Do Ranchers Ever Lose Calves to Black Bears

[LBM]

A day of silence kind of answers that.

Sorry dont live on this site one has to actually be outside to see what is going on.

[LBM]

He is not the only rancher i know personally that has a similar story, same sort of thing happened last year where my cabin is. called the CO about Gbear mom and cubs stalking the sheep heard, can you come out and do something, answer NO. So next day lots of wool all over the place, yup you guessed it dead sheep strewn over the field. Call the CO well now what, he comes out and shoots all 3, last story i will tell and yes i do have more, maybe go out and pet your pet bear next time he comes by for a visit....

Could tell lots of storys as well of wildlife being shot and left, Cos being called and going and dealing with the problem right away, and of them going and shooting some thing for simply crossing a ranchers field.
Don't have a pet bear just one crossing through doing what bears do.

[LBM]

I be you would have shot pretty damned quick if it had been after one of your pets or kids. Huge difference between a bear walking thru(which they do all the time on farms and ranches) without causing trouble or even being noticed. But when they start looking at your investment s a "free lunch" that sir is a whole other kettle of fish. Tell us what experience do you have trying to run a ranch and break even in predator country.

Sure if family was being attacked would defend them, and yes a huge difference of some thing just walking through but to bad some dont see it that way and want any thing with teeth or claws shot. No problem if the bear cat or what ever is actually doing some thing (Attacking or killing Live stock) and is not being caused by the human.
Worked on and helped on a few ranches but define predator country do you mean the out doors or bush.
Worked on one place and before i started there the owner killed any bear he seen in the area on his land or the surrounding crown land according to his family so guess they didnt use the 3rd S very well. The family finally got him to quit this for they didnt like it and new it wasnt nessacary.
Been offered money by 2 different places to kill bears cats or wolves seen, now this was at any time not in season when legal, even said to go on land they didnt own and of course keep it all quit. Told them both no wouldnt poach for them.
Have said before many have no clue on what actually goes on out there.
Also no some great ranchers and land owners and would go out of ones way to help them.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Sure if family was being attacked would defend them, and yes a huge difference of some thing just walking through but to bad some dont see it that way and want any thing with teeth or claws shot. No problem if the bear cat or what ever is actually doing some thing (Attacking or killing Live stock) and is not being caused by the human.
Worked on and helped on a few ranches but define predator country do you mean the out doors or bush.
Worked on one place and before i started there the owner killed any bear he seen in the area on his land or the surrounding crown land according to his family so guess they didnt use the 3rd S very well. The family finally got him to quit this for they didnt like it and new it wasnt nessacary.
Been offered money by 2 different places to kill bears cats or wolves seen, now this was at any time not in season when legal, even said to go on land they didnt own and of course keep it all quit. Told them both no wouldnt poach for them.
Have said before many have no clue on what actually goes on out there.
Also no some great ranchers and land owners and would go out of ones way to help them.

Ok so very limited experience then. Well when you have the kind of experience that people like Gcreek, Bear Valley, or even myself hasv then MAYBE you will have some right to criticize, until then it's pretty much like a non hunter criticizing a hunter for the way we get out meat. You are entitled to your opinion and to handle predators the way you choose but to quote Bob Dylan. "Don't criticize what you don't understand"

[Piperdown]

Could tell lots of storys as well of wildlife being shot and left, Cos being called and going and dealing with the problem right away, and of them going and shooting some thing for simply crossing a ranchers field.
Don't have a pet bear just one crossing through doing what bears do.

That is the worst try at a deflection i think i have ever read, please try again and with a little more thought...this thread is about bears and ranches, not animals shot and left in the bush by who knows!!!!!

[GreyDog]

There is little doubt that bears kill some calves. When you think about it, thousands of cows are kicked out onto the open range and left to fend for themselves in country filled with bears. It is somewhat amazing that they don't kill more. I can only guess that domestic beef is not the preferred menu item. When a cow is killed by a bear, the owner of said cow is perfectly within his rights to shoot said bear if it is on his property. If the killing took place on open range and the bear is on that range, maybe not so much. Sometimes, the occasional loss (compensated, mind you) is just the price of leaving livestock unprotected in a wilderness area. A pre-emptive shooting of bears, just in case they might kill a calf on the range, is not OK and any rancher doing this can expect some time in court and rightly so. I have shot predators which were on my property and a threat to my animals and have reported the shootings with no repercussions. GD

[gcreek]

There is little doubt that bears kill some calves. When you think about it, thousands of cows are kicked out onto the open range and left to fend for themselves in country filled with bears. It is somewhat amazing that they don't kill more. I can only guess that domestic beef is not the preferred menu item. When a cow is killed by a bear, the owner of said cow is perfectly within his rights to shoot said bear if it is on his property. If the killing took place on open range and the bear is on that range, maybe not so much. Sometimes, the occasional loss (compensated, mind you) is just the price of leaving livestock unprotected in a wilderness area. A pre-emptive shooting of bears, just in case they might kill a calf on the range, is not OK and any rancher doing this can expect some time in court and rightly so. I have shot predators which were on my property and a threat to my animals and have reported the shootings with no repercussions. GD

You are right in most of this statement...........

I also believe that most predators prefer wild prey until they find out how easy it is to kill beef. With wild prey drastically down in numbers and a lack of will govt. to lessen predator populations these problems are only going to get worse.

Your statement of livestock loss compensation would leave readers to believe ranchers are compensated for all cattle that don’t come home in the fall and that ranchers can blame all losses on predators and be duly compensated. This is not the case, only kills that are fresh enough to be verified a predator kill by a licensed verifier will be compensated for if verifier deems the loss a bona fide predator kill. Livestock owners are allowed to kill offending wildlife on Crown range provided the proof of the problem is there.
This ranch has had 412 cattle not return home from range between spring of 03 and fall of 18. We have received compensation now for 14 of those animals. We know that the major portion of the remaining 398 were predator losses but with no verification they are a complete loss. The only reason we are still in business is the fact that we have a very cheap operation in all other ways to run.

We have spent a considerable sum of money for mitigation over the years in an attempt to lessen losses. Some years it pays, others not so much.

[JIL_24/7]

Well. I guess that answers my question.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Read this entire thread. It doesn't take more than 2 brain cells to rub together to figure out who knows what they are talking about and who are just expressing uneducated opinions.

[gcreek]

Well. I guess that answers my question.

Glad I could help.