For all the years I’ve been reminding folks about taking down bird feeders in late March, I should be the last person to get pilferage by a springtime bruin who thought he hit the jackpot the other night when he found my metal post brackets with the feeders still hanging there as big as day.
Both feeders still had some black oil sunflower seeds left in them, which are a super attraction for black bears, while also being highly nutritious. When a bear finds a bird feeder still up, he just assumes that something’s in it. The equivalent of several hours of foraging usually follows.
Not only did this bear feast away on those left-over sunflower seeds, it also bent my pair of ½-inch square steel posts to the ground like a piece of rubber hose, to get to them, which left the posts parallel on the ground destroying them both completely, along with my feeders. And I deserved it … because the bear was just being a bear, and I was just being a human being who wasn’t practicing what he preaches.
But the strength of that bear to bend those posts over like that just amazed me. Bird feeders/trash can raids, along with backyard barbecue grills, open dumpsters, pet food on porches, and campsite visits with left over vittles are being reported throughout the area, as the “bear drive” for easy pickings is now rampant. Yep, bears are everywhere. And believe me when I tell you, they’re on the move right now.
Black bears have such a keen sense of smell – much better than a bloodhound – and can sense odors that are sometimes several miles away. They have great memories, and from year to year seem to trundle their way back into familiar areas where the pickings were good in the past.
They also come out of their dens in the springtime with low fat reserves which means that they’re more hungry than normal … which will often drive them into more, “unintentional,” bear/human encounters that sometimes can go bad for both the human and the bear. When this happens, a bear can sometimes get a bad rap and be dubbed as a nuisance because of it. However, nearly all negative bear encounters are the result of hungry bears being attracted to human food sources.
The simplest way to avoid these encounters is to remove potential food sources, which usually results in the bear moving on. However, not every bear that gets up close and personal with humans is a problem bear, even though some area farmers may strongly disagree with that statement … but that’s a story for another day.
The problem with bear/human encounters lies with easily available human food, as bears can obtain all of the food they need from the forest, but they are intelligent and opportunistic animals that will consume whatever food they can find the easiest.
Once a bear learns to obtain food from people or certain structures, it is very difficult to change the animal’s behavior. These bears are more vulnerable to motor vehicle collisions in populated areas, more likely to be illegally killed, or may become a threat to public safety. In some cases, MassWildlife must step in and relocate these bears. However, bear relocations are rarely effective at solving the problem and can be dangerous. And the fact that the population in Massachusetts continues to grow by leaps and bounds in some areas, just confirms that these encounters are destined to continue.
This wasn’t always the case, as I remember first coming to Shelburne nearly 45 years ago, and having people tell me that the sighting of a black bear was less common then the sighting of Halley’s Comet. As people got further back into bear habitat, and more bears began to surface, encounters between people and bears became inevitable.
In the 1980s and ’90s, the state began to take notice of their numbers and hunting opportunities began to surface. This continues today, as seldom does a year go by when the topic of black bear populations is not being discussed by state officials. This has often led to more bear-hunting opportunities for sportsmen and women in the Bay State than ever before.
Having guys like Ron Gleason from Greenfield offering programs to encourage more sportsmen to hunt black bears (a proven method for controlling their numbers), while also educating people on how to co-exist with bears, means there no longer should be any excuses not to be educated on what goes on in this region in the springtime – and other times of the year – with our bruin friends.
So where does that leave us? What should we do right now? Well, we can read up on how to keep bears out of our air space, or at least far enough away so that any chance encounters will end on a happy note. We can take heed and NOT BE LIKE THE KEEPER OF THIS SPACE.
We can take our bird feeders in as soon as the snow leaves the ground in the springtime, and not put them out again until around Thanksgiving. We can keep our trash cans as “bear proof” as possible. Moreover, we can remember that bears will take any opportunity given them, especially if the source continues to be available.
We don’t ever want black bears to lose their fear of, and respect for, humans, because really black bears are not very dangerous creatures. They’re normally very shy and timid when in a natural setting, and as a rule don’t like to share space with human beings. Nevertheless, chance encounters will always happen, and they have the physical ability to commit mayhem with the greatest of ease.
We must always be aware that these great creatures are wild and unpredictable. Therefore, caution is always the way when you happen on to one. Never try to feed them … and give them a wide berth, especially if cubs are present.
A good tip is to carry a compressed air horn with you when you’re out and about in what you think could be bear country, which is almost everywhere now. They use these to frighten grizzlies in western states and they work just as well with black bears. Even keeping one around the house is not a bad idea, just in case one finds its way to your back porch, which so far this year is happening with regularity. Give them the respect they deserve, but always from a distance. And just appreciate them as wild animals while at the same time enjoying having them here amongst us.
Here are a few other ways to reduce the chance of negative black bear encounters around your home:
• Never feed bears! It is illegal, dangerous and detrimental to bears.
• Clean off barbeque grills before night fall (don’t forget the grease trap), and if possible, store grills inside when not in use.
• Store garbage in a secure building or location, secure can lids with ropes/bungees/chains, never over-fill cans, and dispose of garbage as frequently as possible.
• If you live in a densely populated bear area, consider using a certified bear-resistant garbage container.
• Clean garbage cans frequently with ammonia products. Do not burn garbage as it can, and will, attract bears.
• Don’t add meat scraps, bones or melon rinds to your compost pile.
• Feed pets indoors and store pet food indoors. If pets are fed outside, immediately remove all uneaten food and dishes.
Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, consultant and active member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assoc. Joe is also a member of the Quaker Boy Game Calls, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Pro-Staff.