WOW! I keep reading about black bears increasingly moving into populated areas -- or is this 'normal' for your land?

I was going to post about the invasion of robins and chipmunks now that our serviceberry bush has ripe berries. Small potatoes!

It's normal, but our garbage has been hit harder than usual this year. Usually we'll have a bear sighting--or garbage strike--and then they'll move on. But this year they've stuck around, despite the large quantity of diapers in my garbage. (I share with my son and DIL.)

A bear killed one of my dogs about 10 years ago, and the Game Commission told me I was attracting them with my bird feeders. That's when I stopped feeding the birds all year round.

BEAUTIFUL bear/photo!!! but I'm so sad to read about you losing your dog that way... :(

My back yard animal problems stem from rabbits and grackles. Both like to use the yard as their nursery. The rabbits eat too many things that I want for myself; and the grackles will dive-bomb you if you get too near their kids!

Alisande,
I would be flat scared to go outside.

Wow, that's a big one! There are more and more reports of bears getting closer to the city. Hope I never run across one. We have enough wild life with the deer, foxes, raccoons, skunks, possum, rabbits (although the foxes are taking care of them) and squirrels. Frankly, the biggest nuisance is feral cats.

Other than a few small things that cause no inconvenience, the only other wildlife in my area are the occasional loud parties that my neighbors might host.

Having creatures around like this or as others have described wouldn't work for me.

I would be scared to death if a bear was that close to my house.

He (or his partner) got into one of my son's pickup trucks--fortunately, not the newer one. You can see big bear prints up the side of the truck and on the edge where he hauled himself in.

A friend's cousin, who lives not far from me, left the moon roof of his SUV open all night and was awakened in the morning by the sound of a beeping horn. Yes, a bear was inside his vehicle. I don't know how he got out, but I'm told there wasn't too much damage.

I remember all the precautions we had to take when camping in Yosemite. I saw some of those big metal food lockers that had been squashed and batted around by bears. Took something big and strong to do that!

Yes, gorgeous and scary at the same time!!

I'm sorry, too, about your dog.

We have deer, rabbits and chipmunks, but nothing that would harm us or our animals.

Be careful out there. I probably don't have to tell you that. :)

Wait til Bruno realizes that the food in the garbage comes from your kitchen.

Oh no! LOL

What a beauty. I'll wager Susan's warier of those teeny ticks!

DH saw two bears last month when he was at our place in Pike County, PA. He figured it was a Mother and her 1 year old cub. They remain together for 16-17 months until May or June of the following year, then they separate and the mother mates again.

I haven't seen any bears this year.... yet... at our house. We've been bringing in the hummingbird feeders at night.....that seems to do the trick!

Around here they eventually become a nuisance and have to be put down.

The babies are cute!

Awww that baby bear is so cute. The full grown bears are beautiful. I wouldn't want one in my yard though. I'll stick with my stuffed teddy bears. I have quite a collection of those.

That is cute, Nicole!

Maire has me pegged. I was told to clap my hands and make noise outside. I forgot to do that, but I remembered to wear my "tick clothes."

That's a nice looking bear, but very likely a dangerous one because it may have lost some of its fear of humans. When it no longer fears you, instead of flight when a human comes into a scene, it stays and an encounter becomes more likely. It begins to behave like it 'owns' the place and you are the intruder.

Bears are incredible strong and fast. A star track athlete can not out-run one.

I would have the Game Warden out there so fast that the bear wouldn't know what is going on. Or else I would post the signs that intruders will be shot on sight , I know bears can't read, but since it posted the shotgun would come out and I would have beer meat all winter long and a nice rug for the family room.

He's gorgeous and would get my utmost respect. I would definitely stay out of his way and not get him riled.

I remember in our news last summer, it showed a car/pickup that a bear got into. The inside was completely trashed.
I think it would be hilarious seeing him in your son's pickup bed.

You and I have very different views of animals, Laura.

I put the garbage out this morning and found the bear had gotten there first, with a can overturned and a bag quite a distance away. Lucky for me, it was unopened.

I want to move a wheelbarrow across the road to stash it in the shed before the rain comes, but I'm waiting a bit. Everything is so quiet and still this morning; it seems earlier than it is. Wish I could drive the wheelbarrow over in my car!

Is there any way to discourage bears from sticking around, other than removing the easy food source (garbage)? Is there a way to booby-trap the garbage? Are bears normally nocturnal?

They're definitely more active at night, although we've seen them on the roads during the day--and of course my son took this picture in daylight. Last year I was driving over a mountain when I encountered cars stopped in both lanes. They were watching a family of bears--mama, papa, and two cubs--cross the road. It was a charming sight. I wish "my" bears would head over to that mountain.

I hadn't thought about booby-trapping the garbage. I don't know if I want an angry bear on the property, but there may be a way to simply frustrate him.

He is just beautiful, and the cub photo is too cute! My friend in Maine has mentioned increased bear sightings this year, according to her local newspaper this is mostly because they've had such cold, rainy weather and the wild berries and other vegetation they rely on are not producing. So the bears in her area are hungry and looking for other sources of food.