Alabama bears

[IanC]

Sorry to be bear obsessed, but that's how I get about things.  Reading up on bears around here, I find that they're extremely rare in this area, though sightings have increased. Most of the bears in southern Alabama are Florida bears that have migrated, but bears in these parts have migrated from Georgia. I found several news stories about bear sightings here. One guy was fined for shooting at one in town and another arrested for killing one. But, I found one interview with a guy who denies they exist at all. The Alabama Black Bear Alliance has a site for reporting bears, but just hearing one doesn't count.

I remember the days when I lived in Florida in the 70's that people were calling Florida panthers a myth and anyone who said they saw one was considered a Bigfoot hunter.  There have been sightings of cougars in Massachusetts even and a jaguar sighting in Texas.  Makes me happy to think how nature continually tries to bring things back to the way they naturally were before we came.

That brings me to Everglades pythons.  I highly doubt the numbers they always report since there is no way to count them.  They probably took a census of a defined area and extrapolated that to the entire Everglades. That area could have been an unusually high breeding area.  Look at the hunts they put on.  Hundreds of hunters and they bring in what? 30 or so?  But the numbers of hundreds of thousands seem ridiculous to me.  Plus, pythons have natural ranges all over the world and they don't decimate animal populations - more likely keep populations under control.  Pythons may be the answer to the hog problem and alligator overpopulation.  Look at the diversity of fossil animals they find.  It's a human concept that certain animals belong in certain places - just because that's how it was when we arrived. Boas  could just as easily have naturally migrated up from Central America at some point as climates change in a human-free environment.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

There have just been a few sightings of a Black bear in my town, and one hit and killed in the town next door. They're usually almost non existent in Southern Maine and the wardens are advising everyone to be on the lookout as their population seems to be much higher than normal for our area this year.

I'd love to get a picture of one, but they're extremely elusive. Was thinking of grabbing a trail cam and setting it up out back. See what kind of wildlife roams thru at night.

 

[IanC]

There have just been a few sightings of a Black bear in my town, 

Wow, I thought they'd be all over Maine.  It's funny, I've seen less wildlife now that I've been in wildlife habitat than I did when I lived in a city neighborhood. Deer only once when I was in Texas but see them all the time back home. Never seen a coyote, only heard them, but they live in a city park back home (raid the children's zoo there) - saw a young one sitting watching traffic from a church lawn during rush hour once. . The only racoon I saw was in the swamp in Lousiana, but skunks, racoons and possums are all over my old neighborhood, and bears are all over western Mass and moose have come right into town in a neighboring town. Turkeys? fugedaboutit!

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Wow, I thought they'd be all over Maine.  It's funny, I've seen less wildlife now that I've been in wildlife habitat than I did when I lived in a city neighborhood. 

I think Maine has the highest black bear population in the lower 48, just not in the heavier populated southern portion.  I saw a Sow and three cubs a few years back when I was exploring some old logging roads, but they took off full speed at first sight of my truck,  it was in a large clearing so i got to watch them run for about 20 seconds, it was a worthwhile experience.  

I'm having the same experience as you!,  I have 100's of acres right at the edge of my backyard of undeveloped land and I never see a single thing, two turkeys and a groundhog in the six months i've been up here.  In Mass, I'd see groups of 30+ turkeys daily, a few deer a month, fox and coyotes a few times a year.  We also had a Raccoon living in a hollowed out old tree and a skunk under the shed in Mass.  

I don't even see roadkill up here, hope these woods aren't sterile!  Although I took Camo for a walk the other day down the one side street near me and there was two piles of deer poop on the edge of the road, and I hear Coyotes howling at night, but it's very faint so they're out there somewhere but pretty far away.

 

[IanC]

I'm having the same experience as you!,  I have 100's of acres right at the edge of my backyard of undeveloped land and I never see a single thing,

Ticks and skeeters count as wildlife, don't they?

 

[Fluffhead]

I've seen 4 bears in 20+ years of hiking and biking here in Pennsylvania. Considering we have an estimated 20,000 black bears in the state, you would think that I would have seen more. The hunters seem to find them though. They harvest 3,000-4,000 bears each year.

http://www.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2017/02/how_many_bears_did_pennsylvani_1.html

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

IMO you see more wildlife on the edges of civilization for three reasons:  they become more acclimated to the sights and sounds of people, they have less 'natural' environment to forage, they have equated humans as a good food source.  I regularly have Sandhill cranes, ducks, pheasants, deer, rabbits, squirrels, mink, eagles, owls, . . . in my backyard.  We have had more black bears in Duluth the last couple of years, I think because of the expanding bear population.

I don't see them in the woods because they hear, smell, see me before I see them and quietly move away.  I do see a lot of sign of their presence.  It doesn't help that I hike with a beagle :s

-- Spiff

 

[ArtW]

Ticks and skeeters count as pests
People in cities feed animals, intentionally or otherwise, and since we don't tend to try to kill them all that much anymore, they're loosing their fear, at least in non face to face situation
Deer in the Westlake Hills area of Texas (just outside Austin) are abundant, and will come right up to parked cars, as people feed them
Same in that park Bobski recommended to me. Not that thick, but unafraid of humans or dogs, as people feed them, and dogs I guess don't bother them much
Nature adapts

 

[IanC]

Deer in the Westlake Hills area of Texas (just outside Austin) are abundant

That's where I saw them - north of Austin. I was parked overnight at a boat ramp. There was an old couple feeding them. Todd sent them on their merry way.

 

[GotSmart]

Ian:   :dodgy:

I think you are immagining things  Bears are not spying on you.

 

[abnorm]

^^^^ "I smell Brownies"

 

[IanC]

Ian:   :dodgy:

I think you are immagining things  Bears are not spying on you.

Tightrope walking bears are rare in these parts, so I'm not that worried about them. But if I see one, ...can you say 'viral video'?

 

[GotSmart]

Yep.. That is a rare  Connecticut Rail Walker.  Not found anywhere else.  

That one was after Grannys brownies.  Good thing it did not smell her still.  

 

[Gary68]

for the most part predators want nothing to do with other predators,if your walking down a trail and come head on with a black bear or lion,face them,be formidable (walking stick) and give them an easy out and they will take it

mama bear,run for your life or be mauled

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've seen 4 bears in 20+ years of hiking and biking here in Pennsylvania. Considering we have an estimated 20,000 black bears in the state, you would think that I would have seen more. The hunters seem to find them though. They harvest 3,000-4,000 bears each year.

http://www.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2017/02/how_many_bears_did_pennsylvani_1.html

I've been hiking/camping since I was 7,  29 years now and i've seen about the same not counting Yosemite which is inundated with human habituated ones.

In Maine they're allowed to bait and use dogs, otherwise I don't think many would have a successful hunt.  I'm personally against baiting, I don't see how that makes you a successful or ethical hunter.  To each their own though, it's legal, accepted and I wouldn't stop being friends with someone because of it.

 

[lenny flank]

I used to do reptile rescue work in Florida a few years back, when "pythons" were a huge problem. I did a piece on them at one of my blogs, here: 

 https://lflank.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/floridas-invaders-burmese-python/

Yes, the numbers are just an estimate and are likely too high. (The fact that they are not easy to find though does not mean they are rare---snakes of any sort are very secretive and not easy to find, and most people go their entire lives without ever seeing a snake in the wild.) The effect on wildlife is enormous though--many of Florida's birds and mammals breed on the ground, and they have no experience with large snakes, and many of them are already endangered from habitat loss. 

Sadly, Florida's problem with introduced invasive species does not end with pythons---there are also lionfish, water hyacinth, and a few hundred others. Indeed, crowding from invasive species is the second-leading cause of species extinctions worldwide, behind only habitat loss. It is devastating.