Read an article years ago that NJ had the highest population of bears per square mile of any state.

Might give a couple of these a try I know they work for deer eating apple trees

https://www.amazon.com/Perimeter-Se...2HKR6PK-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

More info available @ fithops.com

A nice fall bear is a real prize.let him fatten up and harvest him mid september.
Then you will have some great meat and lard and you wont have to live off that nasty fruit.

Elec tric fence keeps em out of my buddys bee hives in va. Haze with good powered bb gun. Ohio has no bear season. Wish i had them here. Call warden

Electric fence and powerful bb gun for mom...wish i had them here. Call your warden keith.

I posted the sighting on:

https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/987f2ade0037405ea9ff1819aab040a8?portalUrl=https://gis.ohiodnr.gov/portal

I think bears are interesting and like seeing them. I don't mind if they eat some fruit. I don't want my trees, vines and bushes damaged. I can't afford to have bears tear into a barn full of birds. Overall, I'd rather not have them here.

I've got some more Blink video cameras to put up. I'm going to put some on the approaches to my orchard. I'll get live video and can see what's there when the alarms go off. Hopefully I can scare the bears off when they show up. If the bear didn't have cubs, I would let the dogs chase it off. I don't want my dogs killing the cubs. The cubs were probably only half again as large as a large boar coon. I would guess the cubs are 30 some to 40 pounds, but I don't know how dense they are.

Most of my apple, pear, peach, nectarine, apricot and plum trees are on the front of my property. I thought they would be safer there. I don't really want electric fence across the front, but I probably should install it. Some customers will likely get zapped, even with warning signs.

Keith

I get your dilemma

Ohio has bears west of Columbus...??

A few are scattered around. Reports n of columbus also.

No one I know who has bears, wants bears. They all describe them as a 300 lb coon. Other than farmers, the rest said they would rather have feral hogs

If bears could be "managed" like hogs, they'd be easier to deal with.

Trick on the bear thing in Ohio is whether they are resident bears or transients. Bears can travel quite a good ways quickly. Years ago we had one that was turned loose outside of Pt. Pleasant WV and made it to Zanesville. OH in about 2 weeks(it was radio collared so it was tracked). It was eventually recaptured and send back across the river. My area has several resident bears but since im only 10 miles from WVa we get a lot of transients that either swim the river or cross the bridges.

I would think a sow with young cubs is not a transient bear.

And as some of you folks from the NE know they will certainly climb beechnut trees and shad berry trees to feed.

Don't know if they would climb orchard trees. Just maybe.

I’m sure I posted this before but years ago I had a guy supply me with some barbecue rib grease renderings from a restaurant. Spicy but smelled delicious. Bears can’t stay off that kind of thing.
This batch I’d never used before. As said it was spicy. I put it on the ground around the baits and half gallon or so in the bait box. First hit in they went on it and that was it. Those baits went flat dead even tho I kept rotating old bait out and purring in fresh goodies. Stayed dead that season.

I’d try some barbecue sauce, add in maybe some grease, then hit it heavy with extra spices, cayenne pepper whatever. I’m positive what I’d offered gave them a stomach ache they couldn’t handle and I’m sure it could be repeated. Anchor the container strong to a tree so it doesn’t spill, maybe throw a bit on the tree or grass to really get that scent in the air.

Something cheap to try. No harm no foul.

Osky

Put the electric fence on a timer. The bears will get zapped at night and probably won't return during the day regardless.

Agree with osky used to have bear trouble May thru June filled a ziploc bag with the hottest sauce i could find put in an old sock poured liquid molasses in the sock and hung a couple in the trees where i figured the bears were approaching don't know much except the last 2 years the socks disappeared this year they are still hanging And they work 24/7 Sunflower and hummingbird feeders have been safe for 3 years

Maybe it was the smell of your so ck....