I was out watering and heard some animals squalling and moaning unlike anything I have ever heard before. I got a bright flashlight and saw a large bear and 2 cubs, which were what was making the noise. I yelled at them a bunch. The little ones took off and the big one took it's sweet time moving off.

I've been smelling a foul, sweetish poop smell in my orchard. I have not seen any dropping, but I think I'm probably smelling bear crap.

This is only the fifth time I've seen bears here and the first time I've seen more than 1. I don't want them on my farm. There's to much for them to screw up or kill.

I'm thinking it would be a bad idea to put my dogs on them. The dogs would likely kill the cubs. The dogs could get hurt by the mother and I don't want to pay for stitches or bury some dogs.

Any suggestions on how to legally run the bears off?

Keith

I feel for you guys with bears and wolves that are protected and you cant do anything about them. Bears are almost to my place and I hope these good old country folk keep them thinned down so they never get here. Coons give me enough fits - and I can kill them year round, night and day - legally. Hogs the same way, although they arent much of a problem from my point of view - more of an opportunity - but I live on my property and that makes them easier to deal with. Gators are a problem we cant legally deal with as we see fit. A short season and small quota. I promise, many more gators here are dealt with illegally than legally - and I dont blame folks. A gator gets in your pond and your dogs and grandkids dont need to be there.

I dont know a lot about bears - I have had them on my lease, but not my property - but can only imagine. When a coon starts hitting fruit trees, there is pretty much only one way to deter him - and that is kill him. Good luck.

Dogs can be used to haze them and are used by those tasked with dealing with nuisance bears. But to avoid the issues you mention you need smart dogs with a good recall handle. Bark and bay but not try to catch.

Strong electric will work to protect stuff. The trick is a strong hot wire, baiting them into the wire so they learn to leave it alone and keeping the power on as they can tell when it's not. Beekeepers in the mountains north of me rely on electric fencing.

Hazing with Dogs and Rubber shotgun ammo

2 or 3 feist dogs. Or I'd pop mom a few times with a pellet rifle. They're like homeless people. Take the food away and they will move on.

I wonder if a radio and some sort of flashing lights may keep them away? If you can see them, rubber buck shot or rubber slugs works great too.

If you have a food source they want, it's gonna be difficult to keep them away.

Ask the warden if they are going
to deal with it, or you.
Sooner cheaper than later.
If nothing done you will lose trees
from climbing.
You see no scat because it's being
picked and eaten.
Got blue jays? Watch them at first light.

Electric fencing.

rubber shot gun ammo hazing

Lost a big limb off our mature pear tree to a sow with 3 cubs, we have 28 fruit trees so limited options, and only get a tag every few years here.

This was in Minnesota, so for reference only.

I had a sow and cub come through on night and destroy a dozen bee hives and a quail hutch with 30 quail. I reported it to the DNR. They said "too bad" and suggested an electric fence.

A couple days later I was tending maple sap buckets and looked up face to face with the sow. I screamed at it and waved my hands. finally it wandered off. I reported it to the DNR and informed them that the next time it'll be dead. He didn't like it, but said that was my right, but, it needed to be reported within 48 hours, and that I could not keep any of it.

It only showed up one more time, and I was not home. The wife screamed at it to the point she lost her voice for a couple days. It never came back.

I have about 7 bears that goes thru my 100 acres and 3 bears on my 22 acres. The 22 acres have 29 chestnut trees and 8 sawtooth oak trees that are loaded every year. The bears break a limb or two every year on them. Can't kill them because the dog hunters turn the dogs loose beginning of Oct and turn everything nocturnal. They don't kill any either so every year we get more and more bears. Can't bait them either. I asked the game warden if he would come out and get a bear out of a trap if I caught one. He didn't want anything to do with that! And yet we get to deal with their stupid laws. Gotta go I'm getting upset.

Electric fencing. Doesn't have to be fancy to be effective. We use it around fish racks and smokehouses. A couple of hot strands will keep out a 1,000 brown bear!

Get thee to Tractor Supply.... they will have everything you need!

Pete

Here in NJ farmers can get a permit to shoot, good for all crop season. Orchard down the road from me shoots more than 10 a year. More damage to peach trees than apple trees. Dairy farmers shoot them like rats in their corn fields, often carrying a shotgun with buckshot on their tractors/combines.
If you use electric fence I have found it helps to wrap raw bacon on the electric wire every 30 feet or so. They touch it with their nose or grab it with mouth and they spin divits of sod out of the ground. Here bears see so much electric fence they have learned to get a running start and just plow thru it.

I’m a believer of taking care of my own business and not calling the CO’s over everything and allowing them to be in your business.

SSS.

A 12 ga load with salt

Fixed it for you

Careful with the rubber buckshot.

Technically hazing is any scare tactic just short of contact.

Contact crosses the line.

Personally do what you must but CYA if you do.

Bears are so plentiful here that the state does not come to get the dead ones or even require a report as to how many the farmer killed.