Look what showed up next door to my property.

[Lilly001]

Be happy you got to see it.
Be aware of the situation now that you know it may be around and go about your business.
A LOT of folks live around bears and you hear very few stories of true problems.

I hunted the Ocala NF in Fl for the 80-90’s on the south end. We had bears all over the place. Other than tearing up the locals pig pens we had few problems.
They do like pork.
This is my first experience with Ga bear.

 

[WOODIE13]

It's gonna destroy every feeder it finds if it can get its paws on it. Remove the feeders or put them on a cable system.

Trucks too. Buddy hit one in his truck, got it back from the body shop, on the way to work he stopped and got a new lunch cooler, nothing in it. Went to work, a bear pulled the top of the door until the glass broke, grabbed the cooler and ran.

Bird feeder, outside dog food, trash cans...

 

[MOTS]

Just a county over, in Wheeler. I'd love to have a bear hanging around. Getting bored with the does eating out of my hand.

 

[splatek]

Bear would likely run from your dog.

 

[slow motion]

Bear would likely run from your dog.

Typically I think you're right. When they get too familiar with people things seem to change. I don't have much background with bears so my insight may be way off base. Been working on a job north of Jasper. See bears most days. Momma was climbing in any truck with an open window.

She moved on and left this little one. He ran off with one of the carpenters backpacks.

These 2 showed up. The bigger one stayed back a little. The one with the rusty colored patch wasn't very concerned about us. That's a dump trailer He's getting in and was eating a plastic soft drink bottle. I think people leaving food trash around or throwing it in there is the problem.

General Contractor pulled up. He carries a little dog and was looking to see if it was safe to lett Max out. He's 79 years old and might weigh 120 pounds. The bear came out and was walking straight toward him. I grabbed a piece of pipe and trotted up beside him, thinking safety in numbers. Bear stopped advancing. Then the other one came out. Cant tell in the pic but it was significantly bigger. Got my phone out and got a pic of the pair. After I took this pic the bigger moved into the edge of the woods and huffed a couple times. Guess that emboldened Rusty. He turned toward us and bounced on his front feet and huffed. It had the desired effect. We both took a couple steps back. The GC got in his truck and blew the horn. Bear trotted into the tree line. Both stayed there for awhile and finally moved on. Maybe that's typical bear behavior but I have to say I didn't like it.

 

[Big7]

A few guys keep one or two going to monitor the heard over the summer.
My buddy keeps one over a salt lick and it’s amazing the traffic it gets.

Salt/Mineral licks are number one in my opinion.

The wear them out in summer and that establishes movement habits and trails long after they lay of the lick.

They have to be strategically placed though and that is part art and part science. Can't just make a lick any ole' place.

I'm talking specifically about Deer but it works the same for Bear which I don't hunt. (yet)

 

[splatek]

Typically I think you're right. When they get too familiar with people things seem to change. I don't have much background with bears so my insight may be way off base. Been working on a job north of Jasper. See bears most days. Momma was climbing in any truck with an open window.
View attachment 1237879View attachment 1237880
She moved on and left this little one. He ran off with one of the carpenters backpacks.
View attachment 1237881
These 2 showed up. The bigger one stayed back a little. The one with the rusty colored patch wasn't very concerned about us. That's a dump trailer He's getting in and was eating a plastic soft drink bottle. I think people leaving food trash around or throwing it in there is the problem.

View attachment 1237850View attachment 1237851General Contractor pulled up. He carries a little dog and was looking to see if it was safe to lett Max out. He's 79 years old and might weigh 120 pounds. The bear came out and was walking straight toward him. I grabbed a piece of pipe and trotted up beside him, thinking safety in numbers. Bear stopped advancing. Then the other one came out. Cant tell in the pic but it was significantly bigger. Got my phone out and got a pic of the pair. After I took this pic the bigger moved into the edge of the woods and huffed a couple times. Guess that emboldened Rusty. He turned toward us and bounced on his front feet and huffed. It had the desired effect. We both took a couple steps back. The GC got in his truck and blew the horn. Bear trotted into the tree line. Both stayed there for awhile and finally moved on. Maybe that's typical bear behavior but I have to say I didn't like it.

Wow!
Cool encounter.
Glad nobody was hurt
I agree ppl, food, etc certainly embolden bears.

 

[HughW2]

Lilly,

Could it be a bear that wondered over from the Ocmulgee WMA swamps? We have an ample population in Twiggs and I know there are some in Bleckley too. Does not seem like you are very far from Cochran.

 

[Lilly001]

Lilly,

Could it be a bear that wondered over from the Ocmulgee WMA swamps? We have an ample population in Twiggs and I know there are some in Bleckley too. Does not seem like you are very far from Cochran.

I’m pretty sure it’s from the Oconee river basin. We are upstream on a swampy creek from the river by about a mile.
There is little agriculture on this creek and very few hogs so I think there is just little reason for bears to visit us.
An old timer, who grew up in the area, told me they have traveled the river bottoms before but it’s been decades since he’s heard of one in our area.

 

[basstrkr]

Bout 15 years ago someone ran ran over a bear near Blackshear's ferry. (Laurens county). He weighed just shy of 500 lbs. Pretty sure he had been feeding on the plentiful peanuts in this area.