Unbearable

[tropicsteve]

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh605/tropicsteve/ray_cheryl_bears_13july2016.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh605/tropicsteve/ray_cheryl_bears_13july2016_2.jpg
http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh605/tropicsteve/ray_cheryl_bears_12july2016.jpg

actually, quite bearable. my brother lives in the mountains of West "By God" Virginia and often has visitors to a couple of apple trees on his land by his home.

[JBM]

Thats a big momma bear

[tropicsteve]

there`s usually plenty for them to eat around there, but the winters can be a little brutal.

[Lonnie]

Bears are a real "nuisance" here in Wisconsin because of their effect on the white-tail deer population and the associated gun and archery hunters who are complaining that they are seeing less-and-less deer in the woods and more-and-more black bear. Part of the "problem" is man-made on two fronts:
1) Feeding of white tail deer and birds by hunters and Northwood inhabitants (Bear eat shelled corn, bird seed, and apples, too). Bear have become "brave" and do not fear man-inhabited areas if there is easy food. Ask those inhabitants who have had their bird feeder ransacked by bears; its not pretty!!!.
Many deer hunters complain that bear and the ever-increasing re-introduced wolf populations are eating fawns when they are born in late May, reducing deer herd sizes. While I myself am not a hunter, I can attest to the fact that there are, indeed, less deer sightings in the Northwoods. One positive, though, is that there are also less deer-auto collisions, BUT this is disputed by the insurance industry as there are more vehicles on the road than ever before, so deer-vehicle collisions are increasing (which may be true! As they say in Wisconsin (to paraphrase a saying about Indy 500 drivers hitting the wall at the fabled raceway), "There are two types of drivers in Wisconsin: Those who have hit deer and those who are going to hit deer!" The early to mid November rut requires extreme driver-vigilance to travel via a vehicle in ANY part of wooded Wisconsin, especially during full-moon nights!)
2) Not enough bear hunters to control the bear population. It takes a big investment in bear-hunting dogs and time to train dogs them properly. PLUS the cost of a bear hunting permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (W-DNR) and the baiting-restrictions for bear (No honey or peanut butter) make it economically feasible for only the most-dedicated and ardent bear-hunting sportspeople via gun or bow.

So while bears look "cute" to tourist and seasonal Northwoods visitors, they pose bigger problems to local inhabitants and deer hunters.

[Ronkh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogQ0uge06o

[tropicsteve]

Bears are a real "nuisance" here in Wisconsin because of their effect on the white-tail deer population and the associated gun and archery hunters who are complaining that they are seeing less-and-less deer in the woods and more-and-more black bear. Part of the "problem" is man-made on two fronts:
1) Feeding of white tail deer and birds by hunters and Northwood inhabitants (Bear eat shelled corn, bird seed, and apples, too). Bear have become "brave" and do not fear man-inhabited areas if there is easy food. Ask those inhabitants who have had their bird feeder ransacked by bears; its not pretty!!!.
Many deer hunters complain that bear and the ever-increasing re-introduced wolf populations are eating fawns when they are born in late May, reducing deer herd sizes. While I myself am not a hunter, I can attest to the fact that there are, indeed, less deer sightings in the Northwoods. One positive, though, is that there are also less deer-auto collisions, BUT this is disputed by the insurance industry as there are more vehicles on the road than ever before, so deer-vehicle collisions are increasing (which may be true! As they say in Wisconsin (to paraphrase a saying about Indy 500 drivers hitting the wall at the fabled raceway), "There are two types of drivers in Wisconsin: Those who have hit deer and those who are going to hit deer!" The early to mid November rut requires extreme driver-vigilance to travel via a vehicle in ANY part of wooded Wisconsin, especially during full-moon nights!)
2) Not enough bear hunters to control the bear population. It takes a big investment in bear-hunting dogs and time to train dogs them properly. PLUS the cost of a bear hunting permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (W-DNR) and the baiting-restrictions for bear (No honey or peanut butter) make it economically feasible for only the most-dedicated and ardent bear-hunting sportspeople via gun or bow.

So while bears look "cute" to tourist and seasonal Northwoods visitors, they pose bigger problems to local inhabitants and deer hunters.

yep, throw in a lot of cold weather and I have more than enough reasons to stay in Florida. no wait, we have black bears, alligators and hurricanes! :o

[GearHead_1]

Saw this in the news yesterday, this one wasn`t very large.

https://ksl.com/?sid=40630791&nid=148

[briarpatch]

We have quite the black bear population here in NJ....mainly in the northern part of the state. Thankfully, they`re few and far between where I live. We have a limited hunting season for them, and there have been a few killed between 600 - 700 pounds. Some of the largest black bears in the world live here. In those photos from the original poster, the most dangerous of all of them is that sow with her cubs. Get between them, and regardless of your race, creed, or sexual orientation......your life no longer matters...to her at least.

[House of Wax]

we`ve actually had a couple of black bears in Northern Illinois in the past year

[Lonnie]

we`ve actually had a couple of black bears in Northern Illinois in the past year
No, you`ve had Bears for quite some time in Northern Illinois, and they STILL cannot play good football!! At least the other Bear-related team (Cubs) is doing "better".

[House of Wax]

No, you`ve had Bears for quite some time in Northern Illinois, and they STILL cannot play good football!! At least the other Bear-related team (Cubs) is doing "better".

As a diehard Vikings fan, i would agree.....I loathe the Bears

[Lonnie]

Seriously, I DO NOT loathe any of the NFL teams. (OK, maybe the Cowboys and their owner (`nough said!)). Were it not for the other teams in the NFL, there would be no Green Bay Packers team, which may sound like Captain Obvious speaking, but the Packers get a large chunk of their organization revenue from TV viewing rites supplied by the other 27 teams in the NFL. Do not bite the hand that feed you (including Lions and Vikings and Bears, Oh My!!)