Bear-Proof Your Homestead

By Brandon Hodgins
Published on December 9, 2014
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Learn how to bear-proof your homestead.
Learn how to bear-proof your homestead.
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An illustration of Gritty grilling food while a bear sits at a picnic table.
An illustration of Gritty grilling food while a bear sits at a picnic table.
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Get advice on bear-proofing.
Get advice on bear-proofing.
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Paw prints like these are a sure sign that you have bears around your homestead.
Paw prints like these are a sure sign that you have bears around your homestead.
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Getting rid of bears from your homestead can be easy with a few of these methods.
Getting rid of bears from your homestead can be easy with a few of these methods.
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Construct a bear-proof fence around your garden to protect your food source.
Construct a bear-proof fence around your garden to protect your food source.
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Keeping bears away can be as easy as storing bird feeders properly.
Keeping bears away can be as easy as storing bird feeders properly.
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The author's bear fence keeps bears away from his family's sweet corn.
The author's bear fence keeps bears away from his family's sweet corn.
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The author keeps bears away with this bear-proof fence.
The author keeps bears away with this bear-proof fence.

Bear-proofing

Homesteading where the world is still wild comes with many challenges. When the obstacles are overcome, though, we see the reasons we work at it: self-reliance, stability, safekeeping and more. The predators that are just a notch or two lower on the food chain than humans will forever search for a piece of the simple man’s pie, and the homesteaders who are able to protect that pie will see the highest rates of return. 

Bears are among the worthiest contenders with which a homesteader will ever share the land. Stripped down to the tools and skills we naturally possess, man is no match for a big bear. Our advantage is that we understand this fact. So, we adapt.

Some say that adaptation should come in the form of packed bags and uprooting a family’s foundation. Those of us who are committed to this lifestyle simply can’t accept that. Others say the solution rests on the end of a smoking barrel of a pump-action 12-gauge. That may be true if a bear becomes habitually aggressive. The best option, however, is to learn to live with the bears, not fight against them. Most importantly, we must not live in fear of them.

Cleaning up

Bear-proofing a homestead is about eliminating the temptations that would lead a bear to encroach on your property. Bears are naturally curious animals with a keen sense of smell. What you thought was a harmless batch of blackberry brambles might just be an afternoon snack to a hungry bear. What you considered a lazy July afternoon with beer and a barbecue could be cause for a bear to come looking for some midnight grub. By eliminating their triggers, we can eliminate negative encounters.

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