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ENCORE50A

Long Range Shooter
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You can buy their books and send them to school, but some never learn. I've been trying to tell folks around the lake, if you have a potential food source, you either have to completely remove it, or protect it using an electric fence. Bear are all over this area, way to damn many. People are running them away right during the middle of the day.

And of course, our DNR still won't increase the number of permits in the area (MI - NELP).

Unfortunately, one of the local residents woke up this morning to find that her chicken coop was destroyed and her chickens gone (eaten) by a bear. West side.

I'm not saying that even an electric fence will stop the most determined bear, but normally it prevents things such as this.

Bear and chicken coop.jpg

Instead of taking down all our bird feeders each night, a 50 mile electric fence charger with just 200' of wire does an excellent job (so far) of preventing bear damage.
This sow with triplets didn't like that wire around the feeders ;)

STC_0367.JPG
 
I'm going to have to try that. We have been covered up in bears this year. Came home after a short trip to find one had been rummaging around on the porch. Haven't been able to have a bird feeder in years.
 
I'm going to have to try that. We have been covered up in bears this year. Came home after a short trip to find one had been rummaging around on the porch. Haven't been able to have a bird feeder in years.

I bought a 50 mile charger from TSC and 200' of fence wire to do our feeder pole. They had 4' fiberglass rods and the ends, so that's what you see in the feeder pole photo. They won't touch it only once. The wife replaced a lot of feeders, then I raised them and put 6" heating pipe on the pole thinking they couldn't climb it...… yeah right. That's when everything became electric. No more damaged feeders.
We have 8 feeders on this pole.... 2 thistle, 2 black oil sunflower, 2 suet and 2 peanut butter feeders.

IMG_1647.JPG
 
That's a nice setup you have there:lewis:

Would home owners insurance cover that chicken coup?
Depending on the deductible, maybe. Problem is though, people will just not learn. They'll set back and think they can wish it away, which we all know won't happen. I will give the guys with bees credit, they all have electric fences around their hives.
A couple just a mile from us had one break out a window of their house a couple nights back. The bear didn't count on the size of the dog inside though. The dog ran the bear away.
To damn many bear around here.
 
If the bear is a nuisance and causing damage, can it legally be shot?

Not in MI. One would have to be creating havoc before the MI-DNR would bring out a trap for relocation. Bird feeders or chickens? The MI-DNR will just tell you to eliminate the bait or fence the chickens. However, if a bear is attempting to get inside your dwelling, then yes. Such as the neighbor who had one break a window to get in but the dog ran it off. If the dog hadn't been there, the owner would have been justified.
We had that big bore here one summer that used to like looking in the slider during the night, while standing up with his fronts on the glass. Our little Shih Tzu would run his ass away from the window. Most people keep a loaded rifle or shotgun with slugs handy ;)
 
Sounds like you're kind of stuck with them.
Unless the DNR will start relocating them, or increase the tags, there probably isn't much more you can do except what you're already doing.
I see that some trappers will put down a piece of plywood with a ton of nails sticking up from it in front of their windows to protect from bears breaking in, you could set them out at night below the windows.
Is there any regulations about running them with hounds? A couple hound hunters in there running them and treeing them might convince a few to relocate. Some places have a "dog training" season where they can be ran but not shot, but hounds being allowed has become a very rare option in most places.
 

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