Finding Black bears In An Orchard

Filling your bear tag this year might be a little easier if you happen to know an orchardist with a bear problem. Here is reporter Dr. Sparks with information from Idaho Fish and Game. Whenever there is a bumper crop of apples, it means that commercial orchardists or even residents with apple trees on their property need to care for their apple trees to avoid a bumper crop of bear conflicts. Idaho Department of Fish and Game said bear behavior is different this time of year because bears are leaving the forest in search of food before the winter. While that can lead to bears crossing roads, it has also reportedly led to bears apple orchards. Idaho Fish and Game officials say they have investigated so many different sites where trees loaded with apples have limbs that bears can reach and tear down. Residents are urged to clean up all windfalls as soon as they occur and to harvest ripe apples from the trees. While most people picture bears to be ardent meat-eaters, they are in reality highly opportunistic omnivores that will consume whatever food sources they can obtain easily. According to Conservation Educator Gregg Losinski of IDFG, "Bears are at that stage of the year when they are trying to put on as much fat as they can to prepare for winter and a tree full of ripe apples is seen as easy pickings."If you are still trying to fill your bear tag this fall it might be a good idea to connect with an orchardist who would most likely be ecstatic to have a pesky bear removed from destroying his fruit trees.

Once a branch is broken that branch may never bare fruit again which results in a loss of around $800 dollars during the trees lifetime.