I was working on my fireplace the other day, and just happen to look out the window and saw these two bears in the front yard heading straight for my bird feeder. After sticking my head out the door to warn them to "...stop where you are!" the cub quickly turned around and started to walk away. The mother, however, stopped and looked up at me, waiting to see what was going to happen next. The cub, realizing that Mom wasn't following, then returned to its mother. The cub was more nervous than its mother, who seemed fairly nonchalant about my presence. She looked at me in a stare-off, presumably to test my resolve in keeping the bird feeder off limits. There was little else I could do should she decide to take the feeder down, and I wasn't about to test HER resolve any further than raising my voice. Mother bears will defend their cubs aggressively, and considering her size, I wasn't about to get into a contest over rights to the feeder. I was willing to sacrifice it and and sunflower seeds, if necessary. Normally black bears want nothing to do with people. This sow, however, has obviously become habituated to people--but after a few steps more, I shouted at the top of my lungs, and the pair ran off.
