Contributors to this thread:
I've frequently see bear sign on the streets nearby for several years, but until now, this is the first one we've captured on camera, let alone on my morning outings, although we only put up this trail camera a few months ago.
These were taken just after midnight yesterday.
That crab apple tree he's munching on isn't 20 feet from our master bedroom window.
We got four ten-second videos of him, but these are simply screen captures due to size limitations.
It's a lot cooler to see the videos because you get a much better look at him. I'd post the videos if I knew how to.
He looks to be a BIG bear and he's wearing an ear tag which doesn't show on the two screen captures.
Bowmen,
Your link takes you to an ad for a chain saw. ;^)
Kyle
You may not think it's all that cool when he starts getting into the garbage can.
A blunt tipped arrow to the a$$ works well, when they become nuisances.
Matt
I am NOT going after a big bear in the middle of the night with a CHAIN SAW!
And not during the daytime, either! ;^)
cool! haha, chain saw. I think the blunt arrow might be the better option.
Blunts Do not phase them when they are on a food source. At most they will walk off a few steps and turn around and continue their eating. Best deterrent is a dog. Also if you make them nocturnal with the dog they tend to break your trees to get at the food. I’ve had as many as 6 in an apple tree at a time. Over the last 25 years I just let them do what they want and enjoy watching them .
"Blunts Do not phase them when they are on a food source."
Nonsense. Have you ever seen a bear get hit with a blunt? The ones I've seen wailed upon impact, then ran off as fast as they could.
A blunt traveling at 300 FPS carries a helluva punch.
Matt
Yes I have tried it they come right back a keep on feeding. Sure one or two might take off the vast majority don’t. If they do take off they come back at night and typically damage the fruit trees. When hit They typically take off a few yards and spin trying to figure out what bit them. They then come right back and continue feeding. I have 25+ years dealing with a large population of bears in a state with the most bears in the lower 48. If it was easy as blunting them the tree farms would not have to hire professional hunters to kill them. How much experience do you have with bears outside of hunting? Hunting them and protecting a food source are not the same thing.
Whitey,
My property has a ton of choke cherry bushes, which bears love, so I see bears in my backyard almost every year. I've even had them climb up onto my rear deck, which is elevated 12 feet with no stairs, to get to food that was stored there.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the effectiveness of blunts. The bears I've blunted were clearly in pain as they ran off, never to be seen again. Perhaps your Washington bears are tougher than our Colorado bears, dunno.
Matt
We can agree that you don’t have a clue about bear management and telling people to blunt backyard bears is dangerous advice.
"I am NOT going after a big bear in the middle of the night with a CHAIN SAW!"
Yep I agree Nva, that's to easy...
If I see a Bear I grab my bow and run up to him screaming until he raises on his back legs, then I dodge to the side, while falling toward my side I hit him with a double lung, do a combat roll and when back up on my feet, I grab another arrow and "choot" him again....;^)
I just discovered we had four more videos of him that same night.
Yesterday I reset the trail camera so if he returns, we'll get full body videos. In the mean time, this is the best look at him I can get as in all six videos he had his head buried into the tree.
"We can agree that you don’t have a clue about bear management and telling people to blunt backyard bears is dangerous advice."
Get off your high horse.
You aren't the only one who has experienced nuisance bears. I've stated what has worked for me in the past, without having to kill any bears, or get the DOW involved to relocate them. It may not be your preferred method, but it does work for me and several others I know.
Matt
Stuff some of those crab apples with ghost peppers. It the bear isn't from Mexico I bet he will have a fit. Or more fun is to soak some apples in whiskey for a few hours. The bear will get drunk and you can go out and get some close up pictures.
Shooting big game with blunts? Sounds fun.
I’m in.
I've always fantasized about snagging a big bull elk with a heavy-duty surf rod using a 12/0 weighted treble hook tied on with some 100# Power Pro Braid......
Solo, we’ve caught some big gators with that setup. ‘Course, their legs aren’t as long as an elks. If they were, not sure we could get one close enough to bang stick it. :-)
lol Joey!!! Yep, I've caught quite a few on Texas rigged worms, ranging from lots of babies on up to +/- 8'. Usually came straight in spinning.
Ah, the memories......
Bassassassin June bug was my favorite........
Joey,
It is fun. Kinda like blowing things up with tannerite in the backyard. Maybe not PC, but fun nonetheless.
I'd like to see the bear that isn't affected by a 300 FPS blunt hitting him the a$$. I guarantee Whitey wouldn't be walking for weeks if he took one in the keester.
Anyway, I'm not advocating senseless pain inflicted on animals. But, if a bear is tearing up your garbage, threatening your pets, getting into your garage freezer, or climbing up on your deck, a blunt to the a$$ is an effective method to dissuade him. Anyone who says otherwise is just blowing smoke.
Matt
Listen to Gray Jocky the bowsite know it all and blunt a bear come back and report the results. He can teach all the bear managers how to blunt a bear so they don’t have to use dogs or kill the bear. Maybe you can Explain in detail what a bear does in a bluff charge Gray Jocky? With all your expierince you should be able tell us some details only someone who has been charged would know. Doubt it’s on google but search away.
