[Orchard] Trapped the Darn Bear Last Night

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Todd

Inactive
We've had a bear getting into our orchard for almost a month. It especially liked any kind of plum. Anyway I finally got a depridation permit two weeks ago and had a "Wildlife Specialist" (trapper) set up a culvert trap. Nothing happend for a few weeks but we got him last night.

I was really concerned because we had a huge fruit set this year and the apples and pears are loaded. What bears usually do is gobble down the fruit and immediately poop it out while tearing off branches as the eat. It's a real bummer to go out and see that kind of mess in the morning.

I hate to kill wildlife but you have to do what you have to do.

Todd
 
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Gingergirl

Veteran Member
:shkr: WOW

And to think I was bummed about the rabbits in the garden and the 'coon in my peach tree.

Glad to hear "you got the bear" this time. :)
 
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Todd

Inactive
For what it's worth, the bear was a boar who probably weighted about 400 pounds. He was an old guy. He was mellow in the trap. I kept him watered so he wouldn't be thirsty until he was put down. This might sound kind of hypocritacal but there is no point in making an animal needlessly suffer.

He'll be of some use because there is now a program to track the DNA of bears in CA to see how they are interrelated. They take blood and hair samples.

The biggest bear we've had to trap was also a male who weight 500-550. He was also a boar but he wanted to kill you. He would charge the grate at the end of the trap if he saw you. This guy was really tall too. He measured about 8 feet from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head when he was laid out. I field dressed him and found some people who wanted the meat. In case people don't know, bears really stink or more appropraitely STINK!!

If he would have had fat, I would have rendered it because bear fat is really good in baked goods.

Todd
 
Dinghy

Dinghy

Veteran Member
You have to protect your fruit! I think once they learn there is food someplace, they keep coming back. We had problems for a few years when they built the truck by-pass and it chased out the bears in the area. We had one that they guessed was 700 pounds in our yard. He was so old he was actually turning a little grey. People would chase it around the neighborhood, but the game commission wouldn't trap it even though there was a good chance of somebody getting hurt. They wanted a hunter to get it because it would be a state record. That didn't happen, and one day they found it sleeping behind the grocery store and they shot it. It had been tagged 3 times so they considered it a nuisance bear. That really upset me because the old guy never bothered anything. It was always the small bears that were caught in people's garbage. He was so mellow and beautiful that I really think they should have just moved him again. If he made it to that ripe old age he must have been pretty smart!
 
T

Todd

Inactive
Double Darn - Another Bear

Yup, another bear showed up Thursday night. It didn't do much damage, just broke a small branch and ate some pears. He didn't come back Friday night so there's hope. Normally, a bear a season is all we have but according to the trapper, there are tons around this year.

As far as keeping bears out: There isn't any kind of fencing that will keep out a bear. We have 6' high graduated fencing and it's like nothing to a bear. There is a chance with dogs. But an agressive dog doesn't stand a chance against a bear and, in our case, we'd have to lock the dog in the garden since there isn't any way for easy access.

Here's kind of a sad bear story: We have a close friend of 30 years here who has been feeding the bears for years and years. They buy bags and bags of dog food. In fact, she hand feeds them and pets them. Right now there are about 30 hanging around her house.

We've all tried to tell her what she is doing is wrong for the bears. In reality, she is turning them into garbage bears. Eventually, they'll all end up being trapped and shot. They would have been far better off eating berries and grubs in the long run.

Todd
 
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