Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bear raid

Teddy Bear.

I saw that. A great commercial!

FOUND IT!!, Yesterday I found the fish feeder that the bear took last summer, it was 200 yards away in heavy woods, the clock was still ticking. Also found a container from the garden next to it so this must have been his stash.

How bad was the feeder beat up? Can it be repaired & used again?

The bucket was missing the handle from when he ripped it off the pipe and the timer cover had holes in it from his teeth but it's basically ok.
Since I have a new one and it was mounted on the tripod I won't need it unless the bear starts swimming for his meals.

I found the commercial. Man I'm glad we don't have bears out at my place. I have two neighbors that have seen 2 different pair of big cats on game cameras.
http://s1000.photobucket.com/albums/af129/bmncool1/?action=view¤t=SALMON.flv

'nother one.

The bear finally decided the water was warm enough, when I got to the cabin I looked down at the pond and no tripod or feeder to be seen.
This is probably the same big bear that's ripped off my other feeders when they were on the dock last year. The tripod was in 5ft. of water but he was still able to pull it over.
Don't know if the digital feeder will work anymore but it's drying out and the only physical damage is a bent feeder plate were he probably bit into it.
I'm gonna string a heavy rope 60ft. between two skinny trees and hang the feeder down over the pond, the trees should be too small for him to climb
If this doesn't work I'll be looking for a bear rug this fall.

I think we've seen some pics of smaller black bears doing a trapeze (sp?) act to get to feeders.

Yeah Sunil, it's hard to keep them away from something they really want.
I'll probably end up running wire from my electric fence to posts around each tree that hold the overhead feeder line.

AP, I know you want to coexist with the bear's. But, you may want to consider the ballistic tip method to eliminate this problem. They already know that food is available on site, and that could put anyone visiting the site in danger. I think they have already claimed this property. Just a thought.

This is a real picture? If so I find it amazing!

JKB, my property is bordered on 3 sides by state forest preserve and wildlife is abundant including bears, so if I eliminate one there are plenty more to take his place. I see the bears once in a while during the day but they keep their distance, the closest camping area is 10 miles away so I don't have stupid people feeding the bears nearby. It's mostly a game of trying to outsmart them, the low electric fence has worked so far in keeping the otters out of the pond.

Bossone, that photo is on the internet and was in our newspaper about 5 years ago, some people claim that it's fake, it might be but 3 years ago there was a bear that would climb up the tree and shake the rope that held my bird feeders, the other end was attached to the cabin. One night I heard a loud zipping sound and when I put the spot light on the bear was holding my bird feeder which had been on the line 10ft. up, so even though I didn't see it I know he must have slid down the line and grabbed the feeder.
Now we have the bird feeders on a tall steel T pole with spike strips around the pole, this has worked great.

Tomorrow we're heading to the cabin to rig up a different set-up, and the game continues.

We put up the fish feeder today by stringing a heavy rope 80ft. across the pond attached to thin Maples.
I have a pulley on one tree so I can raise and lower the feeder and refill from the canoe.
The digital feeder that the bear submerged is scrap so I'm using my old analog feeder which has survived 2 bear attacks and looks like it's been thru a war, but still works.
Now we'll see if this works or if the bear uses it as a zip line.

Wow, and I thought I had problems when the neighbors dogs turned over my garbage can......

you rock AP!!!

Good luck!

All your hard work and ingenuity makes for great reading.....thanks!

I finally got my new feeder and replaced the old one on the overhead line on Thursday, there's been no sign of the bear trying to climb the tree to mess with it.
With my daughter and grand kids sleeping upstairs the wife and I slept on the sofa bed downstairs, on Sat. morning I woke up to a bang on the window, and there was the bear leaning on the wood pile looking at me thru the window. I yelled at him which woke everyone up and they came downstairs to watch him waddle up the driveway. When I went outside there were his paw prints all along my daughters car, I think he could smell some of the junk food the kids had in there.

I'd have to put some birdshot in that bears butt with all the trouble you've had.

I hope I'm not derailing the thread but this is one of several pics that were sent to my dad by some of his Canadian friends that stay in the same Florida condo my parents stay in.

I'm not clear if it's them or someone else they are talking about but apparently it was hot in Canada this summer too!

About a week ago the people living in Port Renfrew who wondered why their water barrel was almost empty every day.

They set up a couple of cameras and caught a bear bathing.

Well, he's back. This is what I just received:

Big Al came for his weekly bath again this week.

He really looks like he enjoys the experience. He needs a bigger tub, will think about that for next year.

Cute Pic.

Are you sure you are not doing bear mounts in half whiskey barrels on the side

It seems ashamed to ruin a bear mount by soaking it.

Just a joke type comment!

Nope! But I wouldn't be surprised if it's been done with artifical water (clear resin)

Actually, as you probably know I now specialize in fish. I did do a few bear rugs years ago, but after hearing statements like like "My black bear was well over 7 foot," or, "They said my bear was the biggest bear taken in Ontario," when both were absolute exaggeratons, and the fact that I could only stretch them so much, I decided I didn't want to deal with these people. I don't know what it is but many of these bear hunters were quite the exaggerators, and I wasn't going to take the blame when they said, "My bear was bigger than that!"