An UnBearable early end.

[Lethalbowman]

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I went to collect sap Thursday after work and was greeted with this when I got to my 4th bag. It seems Yogi has decided to awake from his long winters nap early this year. I have never had an issue with the bears on our property before. They have always stayed asleep until syrup season was over. I pulled all my taps on Friday not wanting to engourage any more of this kind of activity.

[twofer]

I like your thread title. :)

That's a bummer. I have wondered what the damage from bears was like for the guys that run up north. Down in southern Michigan, we really only have to worry about squirrels. The squirrels are definitely bad but not rip apart bags bad.

[Lethalbowman]

I did pull all the taps on our property but I still have 8 taps on buckets on sugar maples in my dad's yard a few miles away. No sign of his bears yet so the season is not over with. I was able to collect 125 gallons of 3 1/4 % sap between the 2 locations so am working hard to keep the fire raging in the evaporator to get through it all.

[maple flats]

That looks like a good case for nuisance permits for bear, just be sure it's not a sow with cubs.
I had not experienced a problem with deer chewing the maple tubing, until this year. We have had to repair several sections where they chew the tubing for a 6-10' stretch. I will have nuisance permits for deer there next year. I already get them for deer in my 4.5 acres of blueberries. Too late for this year, they only go thru April 8 and I certainly don't have the time to shoot them. In my blueberries I get hunters to shoot them while I'm working maple.

[steve J]

Rather than pull taps I grab a 12 gauge shot gun and used rubber bullets. A well place shot to butt and bear won't be back.