
9. Keep the pelt frozen during transport. Dry ice packed with a frozen hide in a sealed cooler can keep it rock solid all the way home. Avoid the urge to constantly check on it once the cooler is sealed with duct tape. Opening of the cooler shortens the effectiveness of the dry ice.
10. Unless you or the outfitter is an expert at turning the ears and lips inside out, don’t! Get the hide frozen ASAP and leave that for the experts, like Nancy.

Bear hunting can be a trip of a lifetime and your rug should reflect that. Follow these 10 steps to a great bear skin rug and you won’t be sorry.



Nancy with her rugs.



Seven reasons we use Rugs By Nancy

1. Nancy performs high-quality work for a reasonable price. Her prices are up to half what some other taxidermists charge!
2. Nancy’s price includes fleshing and tanning, and she repairs bullet or arrow holes.
3. Nancy dyes the bear skin black. This makes the thin belly hair look fuller.
4. Nancy’s rugs come with two felt ruffles, which not only compliment the bear skin; it also makes smaller bears look bigger.
5. Nancy’s rugs have padding and backing, so if you really use it for a rug, it will hold up better.
6. Nancy embroiders your name, the year, and location of the hunt on the back of the rug, so generations from now your great-grandkids will know the history of the rug.
7. Nancy sews D-rings on the back of the rug so you can hang it on the wall, without having to drive nails through your trophy.

Nancy at her heavy-duty sewing machine.

 

Yeah, he wouldn't go away.

He was kinda cute, tho'...like big, goofy, doofus cute.

 

You sure it wasn’t Mongo?

Yep. She’s sure.