Page 17 - Sentinel April 2017

MIKEY Continued from page 16 If your address is on our frequent dining list from last season,
the chances are beary good your property is being monitored
wary and be careful. Little Daisy would be an easy snack for even as you read this. Want to get off our top ten hit list?
a mountain lion. However, she is always on a leash when she
goes out, and she is always with Big, Bad, Daddy. Take the following steps and we quickly lose interest and move
on:
We all live in this unique environment. For me, it’s really spe- • Don’t leave trash cans out overnight. If you do, our dedi-
cial. We’ve been here for over 10 years. Well, guess what? cated neighborhood bear brigade will sniff you out and spread
Mikey likes it. the uneatable and unsightly remains of your garbage over your
entire yard as a calling card.
You can reach me at stoneman1951@msn.com.
• Use bear proof trash containers. “Bear proof” doesn’t mean
BEAR WISE a flimsy plastic trash can with a bungee cord. At this notion,
we laugh in your general direction. We are 300-450 lb. wild
animals, for gosh sakes. Give us the respect you would grant
Goooood morning, Perry Park! It’s a 400-pound hungry gorilla with container full of bananas. We
great to be upright and on all fours are as powerful and just as motivated to investigate a plethora
again. No April fooling here. of refuse or the scent of a banana peel.

During last winter’s bear blackout If you haven’t done so yet, take some money out of your kid’s
(hibernation) period, a local re- inheritance and buy a real “bear proof” garbage container for
ported seeing a large “Santa” bear way less than you spend on latte macchiatos in a year. There
under the bird feeders on Christ- are several economical choices online. Or, you can email yours
mas Eve. This is an extremely truly, and I will send you the information of the ones I hate the
rare bear occurrence this late in most.
the season. As it turns out, it was
my cousin Ruddy who is more of • Keep garage and out building doors closed. Use round door
a hypernator than a hibernator. knobs. We can open doors with handle latches. The French hate
Awakened due to the unusually this.
warm weather, Ruddy decided to take a Christmas Eve twilight
stroll. • Never leave unattended windows and doors open, par-
ticularly near food areas. With the flood of millennial kids
As Ruddy recalls: “The moon on the breast of the new-fallen moving back into their parents’ basements these days, this is
snow, gave the luster of midday to objects a glow. When what an extra good idea to keep both bears and returning kids from
to my wondering eyes should I see, but a feeder full of bird seed entering your home without your knowledge.
just hanging there for me! The motion light flashed and I knew
I must leave, with feeder in mouth, in Santa I believe.” • Don’t leave vehicle doors and windows open, especially if
you eat or sleep in your vehicle. If you do, so will we.
April Showers bring May Prowlers
• Bring bird feeders in at dusk. During day light, “hang em
Now that bear season has officially begun in our beautiful neck high” like the Clint Eastwood movie. At least 10 feet up and 10
of the woods, it’s time for a refresher on some bear safety tips. feet out from any climbable object.
Cop a squat and whittle if you want while you read.
• Don’t leave barbeque grills outside after use. We eat the
We black bears are curious to see what’s new in the human charcoal for the meat drippings, which as you know, really
zoo since last season. Having amazing memories, we initially sucks when they are still hot.
search out the “easy” food locals from last year to see if the
menu has changed since our previous visit. Although it is il- Taking these few simple steps goes a long way to keeping us
legal to intentionally feed us (violators should be immediately all safe as we enjoy yet another splendid summer in Beary Bear
reported to the Colorado Game and Wildlife office for reloca- country.
tion to a remote wilderness area), we do eat people food if you
don’t take steps to separate it from us. Please email your comments, stories and bear sightings to:
wisebeary@gmail.com
The result of feeding bears by accident or on purpose is that
we begin to associate food with people and can lose our fear of Until next time, remember, Black Bears Matter.
you. When we get to the point where we don’t scoot when you Beary
tell us to skedaddle we become labeled “the danger” and for
public safety’s sake are often put down. A fed bear can quickly
become a dead bear.
Perry Park Sentinel April 2017 - Page 17