I got this trail cam pic near the 20 year old salt lick not far from our house. Lucy, our choc lab has been acting squirrelly over the last few nights. Now we know why...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/STC_0046_zpsbbz5pkrd.jpg) (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/PatBNC/media/STC_0046_zpsbbz5pkrd.jpg.html)
A couple years ago my wife and I were at the dining table with the slider doors open .
My wife said that it sounds like a pig is outside buy the door grunting .
She went to the door , turned on the light and a big bear stood on its hind legs and looked her in the eyes .
I found the experience to be kinda chemical .
A few weeks later the neighbor told me that I wouldn't guess what he found on his trail cam .
My first guess surprised him .
We have quite a few bears around here. Their primary food source is bird feeders and trash cans. There was one on my front porch a few years ago drinking the sugar water from the hummingbird feeder. He was about 150# to 200#. I think Momma had just run him off and he was looking for a free meal.
A couple of months ago, a bear was hit by a car just a very short distance from my little hunting ground. There was "not supposed to be" any bears in this area.
Pat, that one in the back looks like a goodun!
That one in the back looks like a fair sized bear.
I have seen a bunch while on the Blue Ridge Pkwy.
Very cool Pat....I wouldn't want them in my trash or bird feeders though!
Thanks for sharing. Trail cams are fun
We've lived with bears for 26 years and they have never been a real problem. If you understand the wildlife around you it's not hard to keep problems to a minimum.
I haven't seen Momma close up so its hard to say how big she is. My guess is 250# or so. Her coat does look healthy.
Down the mountain from here, in Pickens Co. SC a 609# bear was shot a few years ago during hunting season. That bear could easily have come through here at some time of another.
I would expect that you were indeed suprised.
I used to work at Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson county and we were covered in bears. There's a couple mama's that have 3 or 4 cubs every year without fail. Sure was neat getting to know them and observe them on a regular basis. I got a soft spot for the black bears now. Don't think I could hunt them anymore.
Mating season happens in the summer months, and I bet you caught a couple out on a date.
I was walking with one of our dogs down our driveway a few years ago. The dog bowed up and started barking. I looked up and about 50' in front of us was a big sow with 3 cubs. The bear huffed and she and the cubs ran up the hill next to the driveway and sister(our shepherd/akita mix)turned and ran home...leaving me to fend for myself.
Got 2 pics off the trail cam last year. One was my wife and myself walking down the driveway and 6 minutes before that was a bear crossing the driveway at that point. They are all around here but we very rarely see them.