This is a very close up photo of a young black bear as it was prowling around my Uncle's house in Dover earlier this weekend. You won't believe the claws on this thing!

L Lapierre Photo Credit
L Lapierre Photo Credit
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Aside from the normal 'Take you bird feeders down!' warnings that we've all heard a million times, I figured I'd put on my 'Forest Ranger Train' hat and give you some tips on to how to act if you're suddenly face to face with 'Ye Olde Ursus Americanus'.

Luckily, it is true that bears like these are more afraid of you than you are of them HOWEVER, the last thing you want to do is run away. Raise your arms as high in the hair as possible and yell loudly. Staring the bear down while not getting any closer to it and not retreating is the most effective method of scaring it off.

As far as using repellents around your home? The cheapest thing is a strong pine scented cleaner. These creatures are out on the prowl just looking to chow down on something sweet and easy and for whatever reason, 'pine flavor' is very unappealing to them.

You don't need industrial strength bear mace to get the desired effect and your entire neighborhood won't be incapacitated by a little Pine-Sol here and there.

DO NOT sprinkle coffee grounds, be they fresh OR brewed. This is a myth that bears dislike coffee. Bears love the smell of coffee grounds and most often coffee is the number one scent that draws them into dumpsters, cars and sometimes houses!

In review, get big, get loud and a little pine scent can go a long way!

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