I posted earlier (I believe in November) about a bear visiting my house and coming onto my back deck in Sandy Run. He has decided that he likes my place about as much as I do and has pretty much set up residence there lately. This is a large bear, by my estimates about 6'4" and around 300 or more pounds. Bears have been sighted in Calhoun County and lower Richland County a lot last fall and this winter. When he first visited, I thought it was very cool and enjoyed showing pictures off a game camera. Not many people in Columbia can say they have had a bear on their deck. I live about 15 miles as the crow flies from the State House on Wolfe Lake in upper Calhoun County.

He made appearances in January and February briefly and managed to tear up some of my bird feeders. About 10 days ago, he showed up and knocked down one feeder. Over the next few nights, he tore up a couple more and ripped suet cake holders off other feeders. Usually he can see inside my house and if we move around, he would quickly leave. Lately, he has become much more brazen and now does not run when my dog barks inside the house. I put up one of the Arlo Go cameras to get some video and pull up live action of him on my laptop or phone. I can cut large spotlights on, walk into the bedroom which is only 20 feet from the feeders and knock on the patio door and he refuses to leave. I am getting very wary of letting my dog outside now as he goes ballistic barking and following his trail through the woods and swamp.

My dog is a part Lab that someone threw out at our house when he was around 6 weeks old and has become a decent hunting dog. He goes often to the club and has caught and killed a small wild hog before, so he is very interested in this bear. I know only one swipe of his paw could kill my dog, so I try and make sure the bear has time to run off before letting him out. I have called DNR and they have someone coming out at the first of next week to look further into what can be done. The first thing I know you will say and the DNR told me is to take down my bird feeders. There is nothing more relaxing to me than sitting on my back deck overlooking the lake and watch Indigo and Painted buntings, goldfinches, chickadees and many others along with my red tailed grey squirrel feed at the feeders. I do not want to get rid of my feeders, I now want to get rid of the bear!

WIS and Chad Mills are coming out tomorrow morning to do a story that should air tomorrow night or over the weekend. I want other people in the area to be aware of something that they probably have no idea is around the Midlands. I am posting a couple of videos of him, one he walks up close to the camera and crawls over the bannister onto my deck where he destroyed a feeder hanging from a tree. The other shows him standing up and reaching for the feeders left.