keeping bears away

[cbc58]

what is the best method for keeping (black) bears away from your property?  is there anything you can put around the perimeter to keep them out?  read somewhere about putting mothballs down...  anyone run into this problem and what do you find that works??  we have a visiting bear at night when we camp and frankly it's a bit unsettling.  food is up and out of the way, cooking is far enough from the tent - all the standard stuff they teach you in boy scouts... 

[OlJarhead]

Up north they use portable electric fences to keep bears away from tents....

Noise helps a lot too.

[Redoverfarm]

There is not much you can do to keep them away short of erecting a prison fence.  But you first have to ask why is it here.  Bears roam and occasionally they just cross your property without any reason.  They are looking for food.  But you say you don't have any.  If you grilled or cooked food they can pick up that smell from a couple miles away.  Then you will get what I like to call a rouge bear which is one that is not afraid of humans and is more curious than others and is hard to deter.  I had to deal with one at my cabin a few years back.  A couple visits and a torn screen and he quit coming around once there was no food to be had. 

Food or anything that smells strange or out of the ordinary for it's habitat will attract them.  So if you clean up after cooking that will help.  That includes the barbeque grill which is often neglected.  Garbage cans or bags is a treat for them if left out side in a open trash can.  If you cook inside and leave a window open then that scent hits the air as well. Cat, dog or bird feed is another thing that attracts.   They have a great sense of smell.   

If the bear continues to come back there is something that he has smelled and is after.  Once all trace of food is eliminated then he most likely will just move on. 

Recently I had a problem with one bear getting into my hog feeder.  After about 3-4 visits it was apparently that I had to eliminate it from the food chain because he would continually come back.  It was trapped and removed.  That is the first time in 10 years that they had ever bothered the feeder but apparently one stumbled across the feeder presence probably just passing through and considered it as his daily food choice.

[cbc58]

come to think of it - maybe i could put up photos of Janet Yellen - that seems to keep the bears away...

our property backs up to a large parcel of protected land (thousands of acres) - and we've never has this happen before.  hopefully they will move on after awhile.   wouldn't mind them so much if we were in a cabin... but a tent is a little different when they are close. 

[ChugiakTinkerer]

There's a whole sub-culture in Alaska on how to deal with bears.  Many folks will tell you that urinating around your camp will help.  Mothballs reportedly are good at dissuading a bear nosing around a cabin from entering it.  They are very potent though and will probably poison any small critters that encounter them.  Electric fence is usually the most effective, and can be had for around $500 in the U.S.  You can typically make your own out of off-the-shelf parts for a little cheaper.  Please also know that black bears are more prone to predatory attacks on humans than grizzlies.  You should be equipped with something to deter the bear such as a firearm or at least pepper spray.

On black bears: http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/lone-predatory-black-bears-responsible-most-human-attacks/2011/05/11/

On electric fences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv2G-aRDvyY

[OlJarhead]

Great video!  I was wondering how well an electric fence would work around my small orchard in bear country.  Now I know!

[Dave Sparks]

We put cow bells on our compost bins. They use to knock them over. Not anymore! ding ding!

[DaveOrr]

Electric fences work well for keeping critters out.
I have designed my cabin so the only way they can get into the cabin is by getting up on the deck which will be protected with an electric fence.

[upa]

Here is is one more vote for electric fence. We get the occasional bear but the real nuisance for us are the deer and elk. Typically we loose half or more of our garden despite our best effort to discourage them. This year I finally put up a 3 dimensional electric fence and have had zero veggies lost. I wish I done this years ago.

[Dave Sparks]

Deer problem solved here in the garden with 10' T bars driven in a couple feet with a 6 foot rabbit proof fence. A white linemans poly rope at the 8 foot top has worked for over 7 years. Keeps the rabbits out also!

[azgreg]

Just paint your yard like an end zone. Oh wait, that's a different kind of bear.