Here in rural Central PA there have been more and more Black Bear sightings in populated areas. Recently a bear was darted in the local "downtown" and another was hit by a car near an elementary school (at night). Closer to home, one of my neighbors had his bird feeders torn down and has seen the offending bruin in his backyard on a couple occasions. The game officer suggested removing the bird feeders and offered some rubber buckshot as a remedy.

Recently a local man shot and killed a 300lb bear after it chased his wife to the house as she was hanging clothes on the line. As he told the game officer "If you chased my wife, I'd shoot you too". The state has decided to charge the man with this unlawful act and has fined him $800 plus a $5000 "replacement cost".

I'm curious, how does one replace a bear? Is there a Bear Store?

I wonder if the Game Commission would have been willing to pay the replacement cost of the woman had the man not shot the bear??

On a serious note, however, it is not likely that the woman's life was in danger. And the bear PROBABLY (?) was just having a little fun. What were the circumstances? Obviously the guy must have felt threatened, or maybe he over-reacted?

Several years ago a juvenile male blackie decided that he liked the baby diapers in my trash cans. After about a week of him bedding on the hillside behiend my house, including one visit to my front porch, I had to call the men in green to come and trap him out and haul him away. I had two small children at the time and was afraid to let them play in the yard because of the bear hanging around so close to the house.

Better safe than sorry. And yes, there may have been one very dead juvenile black bear if he was chasing my children, or even my wife.

I had a bear in the garden the other day. He left really fast. 7.5's at 1200 at 80 yards give them something to think about.