Robin's Outdoors

I need the animal control officer!  Oh wait…that’s me.  Sorry, I don’t handle wildlife calls.

We have a bear and I suspect he’s going to be a nuisance.  While working in the garden Monday I thought I saw bear tracks in soupy mud but convinced myself it wasn’t really.  We haven’t seen a bear here in 12 years, since we first moved here.  A sow and year and a half old cub ate blueberries in our back yard at night.

Around 8:15 pm I went out to check on the foster cat, turn off the outside faucet and feed the ducklings. The barn ducks were acting up. Scooter visited with the cat while I walked behind the barn to see what was wrong. I looked around and there it was at the other end of the 100′ rows of potatoes. I’ve never been scared of a bear before but this one turned me on my heels for the house fast. I can’t repeat what I said before I called Scooter to come to the house with me.

When I got to this side of the barn I ran back in the house, yelled to Steve, grabbed the camera (you knew I was gong back out, right?) and went out. I could hear it going into the woods behind the big greenhouse. Steve came out and we stood quietly to listen. Nothing. Everyone knows if you yell you’ll scare a bear away. They’re shy animals unless you meet up with a sow and her cubs.  Not this time. I thought it was gone. We headed out to the back of the potatoes to look for tracks. When we were almost there the bear crashed through the woods. *I* do not scare easily in the woods but there’s something not quite right about a bear that doesn’t leave the area. “Come on, Steve, that bear shouldn’t still be here.” He didn’t pay attention. He wanted to see it. I went 10′, turned around and said, “Seriously Steve, this isn’t safe.” CRASH went the bear. In .039 seconds Steve was right behind me!

The neighbor .2 miles from us called about 20 minutes later. He was in her driveway. We drove over but he was gone. We went another .3 miles past her home to turn around and missed him. When we got home Steve went in the house and I headed for the rabbitry to close it up. Cat is in there in his crate. I didn’t make it! The bear is right across the street. He’s upset. We can hear him huffing very loudly!

The faucet is still on.  It’s going to drip for the night.  This explains the commotion I heard two nights ago. I’m missing three ducks.    I blamed it on an owl.  The ducks are now locked in the barn. It might also explain why my dogs refuse to go out after sunset. In the morning I’ll call the warden to talk about this.  I think I’d like to have the bear trapped and moved.  Passing through is one thing.  Coming back is another.