Dear Grant,

Last week we had the very unfortunate need to put down a momma bear and her 3 cubs after they broke into my neighbor’s home and assaulted the homeowners. They do not feed wildlife. That same bear and her cubs were at our house only a few minutes before the above referenced incident. Except for birds in the winter, we do not feed wildlife. She came upstairs and went down the length of the 2nd story deck checking each window. Our Lab immediately alerted my wife and I inside the house. I turned on the porch light, grabbed a flashlight in one hand and holding Packer in the other, slowly opened the front door. My intent was to scare the bear off the porch.
We were confronted by a big momma bear 3 ft from the door. Our yelling had no effect and Packer broke from my grip. After a chomp on the bears butt and a quick attack by the bear that ripped off his shoulder brace, he drove the bear off the deck.
This is the sixth time we have had a bear on our 2nd floor deck this fall. In the last 10 years there was only one other incident, and that was my fault when I accidently left food on the deck.
This is not historically normal bear behavior. This fall has seen a huge increase in the number of serious bear encounters. Dozens. In a year of plentiful moisture that should keep bears away.
Ten million years of bear genetics have not suddenly changed. What has changed is short term learned behavior in the last few bear generations. All wildlife, including bears, will always go to the easiest food sources. We have rampant feeding of wild life in peoples back porches and yards throughout the area.
I personally am aware of at least six homes where this is taking place. Hey, bears will and do eat the same food as deer or birds. Their sense of smell is many times greater than the best bloodhound. Bears now associate porches, homes and people with food. All of our homes smell like food to bears. The difference now is that the bears are accustomed to eating around homes and are losing their fear of humans. Momma bears are teaching their cubs (and have been for a long time) this is how you get easy food in the fall. People feeding deer and even birds (in bear season) are doing great harm by associating humans and homes as great places to get food.
Momma bears are teaching cubs this is how you survive around here, taking handouts or scraps from deer feed. The bears quickly figure out there is more food inside the homes. They smell it.
It is not the game warden’s fault. He did the right thing. This big bear was not afraid of humans and could easily get into any home, or car, even if locked up tight. It is happening all over town. Houses and cars broken into almost every night. Moving this bear would just put somebody else in danger next year. This behavior will not go away in these bears by moving them. It is a learned behavior several generations deep.
You want Lucas to immediately solve this problem? He could put together a posse and shoot every bear that comes into town for the next 3 years. That might get deep enough into this generations of learned behavior.
To all the bear lovers (I am one), you need to call out the illegal wildlife feeding going on in our community.
And to all the wildlife feeders – wait until a child is injured or killed by one of these apex predators you are BAITING down out on their natural environment. This includes the occasional mountain lion sighting around town. They are hunting your tame deer, many of which have never lived in the wild. Easy prey, just like children.
A fed bear is a dead bear. Believe it.
_{Paul Clauss, Lake City
BS Degree Zoology}