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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Bear induced home improvement



Yep, still have a nuisance bear hanging around. He dropped a couple of big steaming piles in the middle of my trail to the beach. Very rude.

About 44 years ago my dad and I put in some steps to get down the steep hill leading to the beach. They were 4 foot cedar logs spiked into the ground with 2 foot long sections of pipe. Dirt was packed in behind the logs to make a series of landings. Certainly made the hike down the hill a lot safer.

Cedar is great for anything that has to touch the ground as it's resistant to rot. Resistant being the key word, not impervious. Over the years the bottom of the logs got a little punky, allowing beetles, worms and other bugs a home. Even so, the steps were still pretty good.

That is, until the bear ripped up almost half of them to get to the bugs. Now I knew the stairs would need replacing within the next few years. I'd planned on replacing them a couple at a time. Thanks to Mr. Bear, that schedule has been greatly accelerated. The first couple have already been installed.

My deck, which is over the basement doors, needs replacing. A lot of stuff was stored under the deck and had to be moved out. The bear's pulled a lot of that stuff out from under the deck to inspect my basement doors. So it looks like clearing up the stuff under the deck is about half done. Unfortunately, the bear is a very messy worker. Some of that stuff will have to be dragged back from my swamp.

As of this evening there are now motion sensor lights under the deck. I'm not sure if they will discourage the bear or give him better light for his visits.

There are also some fresh scratches around the doors of my veggie van. That's what I get for running a diesel on waste veggie oil. To a bear, my motor fuel is good enough to eat. I'm hoping that once the wild berries ripen the bear will leave my place alone.

Sure, I could shoot the beast, but even though he's given me some extra work, that's not quite a fatal offense. So far yelling at him and my barking dog get him running. Should he stop being shy I'm afraid I'm going to have to resort to more drastic measures.

Paint balls filled with cayenne pepper?

-Sixbears

12 comments:

  1. You could sit down with him and discus it bear to bear. :)Family should talk things out!

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    Replies
    1. If this keeps up he's not getting invited to Thanksgiving.

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    2. If all else fails you may have to invite him to BE thanksgiving dinner.

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    3. Bears that have been eating garbage taste like garbage. I think this one will qualify. Yuck!

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  2. Replies
    1. If I could get one for the right price -free would be good.

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  3. Bears can be a real pest. Once they find a source of food, they will return again and again.

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    Replies
    1. They are creatures with very good memories when it comes to food.

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  4. bad bear plus 30-06 = bear rug

    Wildflower

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    Replies
    1. Bear season starts Sept. 1. If he's still a problem by then . . .

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  5. Bear piles on the steps are one thing, attempts to break into the veggie van quite another.
    Good luck, little brother Bear.

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    Replies
    1. It's staying away from the house right now so that's a good thing.

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