Intruder Alert!
We adopt a barn cat several years ago when the barn owner no longer could keep him. He lobbied strongly to become a indoor cat, and we gave it a try for a while, but he started to be reliably unreliable. He has been an outdoor only cat for about a year and a half, and it has been working out except since we feed him outside, other creatures also stop by for a late night snack.
Including an opossum:
A cute black and white cat:
A crafty raccoon:
a fluffy all-black cat:
However last night as the motion detector light came on at the front door, I looked out to see which of the frequent troublesome visitors it might be -- and it was none-of-the-above.
There was a black bear in our driveway 30 feet or so from our front door. It disappeared quickly when the light came on, but sometime last night it tipped over the trash can of grain that is in our garage. Plus a day earlier I found what looked to be footprints on top of my wife's car in the garage, that looked to be the right size for a bear or maybe a puma. (which I'm pretty sure there aren't any of around here)
Comments (26)
10 years ago
10 years agolast modified: 10 years agoRelated Discussions
late night trespassers, thoughts.
Comments (16)Have any of you folks got a set up with a hidden camera and siren? Our son, who is home on holidays, took his lap top computer, can corder and truck radio out of his possesions that were stored and put them on our kitchen table. Plugged in the computer and went out at noon. We arrived home at 4 p.m. and the kitchen window was wide open. The screen was thrown in the flower bed. Everything was gone. Who ever it was, pushed the wire fence down and came in from the neighbours. The houses are so close, you can almost spit from one to the other BUT some work, others are retired and go out every day and all eight houses on this dead end street have no one home some days. Our dog was at our daughters house. Two years ago we had a prowler during a snow storm and was told our dog was lucky he wasn't here as the prowlers pack "bear spray". There is no use getting a system that the police monitor as it takes them a good 20 to 30 minutes from town to our area. We have gotten some info on alarms but is there a web site or can you folks post about your system. Thanks...See MoreUltimate Farm/Orchard Dog
Comments (26)There is some useful info on this old thread and I thought I'd add some info I found in my own search for a short hair farm dog: Some excerpts from the USDA web site: "Livesock Guarding Dogs Protecting Sheep from Predators" "It is important to understand the distinction between herding dogs and guarding dogs. Herding dogs (border collies, Australian shepherds, and others) move sheep from one area to another by biting, chasing, or barking at the sheep. Herding dogs work according to signals (verbal and hand) from a handler, and they are generally not left alone with the sheep. Guarding dogs usually do not herd sheep, are discouraged from biting, chasing, and barking at sheep, and act independently of people. In 1986, the University of Idaho conducted a survey of approximately 400 people who used livestock guarding dogs. These individuals reported on 763 dogs, 95 percent of which were recognized guarding breeds. Great Pyrenees (57 percent) and Komondor (18 percent) were the most common, followed by Akbash (8 percent), Anatolians (7 percent), Maremmas (3 percent), and others (7 percent). The rate of success among the breeds was not different, but behavioral differences were noted. More Komondors bit people than did Great Pyrenees, Akbash, or Anatolians, and fewer Great Pyrenees injured livestock than did Komondors, Akbash, or Anatolians. In a recent evaluation of yearling livestock guarding dogs, Great Pyrenees were rated significantly higher than Anatolian shepherds (83 percent of 59 Pyrenees versus 38 percent of 26 Anatolians rated as good). Anatolian shepherds were rated lower primarily because of their higher tendency to injure or kill sheep. Most dogs in the 1986 Idaho survey were aggressive to predators and other dogs, although Great Pyrenees seem to be somewhat less aggressive to dogs than other guarding breeds. The Great Pyrenees comes from France and Spain, and the Akbash comes from Turkey. The Akbash comes in both a short hair and long hair line....See MoreBee Help for April
Comments (1)Besides wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants in summertime, not using deodorants, not applying sunscreen, and NEVER growing flowers in your gardens to avoid being stung by bees, gardeners should... Wear protective goggles. Wear hightop boots and socks. Duct tape your pantlegs and cuffs so that bees cannot get up inside your clothes. Weat a scarf AND a hat and gloves so that no skin is exposed. Don't grow grass. Don't put up birdbaths and don't keep water in your fishpond as bees are attracted to the water. Don't have windows on your house or apartment. - If this cannot be avoided, NEVER open them. Never go outside. - If this cannot be avoided, have your property sprayed with deadly insect spray twice a month. Keep away from sweaty men, ten year old boys and all dogs. Then you may be safe from bees. ----------------------------------- JK (lol) Couldn't resist. ~Annie former Bee Keeper - granddaughter of a Master Beekeeper....See MoreI'll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours Sun Aug 23
Comments (14)We used to catch those skipper butterflies when we were kids. They're pretty easy to catch. As for that paper wasp nest, I had one hanging in the corner of my science room for years. (It was the science room; the wasps didn't built it there.) Anyway, the A/C blew it, and it just hung from the ceiling by a small stick, but it never fell. It was impressive how strongly it was built....See More
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We moved the trash can with the grain, but my wife forgot to move a 1 1/2 gallon bucket containing "Weight Builder" a "premium concentrated feed supplement" for horses, that was in the same location in the garage.
I found the bucket this morning with obvious teeth marks in it:
Can anyone find a conversion factor for distance between canine teeth and size of black bear? Because that bite make makes it seem pretty big. And chowing down on "Weight Builder" will make it bigger still.
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I got a picture of my wife's car bumper with the bite mark.
A friend suggested that perhaps Leonardo di Caprio is hiding in there.
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Last night around midnight I heard a thumping sound like someone using a trashcan as a drum. I turned on the porch light and made some noise and the bear ran away from the trashcan by the detached garage.
From the porch with a flashlight we could see one
large bear and one little baby bear that was trying to climb a tree
next to the garage. They hung out there for a bit seemingly waiting for
us and the lights to go away so they could return for the delicious
stinky trash.It was dark and my camera was unable to auto focus, but I did get these pictures:
the next one is zoomed and contrast-enhanced
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bob_cvilleOriginal Author