The AM Forum

I was taking a walk along the brook that runs through my property looking for trout and noticed a tree partially stripped of bark. Didn't think much of it until I got home and started wondering what would strip bark from a tree from 6ft up to about 3ft up. I thought maybe a male deer rubbing its antlers.  A little net search states that black bears are notorious for this.  So I went back out there to look for other evidence such as scat and prints. Nothing.  Could this have been a black bear?

Next time your out to the tree look really close at the edges of the bark or splintered wood for hair. This might be a scratch (rub) tree and almost always has some hair left behind.

Rob,

I saw some footprints in the snow last week that looked like a bear's.   They were at least double the size of Yaz and were much too big to be a coyote or bobcat.    

As you've probably seen in the Htfd Courant, there have been many bear sightings this past year.

After hiking in the great woods around here almost every day for 25 years, I have never seen a bear yet.  However, about five years ago something tore our bird feeder off the pole and destroyed it. Guess what that must have been?

T

I'd look for rotting trees lying on the ground. If the bark has been torn back or otherwise riped from the tree, you could have bears. They go after the bugs and things. Its kinda unlikely thet the bars are walking around now, but with the very mild winter ( its 55 here now), ya never know. 

Clean 'em well, get rid of the 'sheathing' ariound the muscle. I used lemon juice when preparing 'em. The fat makes nice grease'; you'll have smoth, supple hands when yer done cleaning.

klc

I have seen evidence of black bears ripping chunks out of utility poles in the Adirondacks. Another time a friend seen the lids of locked garbage containers bent upward to gain entry by black bears. The metal was 1/4 inches thick! Again in the Adirondacks before they started covering municipal dumps or using transfer stations, I have seen black bears many that had to be 600 pounds. The state says the average weight of a black bear in NYS is about 300 pounds. Going to the dumps and looking at bears is a northern pastime.

Despite what some people say about black bears not being aggressive, I think they could be very dangerous. Be careful when looking for them!

Remember what Smoky the bear says, people are tasty!

" I have seen evidence of black bears ripping chunks out of utility poles in the Adirondacks "

Yeah. The party line is the pole pig humming makes 'em think thars honey inside. 


klc

Chupacabra

As of a few years ago there are quite a few around here, the furry 4 paw variety... I was taking a stroll down the road here, past the reservoir and up the other side when I stopped about  halfway up the undulating rise. On top of the rise was a pretty medium size brown bear standing on all fours smack dab in the middle of the road at the crest. Looking more or less forward, but not moving.

I stopped. Walked backwards slowly down the hill, toward the bottom and out of sight I turned and walked briskly back home.

It's about 1/3 mile to the neighbor's house plus or minus. Quarter mile to the reservoir...

On the way up from the bottom of the hill, near the edge of the reservoir I had seen a dark object dart off to the left into the woods. Usually that's a deer. The bear had circled up the hill and come around to see what I was... I got about 1/3 way up, it got all the way up in the same time.

Hard to understand their accent, but I think the bear said that it was their hill, forget about that road thing, and to check with them before coming through.

That's the first time I had come face to face with a bear around here. There were reports that up on a nearby hill (almost no houses there) that there were bear living. My neighbor up the top of the hill, where I was headed has told me for some time that he has seen bear scat on the ground near his place. I never saw any over my way.

Made me think about walking around in the woods as I sometimes like to do. Made me think about carrying a high caliber handgun. Don't have one, but made me think about it.

Don't take many random strolls into the woods these days, that's only a partial reason, but I think about it.

                        _-_-bear, the two legged kind with a ham license

A frustrated Class E operator. FETs'll do that to ya.

Kevin,
         I'll get the charcoal lit, lemme know when you you are ready!

Also, be very careful when hunting bare, the bushes tickle....................... ;D  ;D

FYI.  Bear "droppings" look very similar to those from Humans.
Look for an outdoor outhouse, but they're prolly zonked out now for winter. Most likely deer.

Bill

Up in Maine Some of my Generator Techs have been known to hang out with the Black Bears ;D

Anyone know if unseasonable temps would keep a bear from normally hibernating?  As some one who fly fishes I'm seeing some bugs that would normally appear in April.

I took wildlife biology 4 times in college and received credit for it all 4 times it was the high point of my college career.  I would assume that as long as there is food available the bears could continue to prowl. Bears don't necessarily follow the rules.

I found an interesting article in a UK paper, said that the warm winter was causing bears and other animals to be out and about. the link didn't work when I tried to post it. a google search of bear hibernation will probably find it for you.


Pictures of the tree would be interesting, if a bear clawed it, it would look different than a buck rubbing it or a beaver or porcupine eating on it etc.

If your concerned about the danger go to the sporting goods store and buy a can of bear spray and make sure to make noise while out walking.  

Tight Lines and 73

Eric

found another tree with stripped bark.  This was about 100 yards down stream from the other and off to the west by several tens of yards. The stripped section of the tree was about 7 feet up at the beginning and down to about 3 like the other tree.  the strippage was completely around the tree trunk unlike the other where it was only half way around.  Like the other tree there are shavings like someone took a shave hook and ripped the bark off.  What I gather from both is this was done several days ago since the wood of both trees are dry and dark.  I'm guessing maybe a week or 2. The same goes for the shavings.  I don't believe this was a buck, to high up and certainly not a beaver or porky-pine.  No scat, no fur, no prints. 

There was a story on Fox news the last couple of days that the bears coming out early this year due to the mild winter. They claimed that it had been a lean year for the bears and they are thin and hungry.

Mike

That's udderly impossible!!!
HA!

I watch that show called Hardcore Pawn and it is filmed at A jewelry store in Detroit. People that come in that store are quite scary and that happens with across all racial lines. Of course the real jerks are the only ones they show. What would be interesting about everyday nice people?

Bigfoot?

Is it legal to kill one of those things  ???  ???

What do they taste like? ? ?   ;D  ;D

Chicken of course