pinonhills.org

[andrew]

Posted by Charles Newcomb

Rebecca (et al):

Since I don't have a garage, I talked to Kim from DOW about locking the garbage can with a chain, as you suggest. She said that's useless, because the bear will just tear the container to shreds. She suggested an electric pad that shocks the bear when it steps on it (but could not tell me if rain had any effect, good or bad, on it), and also a system of plywood boards with screws drilled through it to keep the bears from stepping on it. I pointed out I've been up here five years and have had two times when bears got into the trash. She said once is too much, because it teaches the bear it can get food from trash, then they generally get bolder and do things that will get them removed or killed. So I don't know what to do about the trash... maybe I'll buy the dog pen (chain link fence) she suggested. But that's so ugly.

More concerning to me is she pretty much said I need to stop doing all the things I moved here from town to be able to do... feeding the birds and ground squirrels and chippymunks, sitting on my back porch enjoying a barbecue and a gentle summer breeze at night (she said the barbecue needs to get put away, but again, I don't have a garage). She also said we shouldn't be leaving the windows slightly open to let the cool night air in (says the bears can smell food in the house and will break in through the window). She said the bird feeders (including the ones for the hummers) should be taken down from May through November. I mean, come on.... the birds are gone during those months. We do bring the feeders and food bins in the house at night, however. But the other night I got a phone call while bringing them in, and that's when the big black bear got the bin full of peanuts that I apparently should have put away until November.

Kim also cautioned me that now I've been warned about these things, that if there's another bear incident here, I could be cited and fined if one of the things she mentioned led to the incident.

Really? They're going to cite me for leaving my windows open a little to let some fresh air into my house? Is this really a good time to push more of that kind of Big Brother government down out throats? Can't they just say: "If you live up here and you leave your windows open, you run the risk of having a bear come in your house" and leave it at that?

Kim's job is a tough one. She's got to please all us unreasonable human types, and protect the wildlife while protecting us from wildlife. But there needs to be a balance.

I hated living in town with its barking dogs and sirens and cars driving by with their stereos cranked up. I moved to the country years ago because I enjoy wildlife and the stars and the tranquility. In my mind, this comes with a price... some not-so-good things, like bears getting too close, deer mice and pack rats, and chippymunks tearing insulation out of the engine compartment in the car.

I fully understand that letting bears get used to humans and human food -- via trash picking, or breaking into houses -- is bad for bears and for people. Really bad. So to protect the bears from getting too comfortable with our lifestyle we agreed to buy a shotgun and shoot rubber bullets at the bears' booties when they get too close and do things they shouldn't do. But we're not going to shoot at them for eating the current berries that grow all around our house, even though they are in some cases closer to the house than the bird food. The berries are what bears are supposed to eat. We've seen the foxes eating them, too. So we'll shoot the bears with the rubber pellets if they get close to the trash, or come up on the porch, or go after the dogs when we let them out, or start tearing out a window screen. If one actually comes in the house, we won't use rubber pellets.

When we go out to the car at night, we watch for bears. We do feed the birds during the summer, but we take the feeders in at night. We'll figure out something to do with the trash. But, personally, I'm not bringing the barbecue into the living room at night, and I'm not going to deny my family a cool breeze by leaving not windows open slightly.

We love our critters up here. We just need to learn how best to coexist. We're working on it from our end.

Charles

On Jul 22, 2010, at 4:54 PM, McCathren, Rebecca wrote:

> HI, we also talked to the waste management folks. They gave us a padlock (they have a key and we have a key) and told us to go buy a chain so the bear can’t get into the garbage. They were really nice and really helpful. If the bears can’t get into the food maybe they’ll give up.
>
> Just a thought.
>
> Rebecca
>
>
> On 7/22/10 5:44 PM, "Charles Newcomb" <mtntvguy@q.com> wrote:
>
>
> Dear Neighbors:
>
> In recent weeks our bear has gotten more and more bold. It has been at my place four or five times that I know of, twice last night... during the last visit my two dogs corned it under a tree and there were some very tense moments.
>
> I’ve seen two different bears... a small, cinnamon colored one, and this larger black one. The larger one weighs somewhere between two and three hundred pounds, and he is not timid.
>
> To discourage the bear form becoming even bolder, or even destructive, I have asked the Division of Wildlife for some 12-gauge, rubber pellet, shotgun shells. They have instructed me to shoot the animal in the booty to teach it that being around houses isn’t a good thing.
>
> So if you hear the loud report of a shotgun coming from the direction of the end of Iroquois Circle, that’s probably me. I will not fire the weapon in the direction of any homes, and I will call the sheriff to let them know I have discharged a weapon when I do.
>
> If you have any questions, please feel free to call me.
>
> Warmest regards,
>
> Charles Newcomb
> 10030 Iroquois
> 221-4350
>
>
_________________

Andrew Koransky
10132 W Cherokee Dr

Follow our journey at http://adventure.koransky.com

[andrew]

Charles: Did Kim really say it was illegal to leave your windows open? Without air conditioning, I'm not closing my windows any time soon. I guess it's a risk I'll have to take as well.

On the other hand, I bet feeding wildlife can carry fines. I'm not sure even leaving a grill out qualifies, unless you left a bunch of tasty morsels on it. The smell of a grill may attract bears, which of course, isn't a good thing, but it doesn't seem like it would make them a repeat offender as would trash or bird/wildlife feeders where they might obtain calories.

Other neighborhoods in Colorado have strict guidelines about leaving trash or other food sources outside. You get a ticket if trash/food is out overnight, and your trash can top must be locked with clips. (True, a bear could still get in, but I guess they have decided the clips discourages an unconditioned bear enough.) I'd love to see this in Chaffee County, but doubt it will occur any time soon. We have to do the best we can as a community.
_________________

Andrew Koransky
10132 W Cherokee Dr

Follow our journey at http://adventure.koransky.com