Bears and deer. Do they mix?

I’ve been catching black bears on my trail cam frequently and obviously I have several bears on my property. See my posts in the deer hunting forum for trail cam pics.

Here’s my question. I’ve heard and read in multiple places that bears and deer don’t mix. Many seem to believe that the scent of a bear drives off deer and that deer won’t stay or be comfortable in an area that has lots of bear activity.

So first, is it true? Is there a strong indication that bears really push deer out of an area?

Also, just generally I find bears to be a PITA. Yogi has already chewed up a full gas (yummy!) can that I left sitting out and they also chew up treated lumber used for deer stand steps.

So next question, what could be done to get Yogi gone? I don’t have time to bait and hunt bears myself. The thought of letting someone else hunt the property has crossed my mind, BUT then we get into the issue of baiting and actually attracting bears where I don’t want them in the first place.

Also, I don’t want gun hunting on my property before deer season, so are there really any archery guys out there that hunt bear? Seems like a pretty specialized interest and not much chance of getting any bears removed that way.

What to do to get Yogi gone?

Grouse

Everyone that I know that bear hunts uses a bow. There are a lot more bear archery hunters than you think. I don’t have any answers for removing them without hunting.
DT

Personally I think the deer are accustomed to bears in that area. Just another predator to them. I know we get all kinds of pics of the on Todder’s land. The deer don’t seem to leave.

Well, if deer think of black bears as predators, then that just confirms that I want them gone. Or at least to the maximum extent possible.

DT, I’ve asked the only two bow hunters that I know and they both said not interested in bear, deer only. Just curious, do the guys you know that hunt bear do it every year? Or are they a one and done type that just wants one for the wall and then next is a wild hog or whatever?

It’s probably a moot point because taking out just one bear is probably not going to anything for the overall problem.

Grouse

Bears will definately kill fawns

They hunt every year. I did as well, just haven’t had the time too bait the last few years. Hoping to get back into it next year.
DT

Well, Yogi hasn’t moved on his own. Dad was out working on the property today, so he pulled the chip.

I’m getting enough pics now, I’m trying to compare to determine how many bears we have.

So far the deer don’t appear to bothered. Hopefully the fawns are big enough now that they are getting more able to get away from a predatory bear. Yogi needs to be gone.

Grouse

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Am I missing something here? Deer/Bear having been “mixing” for a heck of a lot longer than we have been on this earth and deer continue to get harvested North of Hwy 95 (Bear country…). You have land in Bear country. Shoot one and new ones will move in. Your only option is to buy land in SE Mn…

If I have to, I’ll come shoot Yogi and put him on the wall.

For what it’s worth here’s some info poking around the internet… It basically says bears use a lot of territory and I wouldn’t expect an individual to be restricted to a small area.

“The home range of an American black bear can vary greatly depending on the location, the season, food availability, the density of individuals, and the sex and age of the individual in question. The home range of a male is normally larger than that of a female, and each male’s home range will usually overlap the home ranges of several females. Generally, the poorer the habitat, the larger the home range must be in order to supply the bear with enough food, water, and shelter. While in some extreme instances a male American black bear could have a home range of over 100 square miles, a more typical size would be:
Male 8 – 60 square miles
Female 1 – 15 square miles”

For as often as we’re catching Yogi on the trail cam, I’d say this bear or bears aren’t roaming very far range wise. The habitat on my property is ideal, it’s remote and undisturbed by people, dogs, etc, I have a creek that runs through as a constant source of water, food is everywhere.

I’m even providing entertainment for the bears, I’m putting out gas cans and tree stands for them to chew on. What else can a bear want? I suppose I could set out picnic baskets for him.

In one of the most recent pics posted above, I believe I can see that the bear’s legs are wet. That would make sense if he just came up from the creek that runs through my property, so Yogi is enjoying a swim, stopping by for some salt, then going on to who knows where?

Need Yogi gone.

Grouse

I’ve had bear and deer on the same camera before. They will co exist. Fawns are taken in the early season only. Wolfs are a lot wores. There are plenty of people looking for Bear hunting opertunitys.