Feed birds, not bears. These are the bare necessities for keeping your backyard bird feeder safe from hungry bears.
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Bear Proof Bird Feeder Solutions
While many backyard birding enthusiasts can relate to the frustrations of squirrels helping themselves to seed or an occasional feeder being hauled off by a raccoon to an undisclosed location in the woods, for folks in parts of the country, the mammalian neighbors are bear-sized.
Ben Dickson, owner of a Wild Birds Unlimited store in Bedford Hills, New York, finds himself fielding customer questions that go beyond how to cut down chipmunk seed consumption and tricks for stumping opossums. In his region, black bears are an occasional concern. Luckily, many of the tricks that apply to stymieing squirrels also outwit bears.
“There doesn’t seem to be rhyme nor reason to bear visits,” he says. “You can get hit once every 10 years or have weekly visitors.” For the safety of the bears (and the neighbors), it’s best to minimize the appeal of your yard to any ursine visitors.
Try Hot Pepper Bird Seed
According to Ben, one of the most effective ways to make a bird feeder bear proof is hot pepper products. “Usually, the smell is almost enough to deter them.”
Unlike birds who physiologically can’t feel the burn of capsaicin oils, mammals, including bears, are sensitive to the heat. Seed and suet that has been treated with hot pepper has been safely used for years. Birds love it and mammals tend to leave it alone.
“Sometimes bears knock down feeders and play with them before trying the food,” Ben says. Hot pepper can help prevent bears from hauling your feeders off, he elaborates.
Pay Attention to Feeder Placement
In some situations, you can make your bird feeder setup bear proof. “They can bend or destroy a pole pretty easily,” says Ben, “but sturdy poles that winch the feeders up beyond the reach of the bears can be effective when baffled.”
An aerial feeding station can place multiple bird feeders 14 feet in the sky, well out of reach of any bear explorers. Black bears can be agile climbers. Baffling poles can minimize their scalability. Also keep feeders away from nearby tree branches.
Another tip is having seed trays beneath feeders which helps minimize the spillage onto the ground where it can act as bear bait.
Watch the Clock and Calendar
In the northern reaches of the continent and the higher elevations of the west, winter is hibernation season for bears and the concerns with bird feeding are diminished. That’s not the case for more southern areas.
“With the milder temperatures, our bears are remaining active even in winter,” says Ben. People have had luck bringing their feeders in at night, although Ben admits that everyone forgets on occasion. It only takes once for a bear, or any of the other nocturnal mammals, including raccoons, to find you.
If bears have been spotted in your neck of the woods, you might need to take a break from feeding birds. Ben says, “take a few nights off if your yard has been hit.” A week or two without feeding should be enough time for the bears to move on in most instances. In Ben’s area the bears seem to make a loop around the local reservoir.
Offer Native Plants and Water to Attract Birds
If maintaining bird feeders is too great a risk because of high bear activity, focusing on native plants is another way to enjoy your bird neighbors. Remember, bears love berries, so avoid those.
Water fountains and bird baths can also be a good compromise. “I’ve never had bears bother my water features, although I did have a customer mention, she’s seen one go in for a dip on a hot day at her place,” Ben says.
Habituating bears is the risk. As the phrase goes, a fed bear is a dead bear, so when it comes to Yogis, it is essential to minimize the appeal of your bird feeders.
About the Expert
Ben Dickson started working at the Bedford Hills, New York, Wild Birds Unlimited store 15 years ago and now he is the owner.
