Bear in the yard...

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Blindboy
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Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

Went out to the car to get my flashlight in order to walk the dogs tonight, and heard some rattling and scuffling near our trailer that we load up with trash for dump runs. Upon investigating, I could see a hole in the tarp covering the trailer. Aiming both flashlight and pistol at the hole, I kicked the trailer and backed up about 15 feet (3 meters). After some scrambling around, a baby black bear came scooting out from under the tarp, and ran up a nearby tree. He quickly jumped down to the ground and scampered away. The poor little guy was so scared (I was a bit scared too) that I was laughing out loud, but I was also shining the light around looking for mama bear.(the real danger :yikes: ) No sign of mama... She may have perished in the recent fire. It will be hard on the bears and other wildlife up here this winter because of the wildfire. Too bad I didn't have a camera handy... The little guy was cute.
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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12bar
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by 12bar »

Interesting! Are there usually bears near your house?
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

12bar wrote:Interesting! Are there usually bears near your house?
It isn't unheard of. Particularly this time of year, when they are looking for food to fatten up for winter. They are more likely to go down in the canyon, near the village, where there are orchards, gardens, and pets, but they will sometimes investigate the homes up here in the woods.
A few months ago, we had a spooky encounter... We leave the back door to our upstairs deck cracked open so that our kitty cat can come and go. One night, we woke up to Scotty (the cat) screeching and yowling in the next room. I jumped out of bed to investigate, and when I flipped on the light, there was a mountain lion on the back deck, looking in the open door. :yikes:
He had chased the cat up onto the deck, and almost followed him into the house. He ran off when I hit the light, and mountain lions are scarce enough, and shy enough that we don't worry about a repeat.
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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12bar
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by 12bar »

True wildlife! We don't have any bears nor wolfs over here. The last one came from Italy in 2006 and was shot - he's got an article in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_JJ1 . Most people did not agree to that action, although he has been described as harmful, because he didn't show any fear for humans.
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VikingBlues
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by VikingBlues »

Hells teeth - Bears and now Lions too - I'm glad those lions are shy! :yikes:

We're fortunate where we are - wildlife gets about as dangerous as a hedgehog! Though every so often some lunatic suggests that wolves should be re-introduced to Scotland to keep the deer numbers in check. Aye - right - great idea - that'll encourage tourism to the isolated beauty spots of the highlands. :big_smile:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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MojoJim
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by MojoJim »

Yikes! Time to move in to Albuquerque.

The fires around Texas haven't come very close to my house - but this record drought is driving the creatures out of the woods looking for water. The creek that flooded my house a year ago is now bone dry.

My yard backs up to the woods so I put a black plastic tub out in the yard and keep it full of water. It's like the last waterhole in the Serengheti at the end of the dry season.

I sit by the window in the spare bedroom/office/music room practicing guitar and watch a steady parade of deer, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, armadillos, possums, red tailed hawks, squirrels, woodpeckers, song birds and other small critters come to the tub to drink. The snakes are also coming out of the woods but I haven't had any trouble with them yet. Rattlesnakes, copper heads, water moccassins, coral snakes and many types of non-posionous snakes are around here.

Fortunately, there are no bears or mountain lions around here.
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

MojoJim wrote:Yikes! Time to move in to Albuquerque.
Ooohh no! I would far rather deal with bears and mountain lions than crackheads and gangbangers. :naughty:
I can't live in any town that is big enough to have a traffic light. (maybe I'm antisocial :icon_whoknows: )
Sounds like you get quite a show at your watering hole. Have you taken any pictures?
@ VB... Wolves are almost never dangerous to humans, but I'll bet the agricultural folks there would really warm up to the idea of reintroducing wolves. :lol: Especially sheepherders...
@12Bar... Around here, they trap problem bears, tag their ear, and relocate them to some wilderness area. If they have to trap a bear that has been tagged three times, they will often shoot it.
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

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The little guy came back tonight. Our neighbor says that the mamma bear is around... tore down her fence the other night. I am doing my nightly dog walks armed now. A mamma with cubs is actually a bit dangerous.
The baby is sure cute, isn't he?
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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12bar
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by 12bar »

Sooo cute! :baby:

@MJ: a photo would be really great! Sounds like an old Disney nature movie...

(I like those stories from other countries btw.)
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MojoJim
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by MojoJim »

I don't have anything as dramatic as a bear - most of the critters in my yard are in the cute category. Here's a few:

This is part of a family group of nine deer - including three spotted fawns. Very common in this part of Texas.
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A young red tailed hawk has been coming into the yard. Another common Texas creature. All the other birds disappear.
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An armadillo has been digging up the yard. He climbs into the tub to drink - but he's very awkward. Another common Texan.
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Here's a hummingbird at a feeder right outside my window. There's no flowers for them because of the drought so they are dying in large numbers.
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I haven't had a chance to get pictures of the coyotes or the foxes yet.

I haven't seen any snakes yet. I think it's because I have a fierce cat who is ever vigilant and always on alert.
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2WheelsOfBlues
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by 2WheelsOfBlues »

HHAHAHAHA the last picture. :big_smile:

Well we have only owwr house dog and cat and a short number of burds...

Like the foto's and story's.

Yes look out for mama bear Blindboy.
play guitar like the wind, mysterious but definitely present....
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

MojoJim... Love the pictures. The ferocious cat pic is awesome :lol: :thumbsup: . As for the 'dillo... do you remember the old Lone Star beer commercials on the radio? :cool:
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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12bar
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by 12bar »

:lol: The cat is really funny! Thanks for the pics! :clap:
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VikingBlues
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by VikingBlues »

Great pics MojoJim! :D

And ... yes, a cuddly bear cub indeed Blindboy - very cute. But ... Mama Bear... hmmmm .... think I'd be barricading all the doors and windows and hiding under the sofa. Take care on those walks.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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DeaconBlues
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by DeaconBlues »

I've heard about some bear sightings in Sierra Los Pinos also, Bb.

I'm seldom out after dark(missus chains me in the basement at sundown), so I don't know what we have out there in the dark.

Anyway, try not to get between mama bear and her cubs when you are out with the dogs.
That boy ain't right...,

but he's big on the North Sea Coast of Germany.
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

Well, we finally got the trailer emptied out, and thought that that would solve the bear problem. (At least for us) It seems, however, that Mama bear was still interested in the trailer. The place I park the trailer is at the top of a hill, and I didn't chock the wheels. Mama bear (or another large bear) apparently climbed into the trailer and her weight rocked it back enough so that it took off down the hill. :yikes: It didn't go far before it hit a tree, but I'll bet that bear got a wild ride. :lol:
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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oneeyedslide
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by oneeyedslide »

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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MojoJim
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by MojoJim »

Blindboy - that's something I'd love to see video of. There's something comical about bears. Too bad they're so dangerous.

Strangely, I don't remember the old Lone Star commercials. I know the beer very well. There may be a reason that I know the beer but can't remember the commercials....

I have two more pictures that I thought would be interesting to post. The first is a momma raccoon and her five kits that come up every night to eat the remaining cat food. I thought that raccoons were North American creatures but after some reading I found that they are all over Europe as well - after being imported.
Raccoon mom and babies.JPG
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The second is some of the unusual birds that come to the tub for water. We've never seen Orioles like this before around here. The seem to be negotiating with the Cardinals for the water.
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Sorry to semi-hijack you topic, Bb. I'd actually rather see more pictures of your bears.
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Strummer07
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Strummer07 »

There are some absolutely fascinating and quite lovely photo's on this thread... thanks for posting guys

Really interesting to see how natural and active your gardens are ... Bears , racoons , armadillos .. amazing stuff

Here in England .I feel pretty chuffed if I get a hedghog or two, frogs or an occasional Green Spotted Woodpecker and that sort of thing.
Plenty of smaller "Garden " birds .. but nothing really worth photographing.
Of course we get cats by the score ( wretched animals !!) and urban foxes are never far away .. a year or so back we had a whole family of them camping out somewhere in the garden margins.
Not sure how I would react if I thought I was going to bump into a small bear !!
Interesting thread .... even gardens can be very very different as we go around the different countries
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
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Blindboy
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Re: Bear in the yard...

Post by Blindboy »

Mojo, the 'coon pic is great. Our bass player (PopaGstring on 12bar) runs a restaurant down in the village. For a while, a family of 'coons was hanging out on his deck, being very forward.
I have seen birds like the one on the right, but not like the one on the far left... Cool pic, again...
"Throw yo' big leg over me Mama, I might not feel this good again!"
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