We usually enjoy all of our wildlife visitors. We can sit on our deck and watch the deer and elk come through. We’ve even had the opportunity to watch a bobcat watch our chickens. We also have recently been spotting a young bear on a few occasions. Most days we just appreciate that we live in such a beautiful spot with so much wildlife to enjoy.
We always instruct our guests on interacting with the wildlife they may encounter during their stay. We remind them not to feed or get too close and to dispose of any garbage in our bear proof pails. Our guests love that they can see a herd of elk from their room balcony or startle a group of deer as they walk out to the hot tub. Most even love the chattering chipmunks. They widen their eyes when we mention our bear, but we assure them that any loud noise will scare it away and that they probably won’t even see it. Good thing they missed our visitor the other night.
We awoke to garbage strewn around the lawn and our bear proof garbage pails missing. Further investigation discovered the pails about 25 feet from their usual spot and down into the creek. Both were open and garbage was everywhere. A review of our video surveillance cameras showed the overnight visitor responsible. So far this big boy hasn’t been back. We are grateful since it seems that if the bear throws the bear proof pails down the rocks into the creek they are no longer bear proof.
