[tengushark]

Originally Posted by Lyndarn

Bear Mace is really not necessary IF you are educated..Observe your surroundings..Bear Poop..or claw markings..But then again those markings only mean they are marking for fellow bears during mating season..NOT towards humans!! Mating Season is Mainly Late May thru to early July..SO after that..no bear venturing into YOUR space is NOT local...IF that creates issues..maybe Information/Education will help you decide where you want to live..Good luck with that venture..

Move..Then there's alligators..then move again then there are other critters..

Puleeze..Education actually allows you to LEARN..NOT assume anything..Black bears are more afraid of YOU than visa Versa...If you hear summation..make a noise..believe me..critters will TAKE OFF. whether bears or Raccoons...

Especially if Bears wander into your neighbourhood...They are wandering to seek food lacking in their environment..So ONLY to seek sustenance ( not to eat humans) {{BTW Black Bears are herbivores ( not meat eaters)}}..Not unlike starving human's looking for food in dumpsters..

Anyway.. IF you wish to fear something that actually only hurts/threatens humans at the rate of .001%..May I suggest you never leave your home nor leave any garbage on your porch..AS Just maybe..scavenger's might want what you Throw out??

Fear of things you have no instruction/information/educations about and believe fear things pro,oted.. That's basically on you...There really is nothing better than educations in order to protect oneself..Killing or shooting at something you are afraid of isn't always the answer...And hey..You may kill a frield, neighbour ..It's not like it hasn't happened before??

Partial credit: Bears are omnivores, not herbivores. And some coming into neighborhoods are there because they've become opportunists, people food is easier than foraging if you can flip a garbage can or raid a bird feeder.

As for bear mace, it is effective IF you know how to use it, but a loud noise is usually enough deterrent. Best rule of thumb when encountering a bear:

1) Don't run, stand your ground
2) give it room to leave and dont provoke it
3) If it's a sow with cubs, leave the area, and refer to number one

[Cambium]

Cool! Bob Cats in Wilton this past February.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay2M0ecmPFY

[jp03]

Originally Posted by tengushark

Partial credit: Bears are omnivores, not herbivores. And some coming into neighborhoods are there because they've become opportunists, people food is easier than foraging if you can flip a garbage can or raid a bird feeder.

As for bear mace, it is effective IF you know how to use it, but a loud noise is usually enough deterrent. Best rule of thumb when encountering a bear:

1) Don't run, stand your ground
2) give it room to leave and dont provoke it
3) If it's a sow with cubs, leave the area, and refer to number one

How do you do number 3 and refer to number 1 at the same time?

[El Scorcho]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the bear encounter in Burlington yesterday. Now that's scary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7JTvXB53CE

[JayCT]

I don't think I would be smiling about this. The trail has been closed and DEEP is trying to find the bear because he should not be approaching humans.

Also someone I know in Simsbury went out to their garage and found a bear sitting on their car. They just shooed the bear away and it slowly lumbered off. Not something I would want to do but that is what can happen when you leave your garage door open. Jay

[RunD1987]

I hope they don't euthanize that bear in Session Woods

[beer belly]

They have spotted Bear, Moose, Bobcat and a Coyote in my neighborhood......the only thing I've spotted in my yard was Deer, Rabbit Fox, and we did have the Coyote pay a brief visit...neighbor saw the Bobcat

[Lalalally]

Originally Posted by beer belly

They have spotted Bear, Moose, Bobcat and a Coyote in my neighborhood......the only thing I've spotted in my yard was Deer, Rabbit Fox, and we did have the Coyote pay a brief visit...neighbor saw the Bobcat

That's pretty much what has showed up in our backyard too - plus a fisher cat once two years ago. Bear have been spotted in my town, but I have yet to personally see one here yet. I don't recall ever hearing of a moose sighting in my town, but I do know they have been spotted nearby -- in Danbury near I-84 and one running around downtown New Milford 2 or 3 years ago.
Our neighbor, who is retired Air Force and a retired commercial pilot, and who is originally from/grew up in a western state, claims to have seen a mountain lion dart across Milltown Road one morning a few summers ago, and I tend to believe his account because he's just a really good/straight shooter/no no-nonsense type of man who knows his stuff. (Milltown is the road that connects New Fairfield to Route 22 in NY.). His sighting happened on the NY side of Milltown, but still that's only a couple of miles away from here... It was a little unnerving when he told us about it-- his wife walks the neighborhood with a group of women every morning, and they stopped doing that for a little while immediately after.

[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by El Scorcho

I can't believe no one has mentioned the bear encounter in Burlington yesterday. Now that's scary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7JTvXB53CE

WTH is wrong with people?! That woman is an idiot. She was clearly scaring the bear and provoking it by "walking with it" as she says, she should have left it alone. People like that should just stay home behind closed doors. Now this bear will be shot and killed because she thought it was okay to taunt it. People disgust me. "I got out alive". More's the pity!

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by RunD1987

I hope they don't euthanize that bear in Session Woods

Have you been in their building? I was there for a workshop in the spring and it was amazing. Unfortunately the exhibit rooms were dark except for what came in the windows, but I did checkout the bobcat and fisher cat exhibits.

There are a lot of mountain bike/hiking trails there as well.

I heard they shut down the area to look for the bear. I'm a little out of the loop due to a big job this weekend.

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

WTH is wrong with people?! That woman is an idiot. She was clearly scaring the bear and provoking it by "walking with it" as she says, she should have left it alone. People like that should just stay home behind closed doors. Now this bear will be shot and killed because she thought it was okay to taunt it. People disgust me. "I got out alive". More's the pity!

Thanks for posting that. I agree - first class idiot! Those are not full grown are they? So it's possible there was an adult bear nearby?

I have a friend in Collinsville who video'd one in his backyard last week.