Bears in Our Yard

Uh, Houston, we have a bear problem. Startled from my sleep, I bolted from bed at 5:30 am to what sounded like an intense struggle. What? Urgent unidentifiable muffled hoarse screaming noises seemed to come from within our house. It sounded like an urgent, scratchy, painful, “yeah, yeah, yeah.” Was it a home invasion? I cautiously looked into our hallway. No. I looked out our 2^nd story window and saw an unmoving black shape in our backyard. I struggled to identify it in the darkness. What was it? Not a neighborhood dog?

And then it was moving, and I noticed, not alone. Three black bear clubs made their way across our yard, moving casually, as a group into the trees of our border garden and climbed over our fence. They had been exploring and squabbling. Evidence of their presence were claw marks on the fence, some tree damage, and a destroyed suet feeder. Last year we didn’t see them but noticed a large detached tree limb from a favorite tree and a destroyed seed feeder on the ground, chewed in half as if it were a snack.

Okay. I have hiked the trails behind our house into Cougar Mountain Wildland Park over 800 times, mostly solo, and never seen a bear. Others have seen them, but I had not. I knew they were out there and yet was not concerned. Now I find myself more cautious and reticent. I know I should be more concerned about the wily, fearless bobcats, but bear cubs should not be trifled with as mom will never be far from them. Nuts.

The bear in the photo lived up in the madrone grove near a trail I often hiked. About five feet tall, he was no problem as he was a static sculpture. I thought he’d always be there to greet me as I passed by. But no. His owners moved away and took him with them. Now the only bears in the woods remain unseen. But out there nonetheless.