Response To Questions About Bears Seen In Our Area
Thank you very much for your email. If you need more information on bear for your Association members, please share this email or I am happy to get brochures to you, or stop by our Regional Office (address below). Sightings of wildlife this time of year are pretty common. As I am sure we told you last year, the idea is to prevent wildlife from becoming a nuisance in the first place by understanding their behavior and changing our behavior that encourages them.
Your safety is paramount, but bear safety is important too. Please contact us if there is a sighting you are concerned about. Feel free to share this link to our web pages on "Something's Bruin" for info and suggestions: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/wildlife/somethings-bruin.html There is lots of info on behavior, what to do if you see one (or more), resources and excellent suggestions. We work with our federal partners at the US Dept. of Agriculture's Wildlife Services (603-223-6832). We have Bear Technicians who are doing nothing but addressing bear complaints, but we need the public's help to get the word out that often it is not the bear that is the problem - it is our behavior. Bears are looking to put weight on. When we leave bird feeders out, improperly secure our trash, leave food in compost heaps, etc., it is natural for the bear to investigate these high-fat resources. In a few weeks there will be more in the woods for them naturally and we will see a drop in bear sightings. It is understandable bear will go for what is easy in the interim. If they are successful, they will return until they are not successful. Then they will move on. We hope you will share our efforts by encouraging folks in your association to secure enticements and let wildlife remain wild. |
Bears are not aggressive by nature, but you have to respect even a piece of furniture that weighs as much as a bear can. If they have your trash bag, they are happy and are not real worried about you. They will be harder to scare off because they have what they want. This doesn't mean the bear "isn't afraid of humans". Wait until the bear goes away, clean up the mess, and look around at what else the bear might be interested if he comes back. NEVER leave food out so you can take pictures. Clean your grill each time after using it. Don't leave bits of food on the grill bear (or raccoons) might want to check out. Again, removing the attraction will avoid the potential for a bad situation. Usually it is the bear that pays the price. If you know you have bear in the area, keep your dogs on a leash. Even little dogs are far braver than they are smart. Do not assume bears are only active at night - they are active when they can be successful. Do not have feeders up during the day and take them in at night. Bears can smell the suet (fat) in the seed hulls and will check out the area and they can figure out daytime is the best time for bird feeders.
I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions. Kristin J. Harmon, Executive Secretary NH Fish & Game Region 2 PO Box 417 (200 Main Street) New Hampton, NH 03256-0417 Tel. 603/744-5470 Fax. 603/744-6302 On the web: www.wildnh.com Did you know? NH Fish & Game is a self-supported agency. Funding comes mainly through hunting and fishing license fees, federal grants and your donations. |