Alternative "bear bait" ideas.

COUNTRYSIDE: In response to Elizabeth Smith of Poulsbo, Washington's bear problems (March/April 2006): This is, I am afraid to say, a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of "proverbial" cure. There is one sure-fire way to remove the bear threat--remove the source of food.

Bird feeders, pet food left outside, livestock food left open, trash and even unclean BBQ grills are enticing to bears, raccoons and other wild animals.

This source of provender is known in "bear prevention circles" as attractants.

Living in bear country is like camping in bear country: a clean campsite is usually a bear free campsite. The same rules apply: keep it clean and food free and the bears won't bother you. But when we live year round in the woods, we begin to think of the land as our neighborhood. We often forget and our actions, while well intentioned, can be disastrous: by feeding the wild animals that nature intended to fend for themselves, we upset the balance in the food supply.

This solution may not be palatable to Ms. Smith but it will solve her bear/raccoon problems--if she is persistent and conscientious in keeping the attractants away from her wild animal neighbors. As harsh as it may seem, this is for the benefit of all (even the birds). Please have patience and read on--I'll explain ...

1. By attracting animals to a single food source, they can become prey to the spread of disease via the concentration of populations in a small area. In nature, these same populations might never come into contact with each other. An ill animal, unable to forage for itself, can spread a contagion throughout a local population.

2. We create a pattern of dependence--learned foraging patterns and other survival instincts become dulled or incompletely learned by young generations and we create "dependence" in the population on human feeding habits.

3. Bird seed, along with the other attractants listed above, although this is by no means an exhaustive list, encourages wildlife--as Ms. Smith has learned with the raccoons and bears--including deer and smaller herbivores, to feed on the leavings. With Chronic Wasting Disease spreading quickly through the Rocky Mountain West (although, I'm glad to say it does not appear to have reached Washington State yet) the time to change habits and learn new healthy habits is now. By changing our habits, we can help to protect the local population of deer and elk as this disease spreads across our land.

4. The predators, such as mountain lions, bears, coyotes and even foxes will frequent areas where prey animals gather near our homes--very shortly thereafter, the predators "learn" not to fear human intervention and often there will be an increase of attacks on farm animals, pets and in extreme cases, humans--and all because "we" were trying to do something nice for ourselves and for our fine feathered friends.

I speak from experience--In 1997 the Colorado Division of Wildlife began a program with a handful of volunteers to help educate and secure the safety of both our human and wild animal neighbors. I was one of the first lucky recruits into this program. Over the years, I have learned a great deal about bears, mountain lions and the other wild denizens of the forest. The saddest part of my experience in this matter is that it is our uninformed habits that often spell disaster.

I am not under any illusions about nature; I'm not a self-described "tree hugger" and it is my opinion that neither should be anyone who lives in the woods. I have a great deal of respect for the power and efficiency of each of nature's creatures. I've been lucky enough to see much of it first hand--each creature is truly amazing in its gifts and determination to live its life.

But a problem bear, or other large predator, can rarely be rehabilitated to living in wildlife--after a certain point of living among humans, all the fear will be gone and with it, an increasing threat to each of us. Truly, there is nothing so heartbreaking as witnessing one of nature's beautiful, wild brethren destroyed for becoming a problem to the human population and all because "we" created dependence where none should have ever existed.

Please, I urge Ms. Smith to reconsider the wisdom of her bird feeders and I applaud her interest in planting good bird habitat! For anyone who lives in bear country and feels they must put out feeders, please wait until the bears have gone into hibernation. In Washington State, I would imagine from mid-December until mid-March would be the best time to put out feeders, but hibernation dates can vary from year to year, depending on the weather. Check with your state wildlife agency for dates in your area. Please note: you may still have a raccoon problem and there is still the issue of the deer and mountain lions to consider but at least the bears won't be an issue.

There may be other submissions from well-meaning folks with home remedies and serious deterrents--I've heard them all over the years and some actually do work, but each comes with a cost.

Yes, a deep cycle marine battery hooked to heavy stock panels built around the feeders will keep out all but the most determined bear but do you really want to "fortify" your bird feeders with something that dangerous? Heaven forbid a pet or a child should reach out and touch such a defense.

And yes there are "Mace Barrels" loaded with fish and capsaicin spray but some bears just learn to hold their breath and close their eyes while they seize the goodies and avoid the spray.

And yes, several large aggressive herd guarding dogs bred to protect flocks of sheep from predators will often keep all the wild animals away but you will notice that visitors are also unwelcome since these dogs must have free roam of the area in order to do the job. These dogs need a very strong-willed owner who is willing to work with them constantly to maintain control over them. Even then, there is danger to a welcome guest who might arrive unannounced.

Is this really how you want to live your life? Is it not much easier to find the balance and live within it?

I urge all of the COUNTRYSIDE readers who live in bear country to educate themselves about living in balance with the predators as well as the prey. The Internet is a great place to start. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has a website with some helpful information--http://wildlife.state.co.us/ WildlifeSpecies/Co-existingWithWildlife/. Just click on any of the Coexisting with Wildlife Topics on the right side of the page. This is just a starting place--many other great sites exist to learn more! I wish Ms. Smith best of luck with her bear situation and I thank her for bring up this topic. Hopefully, many more people will learn from her question.--Lisa McNeill, Bear Aware Volunteer, Colorado

COUNTRYSIDE: I am writing in response to the letter in the March/April 2006 issue on bears that like Twinkies. I am originally from the Adirondacks in New York, My neighbors and my family use to get a lot of bears around the yard also. They would get into anything they could. Bears like chocolate and therefore we used Ex-Lax[R]. It would not harm the bears, it only gave them the runs. The bears we had stopped coming around afraid they would get the runs again.

A lot of establishments at that time would use this technique. A conservation officer also said it was no danger to them as long as the bear didn't like it and come back for more. We never saw them again. I cannot remember how much we used to give each bear. It worked and was a good remedy to the bears.--Kelly, New York