Pine Mountain Club Forum

[Vicky]

THE CHECKLIST

What to do when A Bear Has Visited a House or Yard

Ask yourself these questions to figure out...

What could have attracted the bear to the house
or yard?

Bears can smell through screens and enter
through screens.
~ Are any windows open?
~ Are any doors open?

~ Is there any food, trashbags, pet food etc
visible through a closed window or a sliding
door?

~ Bears can climb onto decks. Close any
accessible windows or doors near any deck.

~ Where is the trash? Install bear-proof
garbage and compost containers.

~ Is the bear sleeping under the deck?
Stairs? Crawl space? Install lattice or
chicken wire to deter the bear from seeking
the cool shady place at your home.

~ Is a bear attracted to the yard?

~ Have I left any Scented items Outside?
Candles, baby wipes, diapers, suntan lotion,
insect repellent, soap or soap residue.

~ Outdoor Pet food (any kind) will attract
a bear. Feed all pets indoor. Store all
pet food in plastic bins to reduce the smell.
Store plastic bin of pet food INSIDE the house
or in the back section of a garage away from
windows.

~ Do I have a Birdfeeder?
Bears will eat birdseed, nectar, or whatever you
use to feed birds. Remove all birdfeeders in bear
prone areas. You will be doing your entire
community a favor and the bears a favor.

~ Do I have fruit trees?
Remove and fallen fruit and pick all fruit when
it is ripe. If you cannot do it, contact a local
Boy Scout troop or Girl Scout troop for help
picking. Ask for community help.

~ Do I have bushes with berries in my yard?

~ Do I have a bee hive?

~ Is my barbecue grill clean? Bears will lick
the grill. Clean it after use or burn the residue
off.

Things you can do once a bear HAS been to your
house and had people/pet food.

~ Install motion detector lighting outside
or turn on a porch light at night.

~ Play a radio or book on tape near the
entrance the bear used. Keeping the
door or window closed. Most windows and
door are not that soundproof.

~ Always have your doors and windows
closed at night. Consider using fans near
your doors in the Evening to suck in the
cool air if you have no AC but then close
all windows and doors at night.

~ Get bear-proof garbage containers if you
don't already have them. Get in the habit
of removing all trash ASAP. Never leave
trash outside.

~ Wait up at night for the bear, yell at
it and clap your hands the second it arrives
on your property. Repeat for several nights,
chances are it will avoid the ruckus.

~ Keep a stick and older shoes near the
door (throw a shoe at the bear if you have to).
Sometimes trying different items a bear
has never seen works wonders - a bundled
newspaper, ping pong balls, tennis balls,
etc

~ Notify all nearby neighbors if a bear has
eaten food from your property or has broken in
(it happens, fix the issues and share the info to
help the neighbors and community as a whole).

~ Read the book Living With Bears by
Linda Masterson for more ideas.

~ Remember that in California, no human
has been killed by a CA Black bear.
There are NO Grizzly bears in California.

~ If I've forgotten anything, add it to this thread.


~ Vicky

[Gale]

Morning Vicky,

You forgot one important thing.

Take pictures!



From a far away distance if you can