Each spring I am visited by black bears rummaging below my bird feeders trying to find fallen seed. My habit of generously topping up the feeders to accommodate some 200 winter birds invariably results in many seeds spilling onto the ground. Once all traces of seed are gone, the bears reach up and drag down the feeders, usually breaking them, as well as branches, off my favourite birch tree. 

Once when I could no longer stand my dog, T-bone, barking at the bears, I tried to scare them off with a couple of bear bangers. This time it was a mother and two-year-old cub. I set the bangers off just over their heads and all they did was wince slightly at the noise and continued to eat. So much for feeling secure on hikes with a bear banger in my back pocket. 

One afternoon we were walking toward our house and saw a bear also walking in the same direction. When he saw T-bone and me, he started running flat out toward us only to turn abruptly when he got to the bird seed where he stood defiantly, staring at us, seemingly protecting his “kill.” It took some time for both T-bone and I to relax after that one. Shortly after, I saw the bear pick a nice spot under a nearby tree and lay down for a fifteen minute snooze not 10 feet from the house. It’s difficult to believe that such a wild and unpredictable creature could feel so comfortable and secure.