Bear advice

[DMC]

Do bears !"#¤% in the woods? I don't really care, but I do care when I find bear !"#¤% in my garden. This is a bit too close for comfort. At this time of year I assume bears are looking for a nice place to sleep for the winter and the thought of having one hibernating in the garden is a bit worrying.

So, what can I do to persuade the bear(s) to move on? Why have they now decided to move my way? There are elk hunters around at the moment; maybe their presence has moved the bear(s) on from their previous des res.

Also, what should I do if I happen to encounter a bear? I have not actually seen one yet, just their droppings, but would like to be prepared, just in case.

[Upphew]

Make some noise and you most likely won't see one.

edit. http://www.suurpedot.fi/www/en/carnivor ... /index.php

[Rosamunda]

Don't go out with salmon sandwiches in your backpack! Don't leave food around the house (eg don't put fish/meat in the compost bin).

When I was up in Kuhmo, I saw some leaflets on "What to do if you see a bear" written in Thai... they were for the berry pickers. No idea what they said though. I think bells and whistles are supposed to help!

Are you sure it was bear poop you saw?

[AldenG]

No idea what they said though.

"Bear is only dangerous if you are alone or slowest runner in field."

"Is strictly prohibited to kill bear and cook. No taste good anyway. Not like home bears."

[onkko]

Bears are mostly more scared about you than you are about them. Ones that arent are killed.

In woods make noise, bell in cloth if you want to make sure. if you manage to walk between mom and cubs then @#$%....

Its extremely rare that bear kills human, in last 100 years one has been killed by bear and that was accident, badly put hit by paw caused air in artery and death. So bear didnt maul one to death just hit once and he was between mother and cubs.
There are some reports about assaulting but those are mostly on hunting and them protecting cubs. Make noise!

Report your findings to police, they should know local hunters and record if there is too friendly bear.

[DMC]

Thanks all for the advice.

We are 100% sure this is bear.
Their presence is not a total surprise. We have long known there are bears in the area, and locals occasionally report seeing them not far away. It is just a surprise that they should come so close to the house. There is nothing to attract them here in terms of food, and I thought they would naturally avoid humans.

We have left a message with one of the local hunters, so we'll see how he responds. His (school age) son who took the message was very laid back about it; obviously not the first such message he has passed on. We don't particularly want the bears hunted, but if possible we would like to encourage them to stay a bit further away.

It is strange. On one level I would be thrilled to see a wild bear, but at the same time I don't want to happen upon one when I step out of the house.

[Pursuivant]

Well, the old modicum is don't turn and run. Slowly go backwards and retrace your steps. Or then play dead (which is probably easier said than done)
http://riista.fi/wp-content/uploads/201 ... miseen.pdf

Just google "karhun kohtaaminen"

[Karhunkoski]

If this is the first and only time you've seen evidence, it was probably just passing through, looking for some scraps to eat. But if you're concerned, get a game camera or two. The other option is to lay some 1m strips of fine sand along some of the borders of your plot. Rake/scrape it perfectly smooth and check each morning for tracks.