Lots of Big Critters

[zelmo1]

Over the last few years we have seen an increase of bobcats, fishers and mostly bears in my neck of the woods. I stumbled on a bear bait on a private piece that I have permission to hunt, pretty close to section of conservation that I hunt and they knew that they were on property they weren't supposed to be on. No name posted, bait was an old carcass, looked like a large goat, and it was partially elevated, tied to a tree. I found the blinds about 40 yards away. I backed out. I asked the farmer and he said that nobody had permission for any bait sites on his property. He contacted fish and game and they are handling it now. I am amazed at the numbers getting up so fast. Multiple bear sightings weekly now and when I was a kid the only bears around were at Clark's Trading Post, lol. It is a fantastic place to visit if you are in the White Mountains BTW. Just thinking out loud, what critters have been increasing in your area? Z

[Tom007]

Over the last few years we have seen an increase of bobcats, fishers and mostly bears in my neck of the woods. I stumbled on a bear bait on a private piece that I have permission to hunt, pretty close to section of conservation that I hunt and they knew that they were on property they weren't supposed to be on. No name posted, bait was an old carcass, looked like a large goat, and it was partially elevated, tied to a tree. I found the blinds about 40 yards away. I backed out. I asked the farmer and he said that nobody had permission for any bait sites on his property. He contacted fish and game and they are handling it now. I am amazed at the numbers getting up so fast. Multiple bear sightings weekly now and when I was a kid the only bears around were at Clark's Trading Post, lol. It is a fantastic place to visit if you are in the White Mountains BTW. Just thinking out loud, what critters have been increasing in your area? Z

No Black bear is gonna take you on Z. They see you, their leaving town for sure! Lol, lots of bobcat sightings in my areas and in residential areas as well. Not good, they are on the endangered species list and will only continue to multiply. Stay tuned...

[Yoder409]

I saw my first black bear in our woods in 1981.  They just weren't here before that.  Since then I've had close to 200 sightings and shot one that's solidly up into the Boone & Crockett book.  We're quite polluted with them now.

Fishers showed up about 30 years ago.  They, too, are well established, now.

Not JUST right here....but within a few miles, both bobcats and otters have moved in and set up shop.  Never had either anywhere CLOSE to here 25 years ago.

At the same time.....squirrels and rabbits are few and grouse are functionally extinct here.

[deathfoot]

Black bears for sure. I'm starting to see more bear than deer while deer hunting. They are a nuisance and pain in the , just being honest. I've seen numerous hit on the road in the last few years. I have no desire to kill one, don't want to eat it or drag the nasty things out of the woods either. I'm not scared of them either, if I walk up on one I just keep on walking. Other than that, plenty of yotes.

[Greg Massey]

Predators / critters are sometimes a problem in my area. It's just all part of the game in chasing these gobblers.
I really can't complain. I have had very few encounters with either one while hunting all these years. 

Coyotes I would say are the biggest problem in my area, but I've seen them pay no attention to deer or turkeys while i'm hunting either one.. So who really knows.

[GobbleNut]

Our biggest increase in the larger wildlife species here has been in our elk population.  They are everywhere...and are showing up in places we have never seen them before, like out in the middle of the desert. In certain areas here, they are a nuisance to turkey hunting in that you can't move through the forest without bumping them as you go.

Two of our "exotics"...Oryx and Barbary sheep (aoudad)...seem to be increasing, as well, and hunting opportunities for both have risen over the years. They provide a unique opportunity for us hunters...if we can manage to draw a permit to hunt them...which is a longshot anymore.

Ravens, hawks, and eagles are way more numerous nowadays, as well, since they are protected...and no longer limited by the predator-control poisoning that occurred up until the 70's. The raven population, in particular, has gone out the roof in the last couple of decades. I worry that any of those could be having an impact on our turkeys at some point.

Coyotes, bobcats, and the like have remained pretty stable. We consistently see (or hear) coyotes pretty much everyplace...even in or near town...but they have always been here in relatively stable numbers. I don't view them as much of a problem for turkeys, but they are hell on our smaller ungulates like deer and pronghorn.

We do have bears in "moderate" numbers and mountain lions are around but not common. We rarely see either of them. I don't think either of them are increasing in numbers from what I can tell.

 

[Zobo]

I'm coastal so the big increase in "critters" in my area is the abundance of gray seals and therefore white shark populations that are now closer to shore. Luckily sharks don't affect the turkey population much 😆

[aclawrence]

We had a bear sighting here recently and it was the talk of the town on our local Facebook group. There have been a handful of alligator sightings which also are a hot topic haha.


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