Black bear still hanging around Sisters

A phone call last Tuesday afternoon from Norma Funai at Indian Ford brought the bear hanging around Sisters back into immediate focus. Norma was taking out her trash and watched a confrontation between said bear and a mule deer doe in her backyard that was more than she expected.

"The bear seemed to know that a fawn was in the immediate vicinity," Norma said, "and was apparently sniffing around for it, and momma doe rushed at the bear, who decided retreat was the best part of valor, and climbed into a tree."

Apparently not ready to let things stand as they were, the doe waited until the bear came down and then chased it off Norma's place out into the meadow.

"When the doe returned," Norma reported, "she called a newborn fawn out from under a juniper tree and took off in the opposite direction."

A few days later, Irene Coats, of Lower Cattle Drive (adjacent to Indian Ford) saw the bear. Her dog went after it and that got the bear up on its hind legs, but Coats and her husband, Dale, were able to get their dog back before any fur was sent flying. Coats reported the incident to the sheriff's office. They said the bear stayed on Lower Cattle for some time, then went over a hill to the Upper Cattle Drive area.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) biologists said that the bear should have left the neighborhood by now, off looking someplace else for things to eat. The fact that it's still hanging around Sisters would indicate that it's being fed by people, either on purpose or by accident.

"No good is going to come out of that," said Steve George, ODFW wildlife biologist.

Perhaps it has come across a road-killed deer, or discovered a nice big bowl of dog food on someone's back porch, or stumbled over a compost pit that has chicken bones in it.

Norma Funai was also worried that the bear might have gotten into her trash, but was relieved the next morning to see her trash can unmolested.

"Whatever the bear has found to eat, it's not at all a good thing that it's so close to town," George said.

Indian Ford has kids riding their bicycles all over the place, and joggers out for early-morning and late-afternoon runs. The last thing they need is to be confronted by a hungry bear.

If that does happen, what do you do? According to various bear-encounter experts, this is what they suggest:

If you're jogging or hiking, DO NOT RUN! You cannot outrun a bear intent on doing you bodily harm. Some people claim that if you run downhill you can do it - but unless your last name is Prefontaine, it's

impossible.

Shout and wave your arms over your head. Look BIG! The bear won't give a hoot out of respect for Homo sapiens per se; "BIG" and "Man" is what counts. Black bears - unless there is a cub or cubs involved - will usually shy away from humans once they know what's looking at them. But bears, like snakes, have poor eyesight and most often depend on sound and scent to identify what's in their immediate vicinity.

Back up slowly, and keep talking. Do not try to stare it down as you would a cougar, just stay aware of where the bear is, where you're going, and watch for a smooth escape route. If you're agile, it is suggested climbing a tree will sometimes work. Keep going up until you are as high as you can go, don't stop and see what the bear might be doing.

If you're on your bike, keep the bike between you and the bear, and keep backing up until you have a good 20 feet between you and the bear, then get on your bike and hightail it out of there in a hurry.

If the bear does rush you, try to hit it on the nose or eyes with a stick. Failing that, fall to the ground on your side with your hands on the back of your neck. If you have a backpack, keep it on. Lay still, but letting yourself "roll with the punches" will often help.

According to most experts, not moving discourages the bear from knocking a person about. Don't move when the bear walks off. Wait until it is beyond your hearing then move - very slowly - just enough to see where it is.

Wildlife biologists are not taking any immediate action on the Sisters bear.

"So far, that bear hasn't caused any problems," George said. "So we're going to sit tight and hope it leaves town without causing any trouble."