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'Bear Problems'...

every year, Fish & Game relocates at least a few bears from civilization to the wilds. Often, though, the bears make a beeline right back for civilization and all those tasty goods in dumpsters.

A guy I work with has a dumpster at his place (large family, and just a bit off the beaten track). They get the one bear who would come around and knock it over pretty much every other night. So he reinforced it and put a heavy duty lock on it. Bear broke the lock, then tried to break into the house. Fish & Game told him that because the bear was now a hazard to life, he could shoot it if need be; I think they recommended an 8 gauge.

I have heard multiple stories of bears busting into vacant cabins - usually smashing out a window - then ripping the cupboards right off the wall and chowing down. A number of folks with slightly isolated summer cabins have come back to find hibernating bears at their pads.

Now...way, way back, before the environmentalist types knew or cared or had much sway, my Dad was building pipelines across the Kenai Peninsula here. They sort of 'adopted' a bear cub that roamed into camp one day, treating him much like one of the crew. He has some old photographs, of the sort that show the whole crew lined up, sitting down on logs way out in the woods...and there, at the end of one of the rows, is the bear.

Not just the oil companies - everywhere.

Couple months back, even I, well inside the city limits hereabouts, had a little bear poking through my trash - though he didn't find much.