The Problem with Black Bears

Reader Contribution by Lori Dunn
Published on November 6, 2008
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When I was a child, it was a rare occurrence for someone to see a black bear around these parts. If one was spotted, it didn’t take long for the word to spread! Things have really changed since then. Now they have become a common sight, and in some instances, a real problem!

Our relationship with the bears started about 8 years ago, when we built our home. We were getting ready to lay up our basement wall. We had block, and sand delivered, and we got bags of mortar and a cement mixer to do the job. We did all the work ourselves. I am very fortunate to have a dad and uncles who used to be mason contractors! The day after it was delivered, my husband found someone had been playing in the sand. He was going to yell at the kids for knocking the sand down and spreading it out all over the place when he noticed the paw prints in it. It turns out it was not “someone,” but “something” playing in the sand. You could see where a bear had stood and rolled in the sand. It was also clear where the bear walked away, with the sand falling out of its long black fur.

That was the beginning of our black bear encounters. Since then, it seems the population has steadily increased. We’ve had bears take down our bird feeders numerous times, pull bird houses down, get into the garbage, and even push off the heavy cement lid that covers our septic tank. I have no idea why! They’ve also overturned stones that I use for landscaping around my flowerbeds, obviously looking for grubs and bugs underneath.

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