"HoustonRunner" (houstonrunner)
08/12/2020 at 10:31 • Filed to: None
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"HoustonRunner" (houstonrunner)
08/12/2020 at 10:31 • Filed to: None | 1
| 23 |
Well, this was a first. We had a visit from a bear last night at 2am . I’m not used to it so I have no problem admitting that I was a bit scared. [Edit for clarity - we are in Colorado for two weeks to escape the Houston heat.]
That 2x4 was in place as a crossbar, but instead of figuring out how to lift it, he just broke down the door. The trash can lids have a pin with a cotter pin locking them closed, so he (or she) just pried a paw in between the lid and the can.
I wasn’t able to get a picture, mostly because I was not thinking straight and my biggest concern was making sure the bear didn’t try to come into the house. He looked to be about 3-4 feet high when on all fours. Pretty sure it was a black bear, since I was frantically searching for what to do on my iPad. Found a page that gave the distinguishing features between brown and black bears.
Have to call the property management company this morning and see what they want to do. Oh well, makes for an interesting story since there was no real harm done.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:36 |
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The fear sounds unbearable!
facw
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:39 |
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Is that in Houston? Bears shouldn’t really be a thing there? (though pink is former range, so there’s no reason they couldn’t move back in )
Brown (grizzly) bears are even more limited:
hillrat
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:40 |
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In the Poconos last week we saw a bear very casually traipse through the front yard of our house.
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:40 |
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I’ve found bear scat in my backyard when mowing, although we only get black bear on occasion and they’re mostly harmless unless you corner them or get close to their babies.
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HoustonRunner
> facw
08/12/2020 at 10:46 |
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Sorry, should have been more specific - we are in Colorado for two weeks. Outside of Breckenridge.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> facw
08/12/2020 at 10:47 |
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“ renting a house outside Breckenridge for a couple of weeks to beat the Houston heat”
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:48 |
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Cool memory - no extra charge! LOL
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facw
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:49 |
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Ah, that much more bear territory. Bearitory?
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 10:54 |
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Just a little guy. Where I live in Montana anything outside or accessible is game on for a bear. I keep my garbage can in the garage and we can’t even compost as that attracts bears. I also have to put the bird feeder away in early March as I’ve had a bear on the deck going after the bird feeder.
ranwhenparked
> facw
08/12/2020 at 10:58 |
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Also, sometimes they do wander into town areas in search of either food or employment.
kanadanmajava1
> facw
08/12/2020 at 11:03 |
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The b rown bear range does cover the whole Finland (except our largest island) but their population of 2300-2500 individuals tend to stay far away from the populated areas. I have never seen a wild bear. The local population was hunted near to extinction +100 years ago so the remaining ones are mostly ancestors of the timid ones. They are still hunted (200-300 annually ) so they will also retain their fear of people . They don’t go digging trash here.
The female bear with cubs can be dangerous but the rest run always away if they meet humans. I n Finland t here has been still only one fatal bear attack (this happened in ‘98) during the last 100 years .
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facw
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
08/12/2020 at 11:06 |
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The only one I’ve seen in person (outside of a zoo) was a cub crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway. And I was glad I was able to pass before mom showed up and decided to maul my car for threatening it.
functionoverfashion
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 11:06 |
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I saw a small-ish black bear just last night while riding my bike into town to pick up my car from the shop! Not really deep in the forest or anything, just in a wooded area near some houses. Based on the area, I’m betting it was eating blackberries/raspberries as they are plentiful right now. I didn’t even have time to react - first impression was that it was a dog - until I was past it anyway. They’re pretty common around here, we can’t keep our trash or bird feeders out overnight at all.
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TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> facw
08/12/2020 at 11:08 |
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Pretty much, the couple instances I’ve encountered one have been up north in Maine and it was always at a distance. Both times when they saw/smelled me they moved off.
MonkeePuzzle
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 11:12 |
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maybe if you just had just a little bit of honey
This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 11:15 |
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If it happens again grab some pots and pans and clang them together loudly while screaming like a lunatic.
Nom De Plume
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 11:52 |
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This year has been interesting in the upper Midwest for bear sightings. Inside the state capital interesting. That is a long ways from the territory they were pushed back to.
notsomethingstructural
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 12:27 |
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My folks in CT get them a lot. They would go after the birdseed so they had to change types. Black bears are mainly scary because of the instinctual “oh, shit, a fucking bear” reaction. But generally speaking they’re not aggressive. Grizzly bears.... nice knowing you.
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 12:42 |
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You don’t travel to Bear Country with bear repellent ?
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
08/12/2020 at 12:43 |
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It was a Kodiak moment.
DipodomysDeserti
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
08/12/2020 at 12:46 |
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We’ve only had ten attacks in the last thirty years, but three of them were in the last couple years along with a fatality. Unlike a brown bear, if a black bear attacks you, it won’t stop if you play dead.
ttyymmnn
> HoustonRunner
08/12/2020 at 13:22 |
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Thank you for clarifying. I was trying to reconcile bears in Houston. I mean, I used to live in the Montrose, but that’s a different thing.
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HoustonRunner
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/12/2020 at 17:57 |
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Honestly didn’t even think about it until last night. Won’t drive here again without it.