#@%# Bear

[greyphase]

1st bear damage of the year. An Enterprise tree carrying 6-8 apples.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Ouch.... that is my biggest fear!

You've got all this time invested in growing a nice looking tree, but not enough time to get it big enough to withstand a bear or even a big coon from busting it up in a heartbeat. That really hurts greyphase. I guess the only good news is that you still have a well established root system to build on from here. Sorry.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I have gotten pictures of bear in my apple tree plot a quite a bit the last week or so, I havent had a chance to get back there and look for damage, but we had a talk already. I told them, if they leave my apple trees alone, I wont be out looking for them this fall. I think they got the hint.

 

[rocksnstumps]

It's second nature for us in Packer country to say Bears suck! The ones that tear up trees do to. Know the feeling and did an inventory by me this weekend and still ok but last year it was later in Aug when stuff got decimated. Not really ideal bear turf by me, hope they moved on.

Hope you can train a branch or two to reach up again.

 

[Prof.Kent]

I have two bears in the area. My greatest fear for my apple trees. Haven't had bears around in 35 years. Must be climate change. :)

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Real sorry to see & hear of that Grey. Bears will be our biggest nightmare at camp too. I hope you can get it to bounce back & keep that tree going.

 

[weekender21]

Bears are extending their range all over the country. We have a few around, also my biggest fear for fruit tree plantings. But....a higher bear density means a better chance of getting to shoot them more often. I like bear meat.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I've had to adjust my pruning plan for my WI place that is filled with bears. The bears tear off huge chunks of the trees every couple years, so pruning to a perfect central leader doesn't work. I intentionally leave more branches on than normal knowing that eventually the bears will snap off half the tree. The trees are tough though, so they can take a beating and recover. But it definitely sets them back. I think your tree will be fine if you cut the damaged area off flush and hope for the best.

And buy a bear tag-

 

[Native Hunter]

Man I hate to see that. I wish you the best for your other trees.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I had 1 tree snapped half of it off 2 years ago, the following spring it had the most fruit it ever had, and it is having a decent year this year as well.

 

[chummer]

My first bear attack came a couple weeks ago. Look like the same attack.

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[Bill]

That would tick me off.

 

[ruskbucks]

Looks all to familiar. They did that to a perfect looking dolgo I had. They climbed over cage and busted of the central leader all for the 5 dolgo apples on the tree. It took about three years until it fruited again. The tree came back real thick,and is doing good again. I planted 7 apples and crabs this year. They knocked the cage down, jumped on top of it, and flattened it. The whitney crab was ok I just stood it back up and fixed the cage. I don't even think there was a apple on it.

 

[Lot2Learn]

I've had so many problems with bears that I had to protect the ones in our food plots with electric fences. That was an un-economic spend!

I decided to not protect the trees around our cabin...here's a snap from earlier in the summer where the bear is looking over a tree it had attacked just weeks before...argh:

 

[schafj]

My first bear attack came a couple weeks ago. Look like the same attack.

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[schafj]

I have one on my property but he hasn't destroyed anything yet

 

[PoorSand]

I wonder how many limb losses over the years that I have blamed on wind were actually due to bear. When I was assessing the extent of the wind damage by me from the July 20th severe storm, I saw a pretty good sized limb that had been nearly torn off. I just figured it was part of the wind damage we had, but I happened to have a camera pointed at that tree, and when I looked at the photos, I discovered that there had been a bear at that limb that tore it down earlier.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I used to think seeing bears was pretty cool. That was before my habitat workings. Now I see them as a menace. They reach up onto tree limbs just because they can - even if there isn't any fruit on the tree. If there IS fruit …….... look out. They won't stop until they get to the last one. Big P.I.T.A. here.

On a brighter note - they busted the tops out of 2 Kieffer pear trees last year and this year the new re-growth is going nuts. All kinds of new limbs growing now.

 

[MojoRisin]

I get them every year on my land and I nickname everyone Ahole. They have damaged trees on me and destroyed 4 pop-up blinds not to mention a couple of cameras. I've been told that if you put up goal posts, the Bears tend to stay away :).

 

[Peplin Creek]

I get them every year on my land and I nickname everyone Ahole. They have damaged trees on me and destroyed 4 pop-up blinds not to mention a couple of cameras. I've been told that if you put up goal posts, the Bears tend to stay away :).

Actually they hit those too...