I'm watching TV tonight and hear a lot of noise coming from my deck. It sounded like my neighbors were moving their deck furniture around (I live in a condo, so the deck runs along the length of the building, with barriers in between each unit's deck for privacy). I'm thinking: you're moving furniture around in March? I KNOW there's still snow on your deck -- don't tell me you're thinking of sitting out there?
More noise, only now it sounds closer to my deck than my neighbor's. I go to my kitchen, which is where you access the deck, and see a large creature on all fours walking away and towards the next deck. A creature that was bear-shaped.
I turned on my outside light and see that my suet feeder, which hangs from a metal hook that's attached to the deck rail, is gone. So is the metal hook.
I wait a minute or two, debating on what to do, and shocked that the bear actually came to my deck, because I'm not in a unit along the woods, but along the road, and they usually stay more along the tree-line. I open the door and clap several times. Don't hear anything. By this time s/he's probably in another part of the complex, back in the woods or down the street. After several more minutes, I went out onto my deck and looked around. I saw the paw prints in the snow going away from my unit towards the next one. Ok, I did in fact see a bear. Went back inside and called a neighbor who walks her dog (the hubby doesn't usually walk him) and left her a message.
She called back about a half hour later to tell me that the bear got into her trash cans (she leaves them outside) and another neighbor's birdfeeder. She'd been walking the dog and for once, he was in a hurry to pee and get back inside.
I live next to a Wildlife Management Area, so we've had bears around before, and I've seen them on rare occasion. And I'm not supposed to feed the birds (HOA rules), but since my row of condos is, how do I put it, on the "inside" of the complex (surrounded by other buildings), the only wildlife that tends to visit me are chipmunks, squirrels or birds. And my deck is several feet above the ground (probably 4-6'). Feeding the birds is something I do for enjoyment, and also to honor Pookie, in a way, because I never fed them until he was older, and it was Cat TV for him. I still have his kitty condo in the kitchen, and he would sit in it and watch, jump to the floor, chattering to the birds. So besides the suet, I also throw a couple handfuls of sunflower seed out for them so he can watch if he comes to visit me.
Well, I won't be doing that anymore.
I'm going to have some very unhappy woodpeckers and other birds tomorrow, but as much as I'd like to find a way to feed them, I don't want to risk attracting the bear to my deck again. I'm just glad the bear didn't damage the deck rail, at least, not what I could see. But I would really like to have the metal hook back. And the suet feeder, but that's probably a lost cause in any case.
FWIW, the bear may have a harder than expected time getting the suet out of the feeder. Since I have very determined squirrels, I have twist ties holding the top and bottom of the suet cage closed.
But, I'm sure Bear will find a way.
BTW, in case you're wondering: I keep my trash can in my garage, which is attached. So Bear isn't going to be getting that unless s/he stops by on trash day after I put it out and before the DPW comes for it.