History suggests bear conflicts don’t have to be a feature of life in New Hampshire — but for some reason, over the past decade, they have been. Intentionally feeding bears, says Normandeau, is a recipe for disaster. He was never completely well, however, and was occasionally subject to illnesses that he called his “bear fits.”. In 2018, with squirrel roadkills littering the state’s roads, the idea of a “squirrel-ageddon” captured the imagination of the public. "Yes, we're seeing an increase in sightings," said Andrew Timmins, state Fish and Game's bear expert. This is the ideal but not always the case. Watching Black Bears at a Stranger’s House in New Hampshire Last week, we had the unexpected pleasure of discovering black bears in the Outer Banks . The black bear is the only bear species in New Hampshire. The wounded bear suddenly charged Wilcox from behind a tree. Thanks to NH Fish and Game for their assistance with the sidebars for this story. Do not wait for a bear to discover the bird feeder, accessible garbage, … Such measures have proven to be effective in tamping down bear complaints in National Parks, and Normandeau said municipalities with similar local ordinances have made “big strides in reducing bear conflicts.”, In 2013, New Hampshire lawmakers took a tiny step toward such mandates when it considered a bill to require owners of wildlife-attracting garbage “to store or dispose of such solid waste in a wildlife resistant manner (i.e., bear-proof dumpsters and garbage cans).”. Over 200 years, this tax-funded specicide created the intended effect —reports of bear attacks dried up in the 1800s, and most of the state was, by the mid-1900s, bear-free, with a few isolated survivors up in the mountains, where people rarely ventured. Black bears usually den in brush piles, logging slash or hollow trees, under a fallen tree or under rock outcrops. That's a 12% increase from New Hampshire’s previous record. “The bottom line is, bears do three things. Normandeau’s days here are limited — the Fish and Game Commission has been abundantly clear that, after 12 years in the post, Normandeau is soon to be ousted — but he still has to manage the usual flood of public hearing notices, purchase orders, and reports on everything from roadkills to hunting license fees. When it comes to de-escalating simmering bear tensions, the magic ingredient is an experienced game warden or biologist — through interviews and observation of physical evidence, the investigating staffer can devise and apply a corrective action, such as telling a neighbor to take in a bird feeder or killing the animal. Mink the bear, mentioned in the story, died as this issue was going to the printer. nh.gov | privacy policy | accessibility policy But in 2012, the unthinkable happened — that June, a woman in Grafton named Tracey Colburn opened her front door to let her dog out and found that her porch was, in her words, “full of bear.” Two grown cubs fled, but Colburn says a third bear, the mother, would have killed her were it not for her dog drawing off the attack (as it was, Colburn suffered deep claw wounds and lost frightening amounts of blood). The bear raised up on its back legs, knocked the gun away, and took hold of Wilcox. Each bear is the result of active changes to state policies that previously supported a bear-free landscape. Eleazer Wilcox and the Bear. The gun that Wilcox had with him that day is still marked with the deep gouges made by the attacking bear. The legislative Fish and Game and Resources Committee heard a man testify, without evidence, that the heavier components of bear-proof garbage cans posed a threat, because children might get trapped inside, or beheaded by a slamming lid (or both trapped and beheaded). New Hampshire Live Free or Die Teddy Bear. “I pile them up,” he says, “and if I don’t have to find them in a year or so, it’s time for them to go.”. “If people simply protect their livestock and properly secure their garbage, things are fine.” Normandeau says the campaign has found a willing audience. Regional bear densities across the state range between 0.1-1.0 bears/square mile and average 0.5 bears/square mile. The bear raised up on its back legs, knocked the gun away, and took hold of Wilcox. Rasmussen's identity … “They lose their fear of people, and then you get really downright dangerous situations, with bears going into houses,” Normandeau said. Shop New Hampshire Teddy Bears from CafePress. In late June, Normandeau’s eyes fell on a new report, one more puzzling than the usual paperwork. When they emerge from their den in spring, black bears eat grasses and other newly emerged … She apparently died of natural causes after her return to familiar habitation. This trusted firearm has been passed down from generation to generation, and was undoubtedly used as evidence to convert nonbelievers of the tale of Eleazer Wilcox and the bear. Osgood soon arrived on the scene, care-fully took aim and shot the bear, whereupon it released its hold and ran into the woods where it was found dead the next day. A black bears diet is widely varied, taking advantage of seasonally available foods. Co-owner of New Hampshire’s only licensed bear-rehabilitation facility, Kilham is the state’s go-to guy whenever game wardens are alerted to an injured or orphaned bear who’s too young or unhealthy to survive on its own. By taking action now, you can prevent attracting a hungry bear to your home this spring. And unless lawmakers muster the political will for a legislative fix, the public may simply have to grin — and bear it. All four of the victims were either partially or completely skeletonized; they were believed to have died between 1977 and 1981. JavaScript must be enabled for some features to display properly. But the “Live Free or Die” state is full of enclaves of people who resent, and even defy, state edicts on how to deal with wildlife on their private property. In summer they shift to more nutritious foods including berries, fruits, roots, blossoms and insects. We have been rehabilitating and releasing injured, orphaned and abandoned black bear cubs brought to us by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department since 1993. Normandeau’s staff was learning that bear populations were actually quite resilient to hunting pressure. “I have people that know more about bears in their little finger than I’ll ever know in my life,” he later said, “and I’ll leave it to those folks to make decisions on the ground.”. “The exact same thing happened to bears,” Normandeau said. As he hoisted the heavy unit in his arms, he was attacked from behind, steak-knife-size claws etching a set of deep, blood-lined furrows into the skin of his back. But Granite State bears had a slightly different plan: to make a thousand more bears. Normandeau’s job has gained him some low-grade bear expertise — just days before the Canaan attack, he’d helped release some orphaned yearlings from a Lyme-based rehab center. By the time former Gov. Wilcox raised his gun, but it misfired. A black bear incident in Canaan, where the Orange Brook helps drain rainfall from the bare granite heights of Cardigan Mountain. Old Man of the Mountain Teddy Bear. New Hampshire (NH) euro Teddy Bear. How to deal with problem Black bear in New Hampshire. Black bears have several color phases; most in the northeast are all black with a brown or tan muzzle. Grafton, the site of the first bear attack, also hosted the notorious “Free Town Project,” a no-holds-barred social experiment in which freedom-minded libertarians sought to assert their individual rights to all walks of life, including, in some cases, the right to feed bears on their property. In 2017, investigators named Terry Peder Rasmussen as the most likely suspect. Though hunters killed nearly 1,500 bears between 2003 and 2004 alone, bears outbred them, attaining an all-time population high of 4,830 bears in 2005. new hampshire bear brook case victims bts vpx_00000705.jpg. “It looks good in the fantasy world, but in reality, a lot of relocated bears don’t survive,” said Normandeau. Re: Black Bears? Hard mast -- beechnuts, acorns, and hickory nuts -- are the staple fall food source. Our adorble Teddy Bears are perfect for any occasion. Free Returns High Quality Printing Fast Shipping the coronavirus pandemic has quieted the normal bustle of Fish and Game’s headquarters, but Glenn Normandeau still comes in on a pretty regular basis, chuckling at the Dilbert cartoons taped to his door and employing a paperwork system that suits the never-ending triaging of tasks. Late on a Friday night, a Canaan man was so hot that, despite the darkness, he’d gone outside to get an air conditioner from the back of his pickup truck. In one sense, Grafton’s bears came from the woods. Two months after taking it up, the committee voted 14-0 to kill the measure. Normandeau’s efforts to extend the hunting season again this year hit a logistical snag in the coronavirus crisis, which Kilham Bear Center – Preserving the Black Bear Population. Please do your part to help protect New Hampshire’s bears! I Miss The Old Man w/Moose Teddy Bear. One cub had been found by press time for this issue. And so, without the political appetite for stricter laws, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of Normandeau’s underfunded staff. Though shaken and bleeding, the man escaped without serious injuries — and without a clear understanding of why the bear had targeted him. COVID-19 is likely the most recognizable factor. (“I don’t recall hearing that they did ever capture it,” Normandeau says). Also keep all garbage secured, keep barbeque grills clean, and do not leave pet food outdoors. In summer, bears focus on berries, fruits, roots and insects. After several years of abundant natural foods, such as acorns, berries or apples, bears in New Hampshire are emerging from dens this spring skinny, … Given that reality, it is perhaps no surprise that the state’s primary line of defense against bear conflicts is “Something’s Bruin in New Hampshire — Learn to Live with Bears,” a public education campaign begun in 1996. New Hampshire Fish and Game biologists warn that this year could be particularly challenging, as last fall’s scant acorn crop left many overwintering bears even hungrier than usual. As the staff shrank, New Hampshire’s population grew. And the bear that was behind this year’s mysterious attack in Canaan also evaded trapping efforts. Population estimates range between 4,800 to 5,000 bears statewide. The easiest way to solve a bear–human conflict is to prevent it in the first place. In 2018, political pressure from some Hanover residents caused Normandeau to relocate a problem bear in Hanover, nicknamed “Mink.”. The black bear is found in ten counties in New Hampshire. Back in the 1970s, when a teenaged Normandeau hunted and fished the Beebe River Valley, this system worked well, even though there were only 50 wardens covering the state’s 9,300 square miles. (“By the time they got there the following morning, heavy rain had started and they couldn’t pick a scent up,” says Normandeau). Level Contributor . By 1990, with a healthy population of 3,500 bears, Fish and Game opened most of the state to bear hunting for the first time in decades, and sold tens of thousands of bear-hunting permits. Bears are intelligent, have a very good memory, and a keen sense of smell. From the Historical Society of Cheshire County. In spring, they rely on hard mast from the previous fall, grasses, leaves and newly emerged succulent plants. New Hampshire, which is quite known for its bear population, was no different in rising rates. These days, the state’s bench of bear-savvy employees is smaller, just one of many systemic problems that increasingly imperil the safety of New Hampshire’s bears — and its humans. : As omnivores, black bears change their diets seasonally. “Never been 50 in my 12 and a half years here.”. Black bears generally are solitary creatures.Female black bears first breed between three and five years of age; most breed every other year. That was enough bears, decided the department, which lengthened the hunting season with a plan to stabilize the number at 5,100. 11 years ago. Its that time of year again. When we started, we would receive one to five cubs a year. The Unthinkable Fate of the Challenger Crew, NH's Family-friendly Bike and Rail Trails. In the wildlife management region that includes Grafton, Groton and Canaan, bears outpaced population targets by more than 50%. Black bears range throughout Canada except the north coast. I have spent decades in the White Mountains and have seen a total of 3 black bears...each time on dumpsters (one at a hotel in North Conway, one on Tripoli Road and one in Big Rock Campground on the Kank). A large mammal with powerful limbs, a small head, and small, rounded ears. But as he transitioned into successive careers as a commercial fisherman, and then a water quality consultant, the department was facing strain. New Hampshire > Animal is behaving aggressively > Black bear How to protect pets from bear attack Bears will not generally attack pets, but they can sometimes be startled by a pet while investigating food sources in and around your yard. Welcome! The state could dramatically reduce the number of problematic bear encounters by dramatically reducing the number of bears, at least in human-dense areas. The encounter with the bear was a favorite family story for many years. Adult male black bears may range up to 120 square miles, while females range over a smaller area, about 10 square miles. John Lynch asked Normandeau to take the executive director position in 2008, the possibility Wildlife authorities immediately began searching for her latest set of cubs, hoping to bring them to a nearby bear sanctuary for the winter. Normandeau knew the state’s western region was suffering from the June drought and stifling heat.