Bear Proof Bird Feeder - Too Late In the Season for Concrete?

[Diggin It]

I pull the feeders in every night as I don't want to attract bears.

My FTFs don't exactly have the greatest table manners, so it seems like half the seed ends up on the ground where the rabbits, raccoons and whatever else have at it. Unless you plan on taking a shop-vac out there every night, there will be lots available for the creatures of the night

 

[BoylermanCT]

I know what you mean about the mess. I used to hang feeders from the roof eaves over the bilco doors. Made a mess and had seed shells on the stairs underneath the closed doors.

When the snow is here the feeders get hundred of birds a day plus the squirrels. I enjoy seeing the different species of birds. I've become a causal bird watcher, tracking all of the different types of birds that stop by.

 

[Pawatch]

I had a 2" heavy duty piece of top rail in the ground 2.5 feet for a bird feeder. Few years ago a bear come through and bent it right over. "Bird feeder got destroyed"
Then the bear got startled and it bolted right through 6' high solid PVC fence.

 

[aczlan]

My FTFs don't exactly have the greatest table manners, so it seems like half the seed ends up on the ground where the rabbits, raccoons and whatever else have at it. Unless you plan on taking a shop-vac out there every night, there will be lots available for the creatures of the night

One thing I heard was to not use mixed seeds, just use a single variety in each feeder, that way the birds will be less likely to throw the ones they dont want on the ground.

Aaron Z

 

[jfh28]

we attract a wide variety of winter birds and I find that the feed that is thrown on the ground by the picky birds is readily eaten by the ground eater birds that happily hang around under the feeders......and whatever is left at the end of the day is scarfed up by the squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits overnight.......very rarely is there anything on the ground when I rehang the feeders in the morning......I use a mix seed and also hang a no-melt suet block for the woodpeckers.......Jack

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I use a mixture of sunflower seed and chicken scratch in about a two or three to one ratio. I have a squirrel baffle on my feeder, so the squirrels get what falls on the ground, and we don't have bears so that's not a problem. The raccoons can get past t he baffle, but that's not a problem either. Between the turkeys and doves, the ground gets pretty well cleaned up. We get all kinds of birds, and it's never been a nuisance. My neighbor, however, is another story. She puts shelled corn on the ground and that attracts...believe it or not...Mallards, Canadian Geese, Crows, Turkeys...and worst of all...deer...who also like to graze on my tomatoes, Purple Hull Peas, sweet potato vines, flowers, etc.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I found out my bird feeder pole is also a well pump puller. My well died Thursday and I needed a pipe with handle to hook into the pitman connector to pull the pump out. My 6’ top section of the bird feeder pole screwed right in and was long enough to reach down 5’ to the well pipe. Two birds with one stone.

Replaced the well pump and threw the circuit breaker and nothing. Should have tested the wire. 240 v at the top, 0 at the bottom. Will replace 210 ft of 12 gauge wire tomorrow.

 

[mscheeer772]

here's my dads bear proof bird feeder. Spent 10-12 hrs making it.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

View attachment 576567View attachment 576568

here's my dads bear proof bird feeder. Spent 10-12 hrs making it.

Maybe "Bear Resistant" would be a better term?

 

[BoylermanCT]

Now that the well has been fixed, and I no longer need the well puller tool, I had time to mount it on the base pole and finish the bird feeder today. Should be ready for winter. The wooden pole leaning up against the feeder pole is 8' long and has a hook on the end so I can get to the feeders.