Bear scat? Not sure...

[AliciaH]

Through the neighborhood phone tree, it has reached me (because everyone knows I have bees and they thought I should know) that bear scat has been spotted in the tree line behind our properties.  I have been under the impression that there are no bears in our woods, but in the back of my mind, I've harbored a suspicion.  The scat that was found had cherry pits in it and of course, I have cherry trees in my apiary to help me catch swarms.  So...I go running out to the apiary to check.  The fence around my hives (which is only to keep out cows) is intact.  The hives are all upright as is the one hive outside the apiary fence.  But...I did find scat.  It is larger than the skunk scat I usually find and can only equate it's size to a really, really big dog.  But I don't think coyotes eat cherries, do they?  I know you probably need better information about size and I will get that my next trip out.  In the mean time, what do you think?

[rober]

bag some up & take it to a conservation agent or a zoo. it's hard to tell the size of those turds. raccoon scat will often have fruit pits, especially persimmon pits but what's in the photo looks to be too big for a coon. you should start shopping for a solar powered electric fence.

[danno]

coyotes are omnivorous and will eat fruit this time of the year.  We often use lures that have the smell of melons in summer but I would look more in the direction of coon on this one.

[biggraham610]

Bigger than a "really really big dog". I dont know about there, but here, that would rule out a coon. Even the biggest boars here have excrement the size of an average dog. I would say young bear is a good possibility. G :chop:

[Jim134]

Through the neighborhood phone tree, it has reached me (because everyone knows I have bees and they thought I should know) that bear scat has been spotted in the tree line behind our properties.  I have been under the impression that there are no bears in our woods, but in the back of my mind, I've harbored a suspicion.  The scat that was found had cherry pits in it and of course, I have cherry trees in my apiary to help me catch swarms.  So...I go running out to the apiary to check.  The fence around my hives (which is only to keep out cows) is intact.  The hives are all upright as is the one hive outside the apiary fence.  But...I did find scat.  It is larger than the skunk scat I usually find and can only equate it's size to a really, really big dog.  But I don't think coyotes eat cherries, do they?  I know you probably need better information about size and I will get that my next trip out.  In the mean time, what do you think?

    Have you ever talk to anyone from fish and game; local police department about BEARS in the area where you live :?  They will tell you if BEARS have been spotted in the area you live or where you have hives at.
 
IMHO..........
   After have keeping bees in bear country for over 30 years. I would say you have a bear like it or not...
    It would be helpful if next time you ever take a picture like this lay a dollar bill next to it so you can have some comparison size to.



          BEE HAPPY Jim  134 :)

[Kathyp]

what did the area around look like.  bears will smash things down around what they are eating, or if they pause to investigate stuff.  coyotes will pass through without damaging or depressing much. 

coyotes will eat anything and all that junk in the scat is one good way to tell the difference between dogs and coyotes. 

bear scat with cherries

https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=643&q=bear+scat+with+cherries&oq=bear+scat+with+cherries&gs_l=img.3...1837.6091.0.6747.23.12.0.11.0.0.124.1160.0j11.11.0....0...1ac.1.49.img..13.10.1056.n4XVBUtUQbk

yup, there's pretty much anything you can imagine on google   :jawdrop:

[AliciaH]

Kathy, I found about how thorough Google is when I first searched for images of skunk scat.  Amazing, isn't it? 

To everyone else:  Calling Fish & Wildlife is the first on my to-do list today.  If for no other reason than to find my recourse should I actually see the darned thing.  My second will be to the tribe, who's boundary is on my west side.  It is their land over there and they might know. 

I found other pictures of bear scat and it looks bigger than my pile, so I have a tendency to go with the theory of younger bear.  That might explain why the hive that is outside the apiary is still intact.  Younger bear might not have learned yet that it's a prime target.  Could be that since the scat is so full of cherry pits, that it is the cherries being scouted at this point.  I have three cherry trees inside the apiary fence.  As for the area around where I found the scat, it's right outside my apiary but the creature was kind enough to use a path previously mowed for the benefit of our son and his new quad.  I'll look farther back tonight and see what I find.

I have grown complacent since I got rid of my cows.  There is a solar charger out there but it's not working.  I may have turned it off or it may need a new battery.  One way or another, that gets fixed, which also means some weed wacking so the charger will work without interference.  Also, we just got our brush hog fixed.  My husband is mowing the field as I type, to remove cover.

I'll go out this evening after work and hang the new game camera I got for Christmas.  I'll be sure to get pictures with better perspective when I go.  The dollar bill is a great idea...thanks!

I really liked floating down my river of d'Nile, but it seems my barge just sank.  Lol, sigh...

Thanks, everyone!

[danno]

when you take photos of things like this you should have something in the pic to relate to size.   It could be your hand or foot or maybe  a quarter or dollar bill.  I looked at the weeds and blades of grass to kind a get a idea.   It looks like coon to me.  Coyotes will almost always have hair small bones mixed in and its pointed at the end and it looks to small for bear.   I do have alot of experience with bears coons cats and coyotes  

[Intheswamp]

Well, if it was a pile or two I'd think coyote, but...

[biggraham610]

Coyote scat here is almost always white with hair and bones. Looks like nothing more than dog crap with hair. Size would be the determining factor for me, but as I said earlier, from the description of size being that of a REALLY REALLY BIG DOG, it would not be a coon around here. Its a young black bear in my opinion. G :chop:

[Jim134]

Coyote scat with cherries
yup, there's pretty much anything you can imagine on google  ;)

https://www.google.com/search?q=Coyote+scat&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=d-LHU56qFdGyyAS2n4GAAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1134&bih=583


         BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[Intheswamp]

Jim, a coyote left a nice little pile on my path to the beeyard behind the house the other day.  We have wild plums around here and it was full of plum pits.  I took a camera shot of the scat but seem to have misplaced that image...if I find it later I'll post it.

This one I caught on the game camera in the yard beside my grandkids swingset.  Between them and the deer I've just about written off blueberries and apples. :roll:  But, thinking about laying up some deer meat in the freezer this winter. ;)


Ed

[Hops Brewster]

You might find the wildlife agencies of both the state and the tribe to be less than forthcoming with their knowledge of certain species within a given area.  They are sometimes inclined to "err" on the side of animal protection.  There could very well be bears in the area, but go offically "None around here".   Not all agencies work that way, but some certainly do.    I did look on WA's dangerous animal report page, and found no reported sightings of bear, just cougar.

[Kathyp]

Intheswamp, we got some of that spray on deer repellent this year because we have a herd of them that just eat everything.  it works!  i think it would be easy to make and i'm sure there's a recipe online.  look for something that has rotten eggs in it and that will be the one.

so far, they have not eaten the berries, peppers, or apples.  they did strip one new apple tree, but i think my husband forgot to spray it when he put it in. 

[Kathyp]

http://www.ehow.com/facts_6059836_eggs-deer-repellent.html

this looks close to what we bought and there are others out there.

[Intheswamp]

 Thanks kathyp!!!!  I'll look into that.  I tried hanging a some bars of soap among the bushes and trees but no joy there.  I'll keep this in mind.  Though after reading the recipe I might had rather just buy it  :-X .  :-D  Have you had a fair amount of rain on it?  I'm curious about it's staying power.  The article in the link says that though we can't smell it after a while that the deers can...that makes sense.

Thanks again!!!
Ed

[Kathyp]

we get a lot of rain here!  i think he applied it about once a week or after a heavy rain.  it doesn't seem to take  a lot.

[JackM]

Alicia,
Not sure just how metro your area is, but bears here have no qualms about coming down out of the hills at night to forage for the goodies folks discard.  For example they captured a cougar in Portland city proper a couple weeks ago.  It is quite surprising how well the wild animals survive in the city here in the NW with just small wooded areas to exist in.  Get that electric fence working, because I think it is bear sign, and pickings have been slim this year with the drought.  We have deer bed in our back yard, (right in town), bears, cougars, coyotes, 'coons, but apparently no skunks, right in town

[MsCarol]

Yep,

Either way time to get that solar charger working. If it isn't a bear, no big loss, but if it is and a young one, best to train it young NOT to mess with the hives.

I just got a report yesterday of a bear siting on my property here in southern middle TN. Although I have not had bear here in the 28 years I have lived here, I am sure it is a good possibility. There is also a BIG CAT here. (cougar) One  that has been sited by several reliable folks but is still denied by the game folks.

Thankfully my hives are close to the house and the dogs. It is also fenced off from the cattle/horses and would be easy to add a hot wire that will sit a critter on its butt.

The siting of the bear HAS made me rethink a second beeyard further out on my property. At least for the time being. Once this needed rain quits, I will be doing some serious scouting.

[Jim134]

Something you may like to read
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/bear_cougar/bear/index.html

         
There have been black bears with in 10 Miles of downtown Boston, Massachusetts  
 
           BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)