Bears and Garbage

   / Bears and Garbage #1  

PILOON

Super Star Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
10,614
Location
North of Mtl,Que,Can (Ste Adele)
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MT180D
While we are in a true rural setting, we have weekly garbage pickup.

The system used here is large plastic bins on wheels that are loaded by a robotic truck system.

Naturally the bears tend to treat the bins as a 'drive in lunch counter' and if they trash the bin then we, home owners, have to purchase a new one.

In the past we simply repaired the wooden boxes we all made.

My question is:
Being plastic I could easily wire up an electric fence unit to (hopefully) zap mr (or mrs) bear.

Any experience doing this?

Will it be effective?

Any info I have read makes me think that electric fences may not be as effective on a bear due to his hair being longer than cattle and horses, hopefully I am wrong.

Thanks.
 
   / Bears and Garbage #2  
I had a bad bear problem at my farm. It seemed a bear didn't want to eat my trash but eat my horse!! it chased her multiple times. It went right through ( between ) the electric fence every time. It is a ten mile fence that will make a person really sorry they touched it. it didn't effect the bear at all.
I finally "caught " it chasing her one day when I happened to have my 30.06 ready. I did what I had to do to protect my horse. I was questioned 4 different times by the DNR Police. threatened with jail time etc.. I then I handed them my Lawyers card and said lets go to court then because I'm sick of you questioning me on a weekly basis.
I never heard from them again. But they do seem to be around my property a whole bunch during hunting season since then.. hmmmm????
I did everything possible to get the DNR to trap this bear before either my horse was dead or the bear was dead. I called them to come trap it, asked how I could deter it..ect...Luckily the bear got it first.

I even tried the balloon filled with amonia and smeared with peanut butter. Didn't work. I wanted to try buckshot in my shotgun but the DNR said they would fine me for Harrassing the bear !!! I then asked them if they are going to fine the bear for harrassing my horse? ( FYI, the DNR in Md. DO NOT have a sense of humor )

Maybe you can try and call the state game commission and see if they will trap this nuisiance bear.
 
   / Bears and Garbage #3  
If there is a "Bear" and garbage problem there are usually three solutions. Relocate yourself. Relocate the Bear. Play some Heavy Metal music.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Bears and Garbage
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Last year mama bear had 3 cubs that I am sure are now trained garbage pickers so this spring and summer should be a nice scene to behold.
Upturned bins and garbage strewn all over the place.

The game wardens dit attempt to trap the bear last summer but she is a wise ol thing. Managed to enter the cage, take the bait and escape untouched.
She wears a tag indicating that she has been trapped and relocated at least once.
Therein lies ane problem.
Catch and relocate, translated, give somebody else the problem.

We see that also with coons and black squirells that the suburb 'tree huggers' don't want.
As a result our area has more than we need as they forever 'dump on our doorstep'.

But if I 'electrify' my plastic garbage box (easy as plastic is non-conductive and it would simply be a 'wire wrap job') would mr bear get a jolt? or will his hairy coat insulate him?
 
   / Bears and Garbage #5  
The only place electricity would jolt the bear would be on their nose or head -- so think and plan accordingly. Their thick coat of hair protects them everywhere else...

I've had the same challenge tried to use a "dog-zapper" with thick-coated Huskies and Malamutes...
 
   / Bears and Garbage #6  
Sadly, what you are seeing is man moving into their habitat and the bears adapting to it. At the rate of people moving to the country, this situation will not improve. It is a difficult situation to judge...I feel for you because I can see where it is a major inconvenience. I have the same problem with wild dogs getting into my trash. But you know someone will ask the question, probably not as nicely as I, "Who was there first...you or the bear?" Bear are still pretty heavily protected so you are stuck in a tight spot. In my opinion, the best solution is to attempt trapping and relocate to a refuge or somewhere less populated.
 
   / Bears and Garbage #7  
You could electrify the plastic bin. But like I said in my other post i have seen them just slip right through my electric fence many times.
What you could do though is go ahaed and electrify it and then put a bunch of peanut butter on aluminum foil strips and hang that from the fence. ( making sure you turn it off BEFORE you hang the foil on it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) The bear will lick it and get a good dose of the tingles!!) a few licks and I think he will have enough peanut butter for a while.
Worth a try. I have heard it works pretty good.
I could not do that on my horse fence, although the Game Warden suggested that. I ask him if he thinks horses like peanut butter? Obviously he dosn't know about horses.
 
   / Bears and Garbage #8  
My parents used to have the same problem. What I did was wrap the trashcan with aluminum foil, attach an electric fence to the foil, then smear sausage and bacon grease all over the foil. When the bear licked the grease, it got zapped. After three of four times of getting zapped, it stopped bothering my parent's garbage can. Just remember to remove the wire before the garbageman picks up your trash. It took several weeks and many phone calls and promises to get the refuse company to pick up our trash again.

Another solution, if you have enough trash to justify it, get a dumpster. You may be able to keep the lid latched in a manner that the bear can't get in, but the trashman can unlatch the tops.
 
   / Bears and Garbage #9  
Just happened across this section in TBN. A post about bears and garbage. Yup, they like it... We have both colors in this part of the world -- brown (Grizzly) and black bears. Both of 'em can cause you some problems and major grief! The brown ones are a whole lot bigger and stronger, though! Big, heavy bear-proof dumpsters are expensive but they work. Electric fences are very effective as well. Bears (even with long hair) don't tolerate electric fences at all! We use an electice fence (solar powered) at a remote cabin and fish pass. The bears are/were a problem with all the salmon in that location but the electric fence is a very effective means to keep them out.
The neighbor had a brown bear sow and 3 cubs invade his place last spring. He likes to raise birds - weird chickens, chukars, bobwhite quail, ducks, lesser canadas... The kids are in 4-H and raise turkeys and pigs. The bears ate all the birds EXCEPT the turkeys and pigs. Absolutely flattened --- I mean smashed, the beautiful coops he had built! They tried --- there were muddy paw prints 7' up the side of the hog shed but the electric fence saved their bacon (sorry... couldn't help myself /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)! Several strands wrapped close together such that they get an ear or nose or eye close to the juice! A few times and they will disperse. But --- and this is the biggest BUT --- you should try too contain the garbage in the stoutest and least exposed garbage bin possible! Bears will always be rotating in and out if there is a food source beckoning.
We have many a number of bears moving through our property. (KNOCK on wood... we don't leave our garbage out or dog food or chicken feed or ANYTHING that a bear might find attractive and haven't had a bad experience.) Just like the goshawks and owls that try to eat our chickens; we don't shoot 'em or trap 'em! Cover the chicken pen (it's electric, too) with netting and put 'em the coop for a couple of days until the raptors loose interest. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif AKfish
 
   / Bears and Garbage #10  
I'm reviving a pretty stale thread, but it seems better than starting a new one.

My wife and I will be starting to slowly work on our land in southern Colorado soon. It's remote, and hence bear country. We'll be camping and/or putting up a shed until we can built in a couple years, and so handling both garbage and food is a concern.

I was at the BORG today and saw lockable steel 'jobsite' storage containers similar to this:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=195894-76354-195894

So, the question is whether this type of unit in 14 gauge steel would be bear-proof enough to serve as food cooler/garbage storage. From what I can determine, CO is black bear territory, so we don't need to be concerned with monster grizzlys, so I'd think that 14 gauge would be OK.

The main motivation (of course) is that the specialty bear-proof units are pretty expensive, but also that you can get food OR garbage containers, but not really one that will handle both. A big generic box seems to be a bit more flexible, although it would take some work to isolate things so the garbage didn't pollute the food storage.
 

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