The life of a young apple tree in bear country

[H20fwler]

Yet!

Bite your tongue!

I can’t imagine we will ever get them here, I’m in the highest ag county in the state.
So far they are in the heavy forested southern and eastern parts of state and not in big numbers at all. They are classified as endangered and fully protected, very slowly expanding in the few areas they are in.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

My best Franklin. One of the original Franklins from Cummins Nursery on B118 (2016 I think without looking?) and was about 15' tall and had decent apples this year for the first time. Bear snapped it right off at the base and didn't even bother to eat any of the apples. Ripped a branch half off a small Dolgo on the opposite side of the field. I am starting to wonder if it is possible to get an apple tree old enough to survive the bears here anymore.

Sorry to see your losses, Diesel. Time, money, and care down the drain.
Bears are a HUGE pain in the ass. Even if they don't eat what they topple or damage - bears "play" with things. We had them pull poly tarps off wood piles and drag them a hundred yards through the woods - probably because they flapped in the wind & made some noise. I've seen bears reach up on low tree limbs just to stretch (?) - no apples or acorns - and broke the limbs off. We had bears lay in our clover fields and tear them up pulling out the clover and eating it. It looked like a rototiller was cut loose in the clover. I wouldn't care if I never saw another bear. Destruction in a fur coat.

 

[Diesel5610]

I totally understand the probability of this happening given our current bear population, still it makes me sick every time I walk up to a tree that has been destroyed. Especially after waiting 5-7 years for them to start producing apples. I don't have enough years left to keep repeating that waiting game. I feel a little better after a few days to cool off and actually have a few grafted that need a good home. Sooner or later one or two have to get through, right?

 

[Apple Junkie]

I have not had the causality rate you have Diesel, but I can understand your frustration. I keep planting and praying, not sure if I am supremely stubborn or supremely stupid. I am hoping stubborn wins. I’m pulling for ya!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

If it's any consolation - the damage we've had at camp hasn't been pulling out of the ground ( Thank GOD!! ) - but broken limbs and even a snapped central leader have bounced back with even more growth. A new central leader has formed from another aggressive limb on the one tree, and 2 others with broken limbs have pushed MORE limbs. The trunk caliper on those trees was about 2 to 2 1/2 inches, so the trees weren't ready to croak by any means. They had established root systems to feed new growth. Short of complete uprooting - don't write off your damaged trees!!

 

[DrewMc]

I'm in SW PA where bears are a constant problem. I lost a few trees last year that were in tubes because of wasp larva. Bear chewed right through the tube and snapped a few. I have all of our young trees caged, but I'm afraid and deep down know we will lose some eventually now that they are starting to produce fruit.

 

[270 sniper]

I got the same problem along with my two oldest chestnut trees that were about 8 years old that got destroyed by a sow and two Cubs

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I am going to put up an electric fence in the spring.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I am going to put up an electric fence in the spring.

Install land mines with "bear-weight" triggers, and put machine gun towers on the corners of your fences, as additions to the E- fence. Surround your E- fence with barricades of razor-wire.

Alternate plan ............ dump a pile of corn smothered with honey & slabs of bacon about 5 miles UPWIND of your place - to lure them off your place.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Install land mines with "bear-weight" triggers, and put machine gun towers on the corners of your fences, as additions to the E- fence. Surround your E- fence with barricades of razor-wire.

Alternate plan ............ dump a pile of corn smothered with honey & slabs of bacon about 5 miles UPWIND of your place - to lure them off your place.

These are all great ideas, but for now I will stick to installing an electric fence. If I can come up with the time to do it this year yet I will.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Good luck with the E-fence. You can tell from my posted suggestions that bears are a real PITA here. They're too used to people and hang around even when we yell at them. I had a big male follow me like a dog at 20 yds. in archery season a few years ago. It stopped in a group of hickory trees in a field that were dropping lots of nuts. Apparently I was delaying his meal for 150 yds. or so of our shared stroll. Did a lot of watching over my shoulder that evening.