Dog killed by bear this A.M. January First at about 9:00 A.M

Tony | 01/01/2004 | Tony

[WVNan]

Well, that was sensitive.

[pctech]

In Naples Florida?????????? Man, I knew there were gators down there cuz my ex-wife talked about them, but BEARS?????

[FLCowboy,]

I live in Highlands County, Florida, and we had a couple of bears creating havoc in our neighborhood this past summer/fall. Once, when complaining to the Florida Wildlife Commission, they sent us a pamphlet on how to live with wild animals.

The bears continued to get more aggressive, continually eating out of the dumpster behind the restaurant. Finally, they trapped the bear, sedated it, pulled a tooth to determine it's age, and released it back into the neighborhood. They felt the trauma of being captured would discourage the bear from bothering us again. Wrong. Next night, back to the dumpster for dinner.

The FWC people came back, trapped him again, and then took him to Ocala to be released. The Ocala FWC people said they had enough bears, and they didn't want him, so they brought him back and euthanized him, claiming he wouldn't fit into any other rural area due to other bears already living there. A sad ending for a hungry bear.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

I only have to worry about deer eating my landscaping here in central coastal NJ.

Four years ago we moved to the deep woods in northern Fairfield County, CT.

A large deer herd had used the back yard as a trail for a long time before we arrived.

Well that first year, the buggers did get to our new plantings.

Now we have 4 hunters who oversee our 16 acres.

The kill count is up to 17 in the last 3 years.

The hunters look like inch worms climbing the tree trunks on their tree stands.

One fellow got two in a minute last November.

And the best part...........grilled venison steaks are delicious...mmmmmmmmmmmm!!

[Eva]

We have seen traces of bears on our new property, and it concerns me A LOT. My husband bought a 44 magnum, some years ago, to use while cross country skiing in the spring in Alaska, but he has never had to use it. I am afraid he might need it on the new property. Thank goodness the property is in an unincorporated area and gun use is legal.

[pctech]

I sympathize,my cat died on Christmas Eve, 7:23 AM. I got woke up cuz he was crying and I could do nothing but watch him die. I was told it was a heart condition that causes sudden death in cats under 6 years of age.

[eastforker]

Tony,wasn't your neighbor that had the bear problem a few months ago? Get a 12 Gauge with slugs like others are saying.

[evolved_rage]

Next time, advise the sherrif that you will commence shooting in 10 seconds, whether you have a gun or not. They'll come. (if you don't like guns, then sheepishly say with a camera...after 4 cruisers show up)

[pctech]

Much as a hate rottweilers, I hate bears in the back yard more. Next time a loose bear is found a person's yard you could make some good money huh?

[TonyWojo]

My yard is 330' X 675' my closest neighbor is not visible I have a barbed wire fence around the property. You sound like the Collier County officer.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

The FWC people came back, trapped him again, and then took him to Ocala to be released. The Ocala FWC people said they had enough bears, and they didn't want him, so they brought him back and euthanized him, claiming he wouldn't fit into any other rural area due to other bears already living there. A sad ending for a hungry bear.

Now were those other bears squatters or homesteaders?

Gee, you can force bus kids into some distant school but you can't mix dem bears together.

Sounds like the inmates are in charge down der.

Brer Rabbit wood no wat ta do!

[org.whodat]

Well, that was sensitive.

Conservatives are not about being sensitive, they are about common sense and doing for your self. A responsible dog owner doesn't let his dogs run through the neighborhood, neither does a responsible person start blasting away with a thirty caliber in a subdivision.

[inPhase]

I spend a lot of time in Collier. Are you in the Estates?

Second hand info of a friend seeing a large black bear standing as they drove by on Desoto last summer.

[M0sby]

So nice...
I would rather have my neighbor's dog crap in my yard that to have YOU for a sympathetic ear.

[billhilly]

Yeah. That pretty little quail gun is just the thing for bears. If a shotgun is going to be the answer a slug gun with more shot capacity would be infinitly better.

[nightdriver]

I would simply say that it was time to unlimber the ol' ought-six and celebrate the incoming new year.

(Big ol' firecrackers, weren't they?)

[HairOfTheDog]

I am sorry about your dog and the scene you and your wife had to witness.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

My husband bought a 44 magnum, some years ago,

If you ever encounter a bear remember these words as you aim that weapon.

"Do you feel lucky punk?
Do ya?
Go ahead, make my day!"

[SauronOfMordor]

It's not like the bears just drop when you shoot them. The dang things take a lot of killing, without a bear gun.

When in doubt, empty the magazine

[WVNan]

Since when does a conservative eschew Christian compassion? The family just lost their pet FCOL. I doubt they let their pets run loose in the neighborhood.