Bear-Proof Feeder? Does one exist?

[sawtooth2]

I'm going to be moving to rural Duluth this fall and am hoping that some of you northern folks can help me out with ideas on bird feeders that keep the bears at bay. Most everyone I've met that lives in Duluth has a bear story. And it's usually a humorous story that somehow involves the total destruction of their bird feeder. Is there such a thing as a bear-proof feeder?

[Steve Foss]

There are no bear-proof feeders, unless you string them up on a cable and keep them too high for the bears to reach and too far for them to climb the tree and reach, like when you're in the woods and hanging your foodbag up. And that's too high, generally, to attract the broadest range of birds.

Better to resign yourself to giving the bears an easy target farther from the house, an oversize feeder or trough that bears can scoop the seed out of without needing to destroy it. For some reason, even when the trough is wide open, bears tend to want to scoop it out and eat from their paws or the ground.

Then, closer to the house, erect your standard feeders. You'll still probably have bears at those, but you should have them far less often. Also, keep your suet farther away, as well. It stinks having to use binocs to look at woodpeckers on suet 30 yards from the house, but if you put it close, you'll have bears (and raccoons) all over it.

When it gets cold enough that all the bears are hibernating you can, of course, move the suet close to the house and discontinue the seed feeding station farther away.

I suspect others may do things other ways, and I'll bet you get a good variety of responses to pick and choose from. Good luck.