[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

thanks in advance for your advice.

[Brad’s Gramma]

4) Am I in serious danger when I walk my dog at night?

Yep.

[shibumi]

"What can we do to get rid of bears in our area?"

Eat 'em.

[USNBandit]

I was walking my 90 lb rottie named Ursa

It is a bit ironic that you have named your dog ursa.

[kingu]

Well, it's the same as any community that has bears nearby. Don't be out at dusk and dawn when the bears are most active, make sure you don't walk quietly; carrying a large walking stick is handy (holding it up in the air makes you appear larger if you are confronted by a bear.) Don't run away from the bear; walk to a place of safety.

Ensure that all food products are disposed of into bear proof containers - you can buy them online if you need to. If you're reaching for pepper spray, you're not walking away from the bear. If you've trained your dog to bark, have the dog bark if you see a bear.

Do not leave pet food outside. Feed your animals at regular times (not sunrise/sunset) and then remove the bowls, or better yet, feed them indoors like the garage. Small quiet pets should not be left outside at dawn or dusk, nor overnight. Keep them indoors.

As to how to remove the bears, you basically have to document them becoming dependent or unafraid of humans and then contact your fish and game department for trapping and relocation. Make sure anyone who stays at home in your neighborhood has a video recorder available and charged at all times to document any bear behavior that presents a danger (do not go walking towards the bear to photograph them!)

Make sure your neighbors follow the same procedures. It has to be a community effort, including calls by everyone in the community to fish and game for the quickest response.

[passionfruit]

We had a bear break into our cabin (near Big Bear Lake, Calif) in the spring. He got into the fridge and made a mess. Took off up the mountain with a half gallon jug of syrup dribbling behind him. Left the fridge door open too. It was probably about a week before we got back up there and discovered it.

He got in by breaking windows that were about two and a half feet off the ground. A camp nearby said they had a bear break in through a window that was 15 feet off the ground.

Once a Bear has discovered that there are good things to eat inside a house, they will become career criminals, and your local wildlife officers may need to impose the death penalty.

Good luck.

[USNBandit]

Seriously, if you want to get rid of your bears there are steps you can take. I'm no expert, but I've lived in the Tahoe area for several years and have to be bear aware when hiking and camping. The key is that your new bears are getting habituated to food sources in your neighborhood. That has to stop. If you don't stop it now the solutions will only become more expensive later.

1. Contact animal control for help. They may be able to give a workshop on not habituating bears to enter your neighborhood. They might also be able to dart, remove, relocate and mark bears. Marked bears that return may have to be destroyed.

2. You live in a gated community, which I assume would have a fairly active homeowner's association. That association can enact and enforce some temporary restrictions on the food sources for the bears, including the storage of trash and recyclables, outdoor cooking appliances, cleaning of game and fish, etc. The association might be able to bring in bear resistant dumpsters so that bears don't have lots of garbage cans to go after.

3. For your home and car I would recommend keeping all food out of the garage and auto. Dogfood inside, no McDonald's bags in the auto. If you have the familymobile with cheerios, etc in the seats clean it out. Close the doors on your house, not just the screen door.

4. As far as walking the dog, it should still be okay. Remember that you are dealing with two animals the dog and the bear. If you spot a bear you need to keep the animals apart. There are pepper spray dispensers on the market for bears. I haven't used them, but I think they are more like the riot control style bottle. That shouldn't be your first response, it should be your last.

[beyond the sea]

What to do about our bear problem?

If you must ........ put on some clothes.

[shezza]

4) Am I in serious danger when I walk my dog at night?

Not with one of these.

[stainlessbanner]

1) What can we do to 'get rid off the bears' in our area
2) or at least ward them off?
>>>>Lock trash cans or get animal-proof recepticles like you see at state parks. I'm guessing they are after food.

3) Does the pepper spray work?
>>>> not sure

4) Am I in serious danger when I walk my dog at night?
>>>>No Floridian has ever been attacked/killed by a black bear.

5) Is it possible that the bears will get the smart idea to come into the house?
>>>>Yes. Remember the bear who visited the Featherlite factory in Sanford.

[Squantos]

Too easy to just tell ya to apply the three S rule.....

Federal game preserve or not bears that break the rules are punished just as a third time offending criminal. They'll be captured and taken to a section of the preserve . If it's a small preserve then Mr Bear will be back in short time. The Wildlife Weenies in your area will give ya all the answers and help but if or when they threaten you not to do anything just hang up as ya have loser liberal socialists who put the critters life above that of a human making them lower than whaleshit.

If an or when ya have to take action yourself remember that ohhhh I hit a poor bear with my "truck" is much easier to explain than I had to shoot the bear with my new laser aimed, super titanium, cor bon fed monster magnum I got for just such a killin event per se.......

But until then I'd carry if such is an option. Add a whistle or airhorn to your pocket and let Ursa Minor handle yer Ursa Major if it comes to such of pup or people food for the bear.

Just my opinion per se....

[Rebelbase]

http://www.udap.com/product.htm

[Little Ray]

.44 Mag. with semi jacketed hollow points. Minimum.
Rifles are better. Big rifles are even better. Read somewhere that even a .30-06 is considered underpowered for bears.

[Issaquahking]

This method works, but don't get caught using it. Buy three sticks of dynamite, and about nine blasting caps (old fuse style percussion type), from your local terrorist. Insert three of the blasting caps into each stick of dynamite. To do this, use a wooden dowel a hair bigger than the caps, (NO METAL IS TO BE USED AROUND THE DYNAMITE!) to push through the center of the dynamite (it's about an eight inch long stick, so push it in seven inches) stick, you now have a hole big enough to load the caps into. Push each cap gently into place with the dowel so that they are evenly spaced in the dynamite.

Step two, grab a roll of electrician's tape and tape all three sticks together, side by side. Should be a nice compact package about eight inces long, and about three inches around. Your doing good.

Now cover the whole thing in syrup and bacon grease (syrup to attract the bar, bacon grease to ward off any islamic fundamentalists) so that it will look, and smell good to the bear. Place it somewhere that only the bear is going to find this delictable morsel (high up in the porch area is good) Now wait for the bear to do his bit - that is biting into the charge and loosing his head).

Now this is where it gets tricky. When the fireman, and EMT's, and police/SWAT team arrive, be standing out in the yard (away from the now-dead bear) cussing about the fact that terrorists are everywhere!!! If asked, you know nothing about why things happened the way they did! Meanwhile you solved the problem, and you'll have a story to tell the great great grandchildren, this needs to remain a secret for quite a while. Ooops, forgot, this is the internet.

[EdReform]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1284001/posts?page=75#75

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1284001/posts?page=14#14