In a move to properly mitigate bear disruptions on your property — whether it be chicken coops, vegetable gardens, compost piles, beehives or simply your backyard possessions — the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is recommending residents use electrified wires to deter the curious animals.
According to NCWRC BearWise Coordinator Ashley Hobbs, “electrified wires are the most effective, non-lethal tool to keep people, property and bears safe.” Upon contact with the wires, the bears experience a brief shock, which “causes no permanent harm to the bear.” These measures train the bear to stay away from the protected entities. The wiring is also cost effective and easy to maintain, with the setup lasting “for years without needing replacement.”
“Electrified wire is always working, even when you’re away from home or in the middle of the night when you’re in bed asleep. It’s also cost-effective and easy to maintain,” said Hobbs. “Once installed, an electrified set up lasts for years without needing replacement. Long-term maintenance looks like testing the wire frequently to ensure it’s conducting enough charge and keeping weeds and vegetation away from the wires.”
Although all of Western North Carolina is susceptible to the trials and tribulations of bears in the mountains of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky ranges, Hobbs noted that Buncombe County is especially high in terms of interactions with the animals coming onto one’s property in search of food.
“It can depend on where you’re located. Buncombe County is the hot spot in our state for human-bear interactions,” Hobbs said. “Most bears are attracted to homes and communities by unsecured food attractants, like birdseed, hummingbird feeders, pet food and garbage.”
If electrified wires aren’t something you might be interested in installing on your property, Hobbs suggested setting boundaries with the bears through other non-lethal methods. Safe ways to scare the bear include: asserting your dominance, making noise, shooting paintballs (where legal) and using motion-activated devices.
“Hazing requires you to be more alert to bear activity, and you’ll have to haze bears consistently to set and enforce those boundaries,” Hobbs said. “Boundaries can be set for bears through hazing and removing any human-provided food sources. All food sources must be removed from the property, stored inside the home or secured with sturdy locks.”
Hobbs reiterated that the main goal of setting boundaries around homes and communities is to keep bears and people safe, stressing that bears will lose any fear of humans and entering your property if they’re able to access what they’re seeking out — food, garbage, etc. — without any consequence.
“[Bears] also start to associate our homes as a source of food,” Hobbs said. “As bears become more comfortable in our communities, they begin looking for food everywhere and sometimes progress to looking for food inside of our homes and vehicles.”
Sadly, if the bear becomes too confident and/or aggressive, where the human safety risk is now heightened, the NCWRC has to step in and put the bear down to protect the community. To note, the NCWRC “cannot relocate bears in [North Carolina] as it’s ineffective for both bears and people and doesn’t address the root cause of the issue.”
“If human behavior doesn’t change, then the next bear that enters the community is likely to repeat the undesired behavior,” Hobbs said. “When bears are kept from accessing human-provided foods, they’re more likely to pass through the community, rather than sticking around and interacting with homes and people.”
More information can be found at bearwise.org/keep-bears-out/scare-the-bear.
BearWise Hazing Rules
Bears typically avoid people whenever possible, but easy access to garbage, bird seed, pet food and other food sources can attract bears. Scaring the bear can temporarily stop unwanted behavior and give you time to remove or secure attractants.
The following are some helpful tips from the NCWRC in dealing with bears on your property:
- Never approach, corner or chase the bear.
- Stand in a safe place (bring kids and dogs inside).
- Be sure the bear has an escape route away from you.
- Stop hazing when the bear runs away or climbs a tree.
- If the bear approaches, do not run. Use bear spray.
- Be careful. Any hazing is done at your own risk.
Want to know more?
When thinking about ways to deter bears on your property, check with your HOA, community or county for any local regulations before installing electrified wires, mats or fencing.
To learn more about using electrified wires in bear country, please visit bearwise.org and contact North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s “Wildlife Helpline” for assistance at 866.318.2401 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.