Living With Bears
Living With Bears
Living With Bears
Bears are very opportunistic animals and we have an abundance of them.
Bears are thought to have the best sense of smell of any animal on earth. For example, the average dog's sense of smell is 100 times better than a humans. A blood hound's is 300 times better. A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a blood hound's or 2,100 times better than a human.
For that reason, it is important to follow these guidelines:
Do not store any refuse, food products, pet food, candy etc., outside or on your deck/patio. If you have a screened in porch, do not put anything there. Bears can and will invade your home if they smell good stuff.
Do not throw any food scraps outside, including no Composting.
Keep your garage closed, especially if you have anything aromatic in it.
If you feed birds, make sure your feeders are hung such that bears cannot reach them or climb up to them.
Keep your lower windows closed. They love to climb.
Keep your doors locked, especially if you have "paddle" type handles.
Be aware of your pets. Summer is the time of year the previous year's cubs are kicked out by their mom's. They are hungry and have not yet learned to fear humans or dogs.
Do not leave your grill outside. It is a bear magnet.
Do not leave any fast food or other food packaging in your car. Bears are especially adept at opening car doors.
Fall is the time of year bears are preparing for hibernation and are looking to fatten up so be especially diligent during the fall.
Do not approach bears. They may have a cub nearby and that is a bad situation. It is a good idea to carry bear spray when out walking or working and know how to use it.
Respect the fact that we are intruders into their habitat, they were here first.
If you have a recurring problem, call Bob Holder who is our CPW representative for this area.
