It’s definitely bear sighting season in Hedley and virtually every old-timer in town has a favorite bear story. One account that captured my attention some years ago came from Sylvia. Already elderly at the time, she and her husband Harry had lived most of their lives here. “I had just turned the calendar page to October,” she said. “I was standing at the kitchen sink, about to wash the supper dishes. Dusk was setting in and Harry, as usual, had settled into his easy chair in the living room, pipe in hand. I had lit a fire in the woodstove to take the chill off.”

“This evening I was thinking about tasks that needed doing before bedtime. I wasn’t giving attention to happenings outside my home. This changed when I glanced out the kitchen window. A large black bear was standing upright on it’s hindquarters, observing me with keen interest. It was no more than five feet from the house. Being watched at such close quarters made me jittery. I backed away but the curious bear moved it’s great body closer for a better view. I’d heard that bears don’t have good vision so I turned off the kitchen light. Pretty soon it lost interest and ambled off to find other entertainment.”

Sylvia’s bear adventure happened almost 40 years ago. Apparently bears haven’t made significant changes to their strategies for acquiring a layer of fat before their extended winter sleep.

Agnes, an elderly widow, lives alone. “This year I picked my apples early so they wouldn’t be poached by bears,” she said. “This happened the previous year and I didn’t intend to share my fruit again. I stored the apples in my basement but got distracted by the cat and didn’t close the door.”

Late that evening rustling sounds from downstairs made her anxious. If there was an intruder, she’d have to deal with the situation herself. Turning on the basement lights, she eased quietly down the stairs. In the corner where she had stored the apples, a black bear was sitting on its haunches, contentedly enjoying her freshly picked fruit. Agnes is an independent minded gal, but this was a bit much. Terrorized, she shrieked so loud the bear scrambled to its feet and bolted out the door.

At this time of year, we expect to see bears wandering about in town, searching for nourishment. A couple of days ago Tap, our next door neighbor came upon a black bear destroying the grapevine in their back yard. He yelled at the animal, but it proved unwilling to abandon this feast. It growled, ignored Tap and brazenly continued tearing apart the prized vine. Tap isn’t a man to be trifled with. He resolutely grabbed a metal rake and smacked the bear on the head with all the force he possessed. The big animal turned and glared at him, then leaped over the rear gate. Tap hasn’t seen it again. Maybe the bear is nursing a headache.

Ross, a cross town neighbor didn’t fare quite as well. When he went out in the morning several days ago he discovered a flat tire on his van. Examining the wheel more closely, he realized a bear had taken a couple of bites out of a nearly new tire. Only a ravenous bear would do that.

A serious lack of precipitation is once again shrinking the food supply for all animals and they are coming down the local mountains in search of sustenance. My friend Larry told me he’d chased a bear out of his garage. “It was skinny” he said. “Didn’t look at all like it is ready for winter.” Larry’s bear won’t need to be concerned about fattening up for the coming winter. Someone in town apparently felt compassion for the animal, believing it was too diseased and skinny to survive. Yesterday a Conservation Officer came to town and shot the bear.

Most black bears can be chased away, but it’s unwise to become complacent. A number of years ago my friend Al dozed off while sitting alone by his campfire, deep in the wilderness, late at night. “A bear entered my camp and I must have stirred and surprised it,” he said later. “It ripped off part of my scalp with its claws. I consider myself lucky to be alive. Now when there are bears nearby, I take nothing for granted.” In Hedley we need to consider his advice.

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Note: Black Bear is a species, not a color. Black bears come in more colors than any other North American mammal. (courtesy of BearWise.org). However, the bears sighted in Hedley this year were black.