guess what! the other night, actually early morning, jessie the dog was barking uproariously. we got mad and got up to yell at her. we went to the front door and on the sidewalk about two foot from us was a huge black dog eating some peanuts that dh had thrown out the door. then the huge black dog looked at us and it was a huge bear! i saw in the local paper today that the animal ranger people said that bears don't live around here, it was just traveling through. the last bear sightings were two years ago. ha! but my neighbor up the hill saw a black bear about two weeks ago, he told me. so can i go outside at night? will bears eat chickens or goats? i've told my friends that i feel like a pioneer sometimes. this is really pioneering.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Answers

My girlfriend had just about had it with her dogs barking one night and said she got out of bed in her t-shirt and panties as she went out the back door she grabed the broom and took a couple of swips at the dogs and told them to be quiet!! She said when she looked up she saw eyes glowing at her across the yard and thought she would scare that strange dog off so half way across the yard she though with no shoes on she might step on a snake so she just yelled and shook the broom at it till it turned and went away. She said she was about 10 feet from it, but it was so dark out she couldnt see anything but its eyes glowing. When she went back to bed her husband ask what had the dogs upset and she told him a strange dog with red glowing eyes was at the edge of the yard but she ran it off with the broom. When he quit laughing he told her only bears eyes glow red!!! Now when she gets upset with somone they tell her "Oh go chase a bear with a broom in your underware!" That gets her to laughing and she cant stay mad.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Jennifer

Yes we have bears,abet still few.Keep all food up and you shouldn't have them come in too close.They have poor eyesight and can sometimes come in pretty close if the wind is blowing the wrong way and they don't smell you.Give you a start,did it? That should have burned off a few calories. :o)

Make loud noises and that will usually do the trick,too.

Around here, you can consider yourself fortunate to have seen one.I had one a few yrs back below the house, but it was shot.

Actually,When I told the wildlife biologist about my sighting,he acknowledged that we have bear that have migrated over from W. VA. He just refuted claims that they imported and stocked them.

He'd like to know abt.your sighting too.If you want,call the Forest Service office.That's where his office is.

Whatever you do,do not believe anything the local paper has on any wildlife.Never saw such inacuracies.

Have fun!

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Yes, you can go out at night, just be alert. Yes, bears will eat chickens, but their diet this time of year is mainly vegetarian, with perhaps a little fish thrown in for good measure. They WILL eat just about anything left lying around, and if there is little natural food available will eat anything at all period.

The whole trick is to avoid surprising the bear. If you happen upon one, DO NOT RUN!!!! Stand your ground. It is the ONLY chance you have. Talk to it calmly as you can, to let it know you are human, so to speak. Also, don't wave your arms, shout, etc, as this can cause an attack. Don't go climbing trees, either, as all bears can climb - even grizzlies, though the opposite is often in print.

If you are unfortunate enough to be attacked, get down on the ground, flat as you can, and cover your head. Play dead. Conventional wisdom says to curl up in a little ball, but bears are curious above all else, and balls roll.

He or she is much more likely to be raiding your garden and berry patch than your chicken coop, but its possible. Don't leave everybody out at night (bears will sometimes hunt during the day, so a pen is a good idea anyway), don't feed more than your stock will clean up within a few minutes, don't leave out ANY form of food for more than an hour or so, and make a lot of noise when walking in the woods. You and your stock should be fine.

As an end note - after calling your local wildlife guys, you CAN shoot a black bear IF it kills or harrasses your stock.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Heh heh -- do you all know the joke about the hikers in the western national park who were given bracelets and anklets with bells on them "for the bears", which prompted one woman to ask, plaintively, "But how do you get them ON the bears?!"

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

I have heard them described as "dinner bells" for the bears in grizzly country! "...Come and get it!!!"

I haven't seen a bear around here in 15 years. Last sighting was at 4 a.m. on a backcountry road by our house. Black bear was crossing the road back into the woods after presumably feasting on windfall apples in the orchard he was vacating.

Bear warnings were posted where my mom and I were at the ocean a couple of days ago. One time those warnings worked to my advantage. My first husband and I decided to ignore trailhead postings and do our backpacking trip anyway. We had the whole beach to ourselves on a 3-day weekend! This was at Third Beach by Cape Alava, for those who know the area.

In Yosemite, we used to throw rocks and pots and pans at the bears to keep them out of camp. One night, one guy had a bear bite his head! The guy was sleeping on the ground, sans tent. I think he needed 23 stitches. Of course, this was forever ago, and I think they've chased most of the bears out of the valley by now.

I like bears. We usually talk loud on hikes if we think they are around (cubbing and berry season.) We also encountered one on a float trip on the Skykomish. He was more surprized than we, although we paddled faster than he ran!

Never heard the wisdom about the glowing eyes, though. Wonder how come they glow?

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

My neighbor asked me if I've seen our bear. It was THIS big. The biggest she's ever seen....this big, has to be a male. They don't bother my rabbits or animals because of my electric fence I'm sure. Told my friend who lost his rabbits to a bear and he hasn't had another eaten since he put up his electric fence.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Sue your answer on shooting bears harassing livestock is not accurate for all states.In some,it would result in a hefty fine(having worked the bear check station back home, the fine was pretty substantial).And,don't even think noone will know.News abt.bears travels fast in certain areas.We knew what bears were shot and where,before they even got to the station.Absolutely amazing how well word of mouth works as a communication tool.In some states the people are more protective of wildlife than others. So folks,to avoid problems,find out what the expectations are for your area.

The advice to call your game warden is good.Depending on the state,they may want to relocate,or may give permission for removal.

We have black bear in KY,no grizzlies that I know of :o)

Black bear,while possibly predatory,is usually not as agressive. When we ran into them in the woods they were most frequently heading the opposite direction.Making noise hepled them along if the were a little "sluggish" Only one person was followed. She was menstruating. Enuff said.

Unless they have become aclimated to people they are shy and elusive.Black streak is my most appropriate description. They can run fast.But on rare occasion,you bump into them,bc they have terrible eyesight. Slowly back away in this situation is the best approach (sure,I know, easier said than done when faced with a large black hairy set of teeth and claws). julie will have to share her experience,here.

Jennifer,your bear was reported in the paper yesterday,along with the expected inacuracies.Guess someone else saw it too.Well,that's a goner bear, around here. You don't keep it quite,they get shot.I kept mine secret for two years,but someone eventually found out.

I was not a happy camper.Yeah,I love wildlife,including bears,especially bears,even on my own farm,especially on my own farm.Since that is it's primary purpose.Greenie alert!

Although I admit, when I was watching the woodcock mating flight one evening a few years back,and heard a snort behind me that was definitely NOT a deer....Me and the dog decided to call it a night:o)

Memories.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

We have quite a few black bears in our neighborhood. I named my place Blackbear Ridge because it was a black bear I glimpsed crossing from the property into the valley 'tother side of the road which showed me how to get onto the property (the vegetation was so dense.) Since I've been living here (3yrs) bears have been sighted 7 times that I know of. Dogs are good bear alarms, though they can't protect you of course. Generally, bears make a lot of noise when they move through the woods, crashing through anything in the way -- hey, they're the biggest critters in the woods, they can do what they will. Enjoy them from a distance, the darling cubs especially, since Mama Bear will be near and will attack when she thinks her cub is threatened.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Black bears are pretty common in my area (northern Pa), last year 109 bears were killed in my county. They are something of a nuisance, yes, they take small farm animals, but are more of a nuisance raiding garbage, bird feeders, etc. Generally, they are inclined to fear humans, and will flee if humans approach. Exercise cuation when food is involved, or if mother bear is accompanied by cubs!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Oh.... on eyes glowing red..my dog's eyes glow red.She's a tasmanian devil in disguise,tho :o)

My brother's eyes glow red.Scared the daylights out of his girlfriend one night when she shined a light,not know he was there.We suspect my brother is a werewolf.

Us kids used to go out and howl at the full moon growing up,so maybe...

Yes,that's what you do for entertainment,growing up in the country.

Woodsbilly..Potter Co? God's country. Timber typed there briefly. Steep ,big trees. Almost ended up there. Too much winter tho.,for my wussy body to take,anymore.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Bears....why did it have to be bears...?

Now that I've moved 'into town' (that is to say, a wide spot in the road, don't blink! You'll miss it!!)I'm not seeing the bears like I used to. Where I was living before, they were coming out of the woodwork for the apples on my trees, and raiding bird feeders. The local DNR guy told me that he had seen three sows in my area, each with SIX cubs! Population explosion!

One time I ran into a bear while out picking blueberries. I can attest to the phrase 'heart in your throat' -- mine was attempting to escape via this exit and run away on it's own, apparently my feet (which were frozen in place) were not moving fast enough for it. That was the LONGEST two minutes getting back to the car, even though the bear had already fled in terror of such an ugly human.

The best (?) bear encounter took place the night my mother borrowed my car to drive over to visit an aunt. It was a lovely summer night, and I'd left the front door open for air after dinner, and was watching a horror movie on Tv. I heard a noise out on the porch, and my mom was out there trying to scare me by putting her hands up on the screen and banging on it. Well, it takes more than THAT to scare me (as Joy noted), despite her having worn a furry black sweater that looked bearlike. But I did wonder where she'd gotten the matching gloves, I didn't remember those...and they had claws on 'em too....

That time around, I remember shouting an expletive deleted, and jumping up off the sofa and slamming the steel front door in the bear's perplexed face. Actually, the bear was a little one, no taller than myself, and he/she too lit out when they saw me. In retrospect, I'm sure it was a combination of the smell of dinner lingering in the air, as well as the soundtrack on the horror movie (the monster sounds they dubbed in were partially made up of bear sounds I later figured out) making the bear curious.

That bear had walked up onto the deck not 15 feet away from me (admittedly, I was involved with the movie), and I never heard it til it had it's paws on the screen. My dogs, on the other side of the house sitting on that deck, never heard it either. Bears can be utterly silent when they want to be.

Another time I ran out of the house in my stocking feet, with absolutely nothing in my hands to do battle with the bear that was after my ducks -- lucky for me it was really a Newfoundland, who slunk guiltily away having been caught.

Gee. I have a face that scares bears and dogs. And I wasn't even practicing my Jack Nicholson 'The Shining' face either....

Have you ever read Bill Bryson's book, 'A Walk in The Woods'? (The one with the brown bear on the cover.) The chapter on bears is somewhere between frightening and hilarious. Hilariously frightening perhaps. Playing dead is good with grizzlies, however, black bear eat carrion and playing dead won't help you out. But, even having said that, there are accounts of attacks that completely reverse those recommendations. If you meet one up close and personal, good luck to you my friend.

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001

Black bears are pretty common here in downeast Maine, also. We don't see them very often. They're rather shy. In the woods or in the bluebery fields you'll smell them if the wind is right. They can have a rank odor to them!! Once one of my horses had an interesting experience with a young bear. I was standing at the kitchen sink watching my mare in the back pasture. Out of the corner of my eye I saw what I thought was a large dog going under the fence into the pasture. My mare saw it also and trotted towards it. The "dog" turned around and went back under the fence...only to try again at another spot. Bound and determined to cross that pasture! Only then did I realize that it was a bear. My horse chased him out again and again. Finally the bear gave up and headed up our woods road. I always thought horses were naturally afraid of bears!!

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001