What keeps bears away from your home?

A properly installed and maintained electric fence is an excellent bear deterrent, and proven to be effective at turning back bears
back bears
American black bears are highly dexterous, being capable of opening screw-top jars and manipulating door latches. They also have great physical strength; a bear weighing 120 pounds (54 kg) was observed turning flat rocks weighing 310 to 325 pounds (141 to 147 kg) by flipping them over with a single foreleg.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › American_black_bear
. Electric fencing can be used to protect gardens, fruit trees, livestock pens and even campers, trailers and vacation homes.
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What smells will deter bears?

Ammonia or cider vinegar- soaked cloth in trash can or hung on doors and windows can deter bears. The smell of Lysol and PineSol also repels bears. Bear Pepper Spray can be used to defend your- self from an attack; you must determine which way the wind is blowing so you don't get a face full.
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What can you put around your house to keep bears away?

Electric fencing and motion-activated lights can be enough to scare bears away from your yard. For your home, you may want to install bars or grates over the windows, as bears can smash through glass. Motion-activated water spraying systems, made for all kinds of animals, may also deter bears.
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How do you keep black bears away from your house?

To avoid habituating the bears in your area, follow these steps.
  1. Make trash cans inaccessible. ...
  2. Enclose your compost pile. ...
  3. Recycle wisely. ...
  4. Keep your barbecue grill clean and as free of drippings as possible. ...
  5. Rethink your bird feeders.
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What will scare bears away?

Big beach balls tossed at bears often scares them off, as do opening and closing an umbrella, shaking a big tarp or garbage bag, or banging pots and pans. If a bear climbs up a tree to escape, yell at it and beat the base of the tree with a baseball bat or heavy stick.
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Solving Your Bear Problem



Do mothballs keep bears away?

Due to bears' highly developed sense of smell, they find the pungent odor of mothballs unique, which actually piques their interest. Placing mothballs in or around your camp (or vehicle) may attract bears to your location, thus increasing the chance of bears raiding your food cache.
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Does human urine repel bears?

Stephen Herrero's book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, considered the definitive work by many authorities, says “human excrement/urine attracts bears and should not be near your campsite.” The National Park Service promotes that belief as well, adding that the salt in urine attracts wild animals (including ...
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What are black bears afraid of?

Black bears are not territorial toward people like some dogs are. Black bears are mostly afraid they will be attacked. If a person doesn't want a black bear to come closer, act aggressively. Black bears that come into campgrounds are looking for food, not people, and can easily be chased away in most cases.
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Does cayenne pepper keep bears away?

Don't spread cayenne pepper around your campsite- it will not deter bears! The only reason bear spray works is because it is a high concentration that gets right in their face. Spreading pepper around your tent is like seasoning it- an all-around bad idea.
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Does ammonia keep bears away?

There are no repellents that are registered for use on bears. Sprinkling ammonia or other strong disinfectants on garbage can mask the odor of food. Frighten the bear. Shouting, clapping, blasting a car horn or motion-sensitive lights may scare off a bear temporarily.
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How do I bear proof my backyard?

Install a strand or two of barbed wire or electric fencing along the top as well. Simply using electric fencing (12-gauge wire and a minimum of 5,000 volts) spaced about 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) apart up to 8 feet (2 m.) is also effective. Keeping fallen fruits and vegetables picked up is another good tip.
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Can bears break into houses?

(KGO) -- Hank the Tank, a big bear notorious for wreaking havoc in residential neighborhoods, has hit another home in Lake Tahoe. The 500-pound bear is known in the area for breaking into homes and eating people's food. Now, being blamed for dozens of break-ins since last July.
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Do bear bells work?

No-they-don't-work: A more recent study by U.S. Geological Survey scientist, Tom Smith, suggests that bears in the wild ignore bear bells, treating them as they would a bird or some other background noise. Therefore, negating the entire purpose of carrying it all.
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Are bears attracted to the smell of vinegar?

Answer: Here's the short answer: It ain't likely. Here's more: Black bears have actually run away when sprayed with vinegar.
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What plants do bears hate?

Some landscaping trees, bushes, and flowers that are considered not attractive to bears include willows, penstemon, mock orange, lupine, and columbine. For orchards, protect with fencing and keep a clean orchard. Harvest fruit promptly and pick up fallen fruit so the smell does not attract bears.
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Do bears like peppermint?

Most bears love the smell of mint. If you go on a camping trip in many state parks, the wardens will tell you not to keep mint toothpaste or mint gum in your tent because the bears will smell it and go after it. The bear's craving for mint can be used to your advantage.
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Do bears like toothpaste?

Speaking of Smells

You and your delicious clothes are not the only things that are going to attract a bear's curious nose. Things like deodorants, soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and even some bug repellents are going to be very interesting to a bear.
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Will bug spray attract bears?

It depends on the spray you're using. Generally, the bug spray that has a good odor seems to attract bears.
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What scents attract bears?

Bears are attracted to anything that smells; it doesn't even need to smell good. Garbage, compost piles, dirty diapers, pizza boxes, empty beverage cans…to a hungry black bear, it all smells like something good to eat.
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What time of day are bears most active?

Bears are most active at dusk and dawn, usually around water.
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Are bears afraid of dogs?

Bears are naturally afraid of dogs, and being chased by them often changes the bears' behavior. They are far more likely to avoid an area after a dog has charged after them, even if it happened in a spot that they had visited many times.
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Does an air horn scare bears?

Air horns are generally reliable for scaring bears. They will work in most scenarios because they're extremely loud and a bit startling. The best way to be bear safe while hiking or backpacking in the national parks, however, is to use multiple layers of bear safety.
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Does dog poop attract bears?

All food is transferred from bags to metal or plastic storage containers with lids – preferably bear resistant containers. No food bowls are left outside for pets. Bears are attracted to Dog Poop and will often consume it. Keep dog poop cleaned up.
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Do bears like the smell of human poop?

Human waste

Both urine and feces are known to attract bears so it is best to set up the bathroom a little way away from camp and make sure waste is stored in an odor-proof bag where possible.
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Do strobe lights scare bears?

Your flashlight will not blind the bear, neither will strobe. It will just make you to look like a threat and enrage the bear. And the gold rule is to never ever to piss off the bear. Using the light to make you look bigger is the way to go.
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