About an hour ago...

[Pat B]

..I was in my chair reading Undaunted Courage. It had just started raining which spoiled my attempt to mow. Because of the rain, Lucy, our choc lab was laying between the coffee table and couch(her rain hiding spot) and Marcia was in the sunroom working on a paper mache' project.  As I'm reading I keep hearing a thumping sound. I'd listen and it would stop then start again. For some reason I looked out the front screen door, which is about 6' from my chair, and sitting on the porch rail, 10" from the screen door is a 100# bear, sitting on his haunches stealing sugar water from the hummingbird feeder hanging from the porch roof.
  As not to piss him off but to startle him, I yelled and slammed the door. He jumped on to the porch and ran across it and down the stairs, across the driveway and down the powerline. Marcia grabbed her camera but it was too late. When I opened the door Lucy hit the ground with her nose to the trail the bear took. Two minutes later she came back. 
  Now how cool is this. I love living in the country. 

[SLIMBOB]

Very cool. That is one of my all time favorite books.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Cool experience Pat. Very cool. Bears are intriguing characters.

[osage outlaw]

Next time have the wife get a few pictures before you give the bear a heart attack.

[Pat B]

Clint, I reacted to being startled. I wish I had just quietly mentioned it to my wife so we could have gotten pics. Marcia was ready with the camera pretty fast.  It spooked me because it is so unusual for us here at our house. I know they are out there, we just rarely see them. There are lots of bears in this part of the country. They hit bird feeders, trash cans, anywhere they can get a meal. Here on our property we have always had dogs and not on leashes or in pens. Our dogs, usually two at a time have always felt the freedom of coming and going as they please and we are lucky they can.
 Lucy is on her own now since we lost Sister. She needs a new partner and when we get a new pup she will needs a good teacher; Lucy ...local critters beware! The chipmunks are taking over to.  Our dogs have never run deer or bears or whatever, they run them off, then back to the porch or inside.
  Pearlie, bears are way cool. It's great to know we share the woods with them.
Bob, I've just started Undaunted Courage and just starting Chapter 4. My wife read it a few years ago and loved it.  She has been trying to get me to read it since. I've been down for a few days with a stomach virus so I have had plenty of time to read. 

[bow101]

That is cool as long as its just fun and not the other way.....   They say that bears are #3 in smartness in the animal world next to pigs, then apes.   dogs have over 20-30 facial features that give off impressions but most people only pay attention to popular ones like tongue hanging out and tail wagging, droopy ears, been submissive, astute (curiosity), been baffled, shy, and agreesive.

[4dog]

patb...i live in the country...YOU apparently...live in the wilderness...lol..and thats different.

[blackhawk]

Cool Pat!!! Earlier this spring our neighbor across the street witnessd a bear getting into her bird feeder, and we also had a momma n two cubs running the neighborhood as well this year....not to many bears on this side of Pa,but they are around....lots of bruins tho in the northern central mountains here...there's always a 700-800 pounder taken out of pa here it seems like most years...def some big boys out there....our bear season is a measly 3 days long,and no baiting allowed either...wish theyed change it a little....but that's prob why we have such a healthy population and record size blackies

[Pat B]

Chris, like I said we have a good population here. Our county is almost half National Forest(Pisgah NF) and State Park(DuPont SP, The Gorges SP) with lots of large tracks of land, lots of remote areas. Our big bears are 250# to 350# although not too far from here last year in SC a 609# bear was shot. Most big NC bears live in the eastern Coastal areas.
  4dog, my 25ac property backs up to a 4000ac housing development.

[Badger]

  Cool story.

[Marc St Louis]

Good story Pat

We had to buy a new car, a mini van, last year as my old Mazda truck died.  I got up one morning, not long after we bought it, and went outside.  I noticed some dirt on it so I went over to have a look.  There were paw prints all around it about chest high and in front they disappeared and reappeared on the hood then windshield and finally the roof.  Looked to be about a 150# Bear.  No dents but there were fine scratch marks in the paint

[4dog]

i stand corrected sir! ..lol...(wish i had bears to watch)

[Pat B]

 A funny story happened around here a few years ago. A woman came home and heard noise in her kitchen. She went back to investigate and a bear was at her kitchen table eating a cake. She yelled, the bear grabbed the cake and ran out the sliding door off the deck into the woods.
  Another funny one was the woman that wrote to the local news paper complaining about the bears tearing up her bird feeders. She wrote that she had been there longer than the pesky bears and she wished the DNR would come take care of the bears. Funny how folks move to a small mountain town and they are surprised to see bears. 

[TRACY]

Bear scare!



Tracy

[neuse]

Pat,
I envy you. I live in a concrete jungle.
Good bear expeirence.