A Bear In My Backyard

Black bears... Yikes!

I was brushing my teeth as I got ready for work a few days ago when I heard a commotion outside in the backyard. I hurried over to the window to look, the first thing I noticed was that one of the bird feeders was pulled apart and laying on the ground. That was when my mom, who had been sitting outside on the deck, came running inside the house and yell "There's a bear out there!!!!" I raced back over to the window and sure enough there was a small, adult, black bear in my backyard!
He was standing on his hind legs and pulling at another bird feeder with his front paws, trying to get the sunflower seeds out so he could eat them. Everyone raced over to look out the window, we could hardly believe that after 15 years of living in a rural area - smack in the middle of bear country - a bear had finally showed up! I was a little bit excited to see such an amazing animal a few feet away from my home but I was also a little bit concerned. With dogs and poultry who spend a lot of time outside I couldn't help but worry about the damage an angry black bear could inflict on a pet animal.

Now I have to be extra careful with all the pets. I used to take the dogs out for walks in the woods off of their leashes but now I have to keep them on leash unless they're in the yard. The last thing I want is for one of the dogs to start chasing a bear and get so far away from me I wouldn't be able to protect them if the bear decided to stand and fight. I'm also more cautious about letting the dogs out in the yard alone. I have to go out with them to make sure they don't wander into the woods or a bear doesn't walk back into our yard while the dogs are playing.

I still let the chickens and guinea fowl out to free range during the day but I have to be more vigilant about keeping an eye out. I also make sure to pay attention to any noise or squawking which could signal a bear sighting. I make sure I get all the poultry shut up in their coop before it gets dark and double check the latches on the doors, windows, and the gate on the fence even more than usual. I'm also especially careful about picking up any outdoor bowls with chicken feed in them, apparently chicken feed is almost addictive to black bears and will attract them to the coop if it's left outside.

I haven't seen any signs of the bear since that first sighting so hopefully he's moved on to some less populated area. I'm going to keep being extra cautious though until I'm certain my home is once again bear-free.