| Author | Message | ||
     Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
My wife has gone bear crazy since we have moved, we have 3 statues in the front yard, a rug with bears on it, bear placemats, etc. Now she is excited because there have been bear sightings in Pardeeville which is about 7 miles from me. Freaking crazy women has been driving around the town looking for that damn bear. Here's the story: Bears moving south By Ron Seely | Lee Newspapers Whether they're pawing apart bee hives in Columbia County or standing on their hind legs and slurping from bird feeders in Richland County, black bears are putting on a clownish show in southern Wisconsin this spring. The bears, normally more at home in the state's wilder, northern reaches, have now set up housekeeping in the southern two-thirds of the state, according to the Department of Natural Resources. In fact, the growing number of bear sightings in southern counties, including Dane, has compelled DNR officials to begin educating local residents in bear etiquette. Top tip: Leave bears alone. ''Black bears are normally very timid and avoid all contact with people,'' said Bill Ishmael, a DNR biologist in Spring Green. ''They may cause problems by damaging bird feeders or foraging through unsecured garbage containers and they may return to the same area if food is readily available. So, if possible, keep your garbage compost, pet foods and bird feeders out of reach if a bear has been reported in the vicinity.'' It's the second spring in a row that the DNR has issued an alert about bears in southern Wisconsin. And earlier this spring, DNR wardens had to tranquilize a 180-pound bear not far from the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa. The tranquilized bear climbed a tree and fell asleep sprawled out on a limb. Wardens poked at it until it fell into a net, whereupon they hauled it to a state wildlife area in northeastern Wisconsin and released it. Sightings so far this spring have been considerably less dramatic though just as interesting for those who got a glimpse of one of the big animals. Mike Foy, a wildlife biologist for the agency's south central region, said a farmer called to complain about a bear dining on honey from his bee hives in a field in Columbia County. Foy said the DNR received calls about what may have been the same footloose bear in Dane County that was spotted in Dane County north of Waunakee, then west of Indian Lake, then near Pine Bluff.Perhaps it was the same bear but Foy isn't sure. Over the last three weeks, bears have been reported in Richland County near Bosstown, Excelsior and Gillingham; Columbia County near Pardeeville; western Dane County; and Iowa County near Barneveld and Dodgeville. Part of the explanation for all of these bear perambulations might be that it is the time of year when bears become amorous. Ishmael said June is the breeding season for bears. Plus, there are just more bears. The DNR estimates there are about 11,000 bears in Wisconsin, including nearly 1,800 bears in the southern two-thirds of the state. With living quarters in the north getting crowded, young male bears often get booted out and have to go in search of a place to live, Foy explained. ''Most bear sightings we receive in southern counties occur during late May and June when sub-adult bears, mostly young males, are forced out of breeding territories up north and disperse long distances in search of new habitat,'' Ishmael added. But Ishmael also said bears are moving south permanently: People have sighted sows with cubs and even with yearlings, which shows the female bear has been in the area for some time, perhaps even denning up over the winter. ''It does indicate some serious movement toward colonization down here instead of just a young bear on a walkabout,'' Foy said. Contact Ron Seely of the Wisconsin State Journal at rseely@madison.com or 252-6131 . | ||
| Prez |
lock up your trash cans...i lived in colorado and they would come down and destroy our trash cans every year..oh..and if u have anything like bird feeders,pet food in the garage,a garden,etc,,they'll eat it all...prez | ||
| Prez |
guess i shoulda read the whole thing..not just skimmed it first...my bad..lol | ||
| BadS1 |
Here he is.  | ||
| Swampy |
Last night there were reports on the news stations of bear sitings on the north side of Lansing, Michigan. When they see bears up by me they just dismiss it as too much beer in the fishermen. Maybe it will keep some of the city dwellers inside this summer! Lions and tigers and beers...OH MY! | ||
| Tramp |
man- i live maybe 40 minutes from manhattan and we have more bears around here.... all the city types moving in are scared sh*tless and calling the heat all the time. i shot one once, when i was a teenager. that's one critter i'll never kill again. i really felt like a moron while dressing it out. | ||
| Tramp |
the NYC area's funny. there have been coyotes denning in cemeteries in queens and the bronx for many years, now, and there are racoons and skunks even in midtown manhattan, along with red-tailed hawks hunting from poles along the henry hudson, and peregrines nesting on bldgs all over the city. and don't get me going on those enormous snapping turtles in the bronx river... | ||
| Interceptor |
Coyotes in Queens and the Bronx? Really? | ||
| Mikej |
There was a PBS show on TV awhile back documenting the coyotes in NYC. It's very likely that coyotes and cockroaches will out survive all other creatures on the earth. | ||
| Phillyblast |
I had to avoid a coyote that lived in the vacant lot near my place in Chicago for a while - was out walking the dog one night and there it was, wandering down the sidewalk. Thought it was a stray dog at first. | ||
| Interceptor |
Coyotes in Queens.........I guess they just pay the toll and cross the bridge.  | ||
| Odie |
Well Dyna, here is something to help get you out of your slump/funk!!! |
