So we had our first bear visit...

[GiqueCee]

... of the season last night. Honey, our Great Pyrenees/Redbone mix, started growling and barking at 2:30 this morning because there was something was out there that she didn't like.
Mrs. GiqueCee took our big orange baby out for her morning sniffathon, and saw clear bear tracks in the new snow going across the patio straight for the bird feeders, which we just started bringing in for the night in anticipation of renewed ursine visitations.
It was definitely our old friend, because he knew exactly where to go for a bird seed snack. In the past, he's effortlessly snapped a 1-inch steel post embedded in concrete to satisfy his craving for sunflower seeds. People don't realize how strong those guys are! He once devoured and entire 5-gallon pail of sunflower seeds that I'd forgotten were squirreled away in the back of our pellet shelter. Those Home Depot pails have lids that are a bear to remove (pun intended!) but posed no challenge to The Big Guy. He then sat on the wall of the patio enjoying the sunrise. Got a picture of him somewhere. I'll post it as soon as I find it and master the posting process. I've had generous advice on that, but I now have more time to dig into it. I'm a year and change shy of 80, so that knowledge doesn't come naturally to someone who remembers computer cards that said, "DO NOT FOLD, SPINDLE, OR MUTILATE".

[True Dough]

1. Glad Honey didn't get into an encounter

Yes, bears are incredibly strong and incredibly fast.

Have you ever had one get inside any out buildings?

If you're looking for simple steps to post photos, I recommend imgur.com. You need to register for an account (it's free), but once you have one, you can simply upload the photo from your desktop by using the green "new post" button at the top left. Then you either "drag and drop" the picture or you click on "choose photo/video" and find its location.

Once it has uploaded, all you have to do is right click on the image and paste that URL here on the DU.

Voila!

[GiqueCee]

4. THANKS!

Last edited Sun Mar 15, 2026, 01:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Breakfast is waiting, but I'll get right on that. That ability has taken on new importance now that the company I worked for as Art Director is in its death throes. Ain't nobody hiring old buzzards like me, so it's freelance time again. I'm not ready to retire completely just yet.

[Picturelady]

2. Preventative Action needed

Now that the bear is back, you really should stop feeding the birds. The smell, the seed waste on the ground will continue to attract him. Bears aren't very shy about making their way inside houses in search of food, and you don't want that. I had a bear break my window, shove all the potted plants off the table to come inside for the birdseed not too far away. Quite the mess. She had 2 cubs to feed, so I didn't blame her. I should have quit feeding the birds by then.
Good luck!

[GiqueCee]

5. Yeah, we do...

... as soon as the birds' wild resources have come back to life.

Years ago an elderly neighbor new to the wilds of central Vermont didn't follow that advice right away, and Yogi tried to chew his way into the house. Turns out he didn't care for the taste of door, and so abandoned his pursuit of seed. The door had to be replaced.

[Attilatheblond]

3. Looking forward to that picture!

And more of your stories of life with wildlife.

Those computer cards... yep, I'm of that age too. I recall when my favorite uncle was probably one of the few people in California with a 'home computer'. It took up about 1/3 of his two car garage and he built it himself because sometimes his math needed more than the chalkboard in his den.

[erronis]

10. Heck - I had a keypunch in my basement. An IBM 026 that the university discarded in the mid 60s.

Left it there when the house was sold - but emptied the chad box for security. (That's another long story.)

[Attilatheblond]

14. Uncle's 'lil helper' was pre mid 60s

Neighbors thought he worked for a Hollywood studio and was building props for a Sci-Fi movie.

[2naSalit]

6. You really need to...

Secure the bird seed and anything else that's edible. Bears become habituated, as your bear seems to be, and that is a death sentence for them.

I worked in bear management for federal agencies and I have to tell you that a plastic shed won't hold those things securely from a bear. They can chew through plastic buckets. And those allegedly bear preventive coolers are only bear resistant if you padlock the corners or use bolts with nuts through the holes in the corners.

Just remember, a fed bear is a dead bear.

[GiqueCee]

7. It ain't our first rodeo with this fuzzy bugger...

... but we wouldn't want to see him destroyed. We do secure anything edible, but human encroachment on their habitat has increased human/bear interactions. Our black bears aren't usually as aggressive as grizzlies, but a sow with cubs is really dangerous. However, if she were to venture into our boar's territory, it could mean the end of her cubs, so we have yet to see a mama and her babies. I have it on good authority that a sow has an adjacent territory, though.
Wyoming has over 10 times the square mileage of Vermont, but with a similar population number. Population density, therefore, is greater here than in the Cowboy State, by a considerable margin. Under those conditions, all the preventative measures we, and others, take will not stop occasional confrontations, but your point is well taken.

[2naSalit]

8. All true...

I lived and worked on the west and north sides of jellystone for 20 years, much of it doing public and institutional outreach and education about bears and wolves there so I have a 'thing' about feeding bears, I try to catch everyone up front.

Glad you know the drill.

[GiqueCee]

9. I haven't been out west...

... to explore in many years, only to visit our younger son in Cali. My age and some annoying medical conditions limit my travel now, and what little I can manage is arranged around access to a restroom. But I have fond memories of towering trees, and places where everything stings, sticks, or stinks. I've been to Death Valley, but I wouldn't wanna live there! And Yellowstone was awe inspiring!

Have a good one!

[2naSalit]

11. You too!

And I still want to see your picture!

[GiqueCee]

15. I'm working the posting thing...

... but when I installed PhotoShop 2025, I was told that it encountered an older operating system, and some functions may not work. I've got Ventura13.7.8 on my iMac, and Apple said I was up to date. Whatever. I can't access my iPhone to download pix from it. I never had such problems with the PC I used at work. I'm gonna swear at it today until I figure it out, 'cause Adobe's no help. I'm not a techno-weenie by any stretch of the imagination; I can run my graphics software, no problem, but the inner workings of computers have always baffled me. I'll turn 80 next year, maybe that has something to do with it.
Anyway, updates as events warrant. And thanks for your interest! I found the Bear Butt on the Patio Wall buried in with all the work-related pix; now I just have to get at it.

[erronis]

12. Great writing! I enjoy your Vermont anecdotes.

[GiqueCee]

17. Thank you!

I'm struggling to get updated PhotoShop to let me access my iPhone. Bad words have been bellowed, but I will convince it of the error of its ways eventually.
Watch this space!

[question everything]

13. I am glad that when a deer visits he just sticks his tongue in a port and empties the whole tube

Well, not alone. We have seen a group of them. The ports can be closed when something heavy grab the perch so we have a set of weight that we hang for the night.

Would love to see s picture of your night (only?) visitor.

[GiqueCee]

16. See reply #15 above...

... I'm working on it, but devious corporate minds delight in making things more difficult than they have to be. Updated PhotoShop is being annoying, to put it mildly.