# Black Bear Visitor



## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Earlier this week the local squirrels figured out how to jump on my shed to access the bird feeder that hangs on the side. This evening I had a bigger problem. A black bear cub found his way to my backyard and made a mess. He flattened the side of my garbage can, smacked over a hanging plant, and destroyed a small solar lantern. Then he ate the bird feeder that was on my shed! Oh well... northern entertainment...LOL

Cheers,
Northerner


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## jskeen (Feb 7, 2011)

Sheesh, And I thought a sixpack and a bug zapper was entertaining! Knowing me, I would have been standing in the back door popping him with 3/8 steel and yelling "hey, come see what he does if I hit him with one of these!"

Sounds kind of like one of those "You may need the extra emergency room coverage riders on your insurance, IF" kind of commercials, don't it?


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## Kwala (Jul 28, 2012)

You're kidding!!! I thought we had all the deadly animals down here! 
So legally what are you allowed to do if one threatens your property or family? Are they endangered or anything?


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Kwala said:


> You're kidding!!! I thought we had all the deadly animals down here!
> So legally what are you allowed to do if one threatens your property or family? Are they endangered or anything?


If they are not harming anyone then we leave them alone. If they keep returning then I can call "Animal Control" or the "Ministry of Natural Resources" and they will bring a live trap. If they try to get into my house then I could blast him in self defence. A co-worker once had to blast one with a 12 guage slug because the bear was smashing through his screen door.

We don't usually see many bears in the city, unless the berries are scarce in the bush or the forest fires move them in. My old plastic garbage can still has teeth marks in it from an attack in 2000.

Nope, bears are not endangered here. The one last night was just a big cub. They get to be 300-400 lbs... and sometimes over 500. People picking berries in the bush often carry bear spray or bear bangers, just in case.

Deer in the city are a bigger problem. They are nice to see but they jump onto the road too often.

Cheers,
Northerner


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

A lot depends on just where you are. In British Columbia, we have a domestic animal protection act. That allows you to kill any animal, domestic or wild, that is threatening your livestock. That includes shooting bears that go for your bee hives, or dogs/cougars/wolves that go for your sheep. But if a bear is just trashing your garbage, or a deer is destroying your vegetable garden, you are not supposed to shoot it! Of course if you honestly feel your life is threatened, then you can probably get away with killing the beastie. Naturally you are supposed to report such kills, but I never knew anyone who did. In certain northern communities, which I will not mention, there is a serious problem with elk herds, which are protected in nearby federal parks. Of course the elk do not recognize park boundaries and devastate surrounding hay fields ... but the farmers are not supposed to shoot them. Appeals to federal and provincial authorities for help have been ignored. So there are many freezers that get filled with "northern beef", and no one says boo about it.

However, those laws are just not applicable in urban areas ... the cops take a VERY dim view of discharging firearms in cities and burbs. Bears are a real problem in a suburb where a friend of mine lives. They have to keep their garbage indoors until the day of garbage pickup, and most folks will not walk their dogs or kids on nearby trails along the river. When bears or cougars are spotted in the greater Victoria area, radio and TV ads advise keeping children and pets indoors until conservation officers can relocate the animal or kill it. Just part of the complexity of interacting with nature ...

Cheers ...... Charles


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## Incomudro (Jan 12, 2012)

*Shooting it in the hindquarters with your Slingshot may give it enough sting to look elsewhere.*
*That's what I would do.*


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## jskeen (Feb 7, 2011)

Incomudro said:


> *Shooting it in the hindquarters with your Slingshot may give it enough sting to look elsewhere.*
> *That's what I would do.*


See the above note about added ER coverage in your insurance first


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Incomudro said:


> *Shooting it in the hindquarters with your Slingshot may give it enough sting to look elsewhere.*
> *That's what I would do.*


In some circles that is known as 'suicide by bear'.


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## Incomudro (Jan 12, 2012)

[sub]Those were two great posts![/sub]
[sub]Thet made me laugh! [/sub]

[sub]I meant one should shoot the cub in the hind quarters from the safety of ones home.[/sub]
[sub]Say, fro an upstairs window, so the cub and its mom doesn't know where it's coming from.[/sub]
[sub]Just knows that something stung it! [/sub]
[sub]


jskeen said:


> *Shooting it in the hindquarters with your Slingshot may give it enough sting to look elsewhere.*
> *That's what I would do.*


In some circles that is known as 'suicide by bear'.








[/quote][/sub]


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