When I saw our motion detecting exterior lights flip on one night, I wasn't surprised. All manner of creatures tend to make them turn on, including bats, raccoons, skunks - and our barn cats. But something that night made me roll out of my cozy bed and peer through the window. That something, it turned out, was a bear, who was casually strolling down our driveway, straight toward our orchard and hen house. Then and there, I knew I had to arm myself with information so I could properly protect our homestead. My research, which included gleaning information from some of North America's preeminent experts on black bears, led to fascinating findings that have made me more comfortable living with bears near and on our homestead.
Black Bear Basics
Black bears (Ursus americanus) are the most common bear species in North America and the only bears the majority of people in the United States encounter. Despite their name, black bears can be brown, a reddish brown color officially called cinnamon, blond (which is actually off-white or very pale yellow), or black. According to Dr. Stephen Herrero, Ph.D., who taught animal behavior and ecology at the University of Calgary and is widely considered an authority on the topic, there are roughly 750,000 - 800,000 black bears in North America.
Black bears are omnivores, eating both plants and meat, but only 4 percent of their diet consists of small animals like fish, rodents, and opossum. 16 percent of a black bear's diet is insects (including ants, bees, and termites) and 80 percent is plants, like wild greens, fruit, and nuts. Thankfully for small farmers and homesteaders, black bears don't often show interest in eating pets or livestock. (But as I'll explain soon, that doesn't mean your livestock are 100% safe around black bears.)
 |
| Look for bear sign on your homestead. |
 |
| Black bear paw prints. |
Will Black Bears Do Damage on the Homestead?
According to Dr. Lynn Rogers, Ph.D., who has senior-authored more peer-reviewed scientific articles on black bears than anyone else and whose research has been compared to Jane Goodall's work with chimpanzees, "Farms and black bears don't get along too well."
There's no doubt black bears can do a lot of damage on farms and homesteads. I have personally seen them race through and break sheep fencing. They sometimes try to jump over fences, which can damage both fencing and t-posts. We've also had bears break into our garbage cans, stewing garbage throughout the homestead. My neighbors have seen black bears tear apart small structures, like sheds and hen houses, destroy and raid beehives, tear up gardens, and eat fruit and nuts from orchards.
Worst of all, I had a sow with two older cubs kill and eat my three Soay sheep. Black bear rarely harm larger livestock, but Soay are smaller sheep, and fall was coming on. And yes, I'm 100% sure the culprit was black bear; my ewe wore a bell and after she disappeared, I traced the ringing of that bell directly to a bear bed - which I did not enter.
More often, homesteaders and farmers complain about bear getting into their hen houses; smaller livestock are statistically more likely to get hit - yet our bear have left over chickens (in a run) and rabbits (in cages) alone.
 |
| Black bear come in several colors. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. |
Protecting the Farm From Black Bears
According to Rogers, humans are most likely to see black bears when wild food is scarce. They are primarily attracted to farms and homesteads by human and animal food, garbage, beehives, compost piles, and grills and barbecues. Fall and winter are especially common times to see black bears, but it's important to realize that in milder climates, they don't always hibernate, especially if wild food sources remain abundant.
That said, there are a few things you can do to discourage black bear visits on your homestead. First and foremost, harvest ripe fruit and nuts promptly, including anything that's fallen to the ground.
Always keep livestock, pet, and human food protected. Often, storing feed in garbage cans or closed plastic containers isn't enough to deter bears - unless those containers are tucked away inside secure buildings. The same holds true for freezers or refrigerators; they are best kept inside.
If you hang bird feeders, make sure they are at least 10 feet off the ground, and 10 feet away from tree trunks, porch railings, or anything bears could climb in order to reach the feeders.
When grilling or barbecuing, clean up after every use. Don't dump fat drippings in your yard. Burn the grease off the grill or barbecue after each use. Store grills in a secure building when not in use.
Keep kitchen garbage in sealed cans, ideally inside a building. To reduce odors that may attract bears, clean garbage cans regularly. To make them even less attractive to bears, you may wish to put moth balls inside them. Keep compost in enclosed containers and consider liming them if they have a strong smell. Do not put grease, dairy, bones, or meat in your compost bins.
Store sunscreen, bug spray, and any scented skin products inside the house, away from open windows. Avoid cooking with the windows or doors open.
Berries are one of black bears' favorite foods. While in the vicinity of berry patches, stay alert and make a lot of noise (loud talking, singing, or clapping). If you'll be near berry patches, especially those in wooded areas, bring a leashed dog who will alert you if a bear is nearby. It's probably also smart to carry a bear-appropriate gun, or at least bear spray. Similarly, when doing chores at dusk or dawn, always use a flashlight and make lots of noise.
Rogers notes that "electric fences work really well" at protecting animals, crops, and compost piles from black bears. A number of studies show that after touching an electric fence just once, black bears have little interest in messing with them again.
 |
| There's a lot you can do to make your homestead less attractive to bear. |
What to Do If You Encounter a Black Bear
Dr. Herrero is best known for his study of black bear attacks on humans, and his subsequent book, Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance. He's looked at 110 years of data and has concluded that deadly attacks are extremely rare. "We found that during the past decade, about two people a year are killed by black bears," he says. "But obviously, if you or one of your loved ones is one of those two people, then that's two too many." Therefore, if you live where black bears roam, you (and everyone in your family, including children) should know how to react if you happen to bump into one.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of conflicting advice about what humans should do during bear encounters. However, most of the confusion comes from not understanding that the ways of brown bears (grizzlies) are very different from those of black bears. Also, it's important to realize what type of black bear is the greatest threat. According to both Herrero and Rogers, despite what most of us have been taught, that is not a mother bear with cubs. "She may act very aggressively. She makes a lot of noise," Herrero says. But the evidence is clear: She's not much of a threat to humans.
Herrero found a distinct pattern in black bear attacks on humans. Black bears that make a lot of noise or stomp the ground or try to look like a threat aren't the bears humans should generally be concerned about. "The bears that occasionally kill people are ones that do it very stealthfully, much like you would expect a predator to do," he says. "They get close to a person and then they charge - usually without making any noise."
Herrero is also quick to point out that most black bears involved in fatal human attacks live in rural areas of Canada and Alaska. "There are a lot of black bears in the lower 48, but they don't seem to be so involved," he says. Being out alone in the wilderness, or with a single companion, makes an attack a bit more likely, as does bumping into a sick or injured bear.
Herrero states, "What kind of bears are involved in fatal attacks? It's largely male black bears that are looking for a meal."
 |
| Food is what makes black bear a nuisance - and can make them dangerous. Photo courtesy of ShenandoahNPS. |
If you see a black bear on your homestead:
• Throw rocks at him (or shoot a paintball gun his direction) and make a lot of noise. Just be sure you're not cornering the bear, since this may instigate an attack.
• If the bear manages to get inside a building, open all the doors and move well away from them. Never lock the bear in or make him feel trapped. Make noise to encourage the bear to leave.
If you encounter a black bear unexpectedly:
• Back away slowly, making sure the bear has an escape route.
• Make a lot of noise.
• Don't climb a tree; bears are faster and better climbers than humans.
• Don't run away, even if the bear charges. Black bears can outrun humans, and watching you run may bring out a bear's predatory instincts. Usually, a charging black bear will turn and run away if a human stands her ground - especially if that human holds out her arms to make herself look bigger than she is.
Many people wonder if they should play dead if a black bear attacks them. Most experts agree that if you find yourself in the rare instance of being attacked by a black bear, it's better to fight back. Hit the bear with a stick, a rock, or just your fists. Most black bears will retreat if you fight back.
.jpg) |
| Black bear can leave marks on trees. Courtesy of the National Park Gallery. |
Although it is smart to protect your home and homestead from black bears, it's also important to note that, as Rogers puts it, "Black bears are not the ferocious animals they've always been made out to be." In fact, during his career, he's found them mostly docile. Early in his studies, he found traps and tranquilizers were completely unnecessary. Instead, he says, "I walked with them for 24 hour periods at a time - including mothers with cubs - and never had a problem." He would allow the bears to become familiar with him until he could stroke their backs and feed them by hand, even the biggest males removing the nuts from his palm with gentle tongues. Eventually, he could slip radio collars on them, check their heart rates, and examine them closely without fear. He is often called "The Man Who Walks With Bears" for just this reason. (NOTE: I do not recommend following Rogers' example.)
Rogers also concludes that the old saying "never feed a bear" doesn't hold up to scrutiny. In fact, he conducted an eight-year study that showed having feeding stations half a mile away from human campgrounds reduced problematic encounters by 88 percent. "And after I retired, I did private research for over 20 years, studying a community - about a dozen households - who'd been feeding bears since 1961," he says. "That community is known for its lack of bear problems. It's the most peaceful coexistence with bears that I know of anywhere."
A version of this article first appeared in Grit magazine in June of 2023. Cover image courtesy of lwolfartist.
No comments