What do you guys do to run a bear off from your home/yard when bear season is months away?
Do you recommend shooting a round into the air to scare it or is this a no-no?
Firecrackers?
One almost got my Lab last night at the front porch!

Cracker shells or even better the fireworks that fire like morter rounds. Carefull of fire though
#7 1/2 shot in the rear works pretty well so long as you stay away from their faces.
I just had to do that yesterday myself

The Black Bear Conservation Committee (BBCC), which is the driving force behind the restoration of the Louisiana Black Bear, has developed an almost 100% successful procedure for dealing with problem bears. After capture, if needed, of the bear, they move it to a release area, turn it loose then turn 2-3 black mouth cur hounds loose on it followed by several rounds of rubber buckshot (available on the Internet from many vendors). They even persue the bear until it reaches cover or trees. I realise there is difference between black bears and browns/grizzlies, but pain is pain, noise is noise, and so is the harrasement of a well trained dog. Of course the first thing to do is limiting bear attractants such as garbage and available food. Until I could get the rubber buckshot, I'd try the 7 1/2s in the butt, anything to get the bear to have negative association with humans.

At a lake I used to work at, I was once able to dissuade an approximately 9-foot long alligator from hanging around a boat ramp with a wrist rocket sling shot and some steel projectiles. Even an animal with a brain the size of a walnut can be taught that humans are bad.

Those black powder 12 ga shells with the hard rubber round balls worked for me. When we lived in AK we had bears around often. You do have to let the bear see you and associate the noise with the pain but it works pretty well.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by blackbearhunter:
What do you guys do to run a bear off from your home/yard when bear season is months away?
.....

A few months of patients could solve your problem permanently!!!

When bear start hanging around, usually looking for something to eat that's around. They figure out pretty quick there's better stuff inside than outside and they have no problem getting in.

In rural Alaska, bear are viewed as dangerous pests and if they continue to cause problems, everybody just shoots them and forgets about it actually. You should see how quick a grizz gets shot when one starts walking the road, looking over kids at the bus stop, no joke.

Most bear choose to stay away from people and that's the best way to keep it.

I rarely see bear around the house, yet had over 20 coming into our stand this Spring, 2 miles from the house. Game camera had 200 picts on a day and bear were active 24 hrs/day. I would have never believed that many bear were around but saw with my own eyes. I think these same bear have been conditioned to stay away from where the people live.

Zhurh, those are awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing, and please post more if you can. Bear watching (and hunting) is just about my all time favorite activity. Sometimes I have so much fun watching and stalking I don't want to shoot and end the season.

I had one little blackie hanging around this spring, but yelling and waving would scare him off, in his own sweet time. We did have one face to face encounter at a few feet on my deck, but every since I started keeping my 22 pellet gun by the back door he's shown good judgement and not reappeared. No browns in the yard this spring. It seems to only happen here after they leave the den and move down off the mountain to the river bottom. Just passing through!




Bob

Have you thought of electricity? Many ways to deliver and very effective. If you are home and can deliver the charge even better.

I had one leave really fast a couple of weeks ago after a very loud noise and lots of stinging in the butt. I perfer them over 35 yards for that treatment.

I make hot glue "rubber" slugs using 12 gauge target loads.

Cut off crimp, pour out pellets, fill wad up with hot glue, let cure overnight.

Then shoot the bears in the ass a few times. They usually run away immediately. Keep some real slugs handy in case MR Bear doesn't like your persuasion!