Anyone living in bear country should know better than to have bird feeders out during bear season! This guy would get getting a fine here as that is illegal here.

A bear that assocates humans with food ends up being shot!

DON'T leave bird feeders out if you care about the bears!

AND DON'T leave your trash out

But what if you care about the birds?

I guess he... barely made it to safety. It could have been a.... grizzly scene! Is the governor's middle name... clawed?

First, second and third place for corniest joke of the year goes to...Jersey Bob!

He was there with a friend and its reported that the last thing his friend heard was.."BULLSH!T!! I Don't have to run faster than them, just faster than you!!! Peace out MoFo!!"

Bears are also attracted to barbecues that have not been cleaned so make sure any food remnants are not left on the grill. Be safe!

I would think the lesson to be learned is let the bears have the bird seed. It's not worth your life to save the feeders, is it? But the story is kinda funny - three feet away from AAAHHRRR! I can just see the governor miming the clawing action.

Call me crazy, but i'd have just let the bears eat up the bird food and destroy the feeders than risk my life.

Exactly, let the feeders get wrecked but save your life. What's the price of some seed and a couple feeders when a life is at stake, his and the bears who he stated were hungry.

The article should have read: "VT governor seen running around in his yard with a bear behind".

Do you actually believe this story? Where's the video? We all know a Governor needs to be conscience of his security. Are you telling me he had no security cameras to back this up?

Not the brightest star in the sky, hmmm Governor?

I can not bear to read any more of these blogs.

Kind of a moron to attempt chasing away a group of bears unarmed.

Did I say bears, I meant to say cubs....er,,,,cub scouts.... yeah that's the ticket...cub scouts were attacking my bird feeders.

No one was there to see any of this of course. Probably got up and found the feeders on the ground and a couple of bear tracks....hmmm.....publicity stunt time!

Vermont governor outruns 4 bears in yard -- barefoot

Well duh! Of course the bears were barefoot.....or is that bear foot?

I don't have to be faster than a bear to be governor, I just have to be faster than you!

Industrial Strength

Glad to see someone else that questions the story. Maybe we should get the Governor together with that guy who was saved by a cougar by a bear. The one that said, I knew he was going to help because he looked at me like an old friend" I would love to hear the whopper the two of them come up with. Of course I could be wrong we know our public officials would never lie to us deliberately. Or would they?

Hopefully the governor is good looking otherwise the people need to get their votes back. Less than bright? Downright stupid. Candidate numero uno for the Darwin award of the year.

Had the bears eaten him they would have made the world a smarter place.

Perhaps the governor was bare?

I'm surprised the bears would have bothered with a political figure. Professional protocol should have demanded the bears get what they wanted in exchange for helping the Governor with something He wanted. Could'a been "tea bag" bears though. Probably looking for communists there among the "bird feeders".

Was he drunk? Who would die trying to intimidate four hungry bears? I thought Vermonters were smart.

The valuable lesson should have been "DO NOT GO OUTSIDE THE HOUSE TO CHASE AWAY HUNGRY BEARS THAT ARE RAIDING THE BIRD FEEDERS!" Let the damn bears have the feeders, then go to the store and get NEW feeders -- and make sure you take them down and put them away at night!!!

Having a home in a area where there are bears requires a little common sense. You have to keep your BBQ grill clean and in the garage. You can't leave out food for your dog or your dog for that matter. If it is small one. You have to hoist your bird feeders up high and bear proof them. Don't plant landscaping that has berries and is tasty. You have to use bear proof garbage containers. People with bear problems don't have bear problems the bears have people problems. Bears are opportunists don't give them a opportunity. Bears love bird seed. They also love our high fat gabage.

Actually, Four Bears was the name of an 80 year old indian he outran in the neighborhood while jogging. Changed story to qty four bears for Drama!

Bare feet and more likely an empty head. So was the dispenser worth the trip?

if you and I were being chased by bears I'd only have to outrun ...you!

@The posters who believe the governor made up this story---

Why would the governor waste his time making up a story such as this one? You do realize that reporting this story is time-consuming. What would be the point? He's already the governor; so why does he need any more attention than that?

There would be no good, logical reason to make up this story, especially when the governor ends up looking rather foolish for risking his life trying to save bird feeders from not one, or even two, but four bears.

Torcots,

Politicians are constantly doing dumb things. Quite possibly he was rescuing his "wife for a night"'s pantyhose that had been strung over the birdfeeder after an amorous evening in the hot tub?

So much for natural selection. This time.

Call me crazy, but i'd have just let the bears eat up the bird food and destroy the feeders than risk my life.

Yes, that, in fact, was the lesson to be learned. Lesson missed.

Wow...

Mac -- That's sooooo funny friend! LOL

The gov comes out looking both stupid and stingy. Let's see: four hungry bears just woken up from hibernation, ravenous.

1) he risks his life to save his birdseed (stupid)... and

2) could he not be kind-hearted enough to let the hungry bears and cubs eat the seeds? Given that they'd already started, so it's too late to save his back porch from being viewed as a potential future food source.

Four Bears was a Mandan Chief who now has a casino named after him in North Dakota. Not a Vermonter.

from "someone'".

That's a small part of your problem... you can't tell people from bears. 

Someone get this man(?) a gun!

it cause the bears were native, if they were illegal he would have pushed the fridge out the door.

That is funny stuff Bill

My bad, klone. A bear obviously wouldn't be "someone" unless the Democrats could figure out a way to get it registered to vote. In which case there would be no story, because the bears would be living in public housing and getting their food with government cash cards (because, as we all know, bears would be stigmatized by having to use food stamps).

Any correlation from this article to this month's IRS tax due date ?

The Democrats are waiting for the final tallies of the Federal government's income so they can "muscle through" their remaining Social agenda items.

Hmmmm....Donkey's (similar to bears emerging from hibernation) food for thought.

denver bill2, you should be ashamed of yourself, considering how many people have had to resort to using this very same system you disparage during the recent economic down-turn. If this system were not in place there would have been thousands of deaths due to starvation and a probable extreme increase in crime from people unwilling to just lay down and die. Besides the Dole was created by the republicans during the great depression.

Why didn't he just let them eat the bird food? Not to bright to put his life in danger for a bird feeder??????????

really, really you make this story political. it's a funny story non political get a life

It's Vermont, for heaven sake. He should've thrown himself on the ground and let the bears eat him. That would be the green thing to do.

Echols1,

Ashamed? I think not. I revel in my political incorrectness. I take pity on those who deserve it, which includes a (small) number of the people on the dole. I have none for those who can work, but choose not to.

Denver Bill...BITE ME! Denver Steve

Holy Chist people...do we really to get all "red vs. blue" over this??

I live that this post was put here, as a convenient "holding pen" for all the idiots who insist on making every article a left vs. right political pissing match. I hope all you fools do the rest of us a favor by keeping your inane bickering here so the rest of us can enjoy not seeing it elsewhere.

@American socialist

They'll always find a way to bring politics in this so don't really get bugged by it. I know it gets annoying but they think bringing politics into anything and everything makes them smart. As for your posts Denver most people can't work because we keep shipping jobs over seas and you call us lazy freeloaders because we need help from others. Why don't you put yourself in their shoes for an entire week and see how you do.

watch PETA file a lawsuit

Of course if the Governor had been a Republican and/or Tea-Tagger, he would have said he that HE chased the BEARS....

So freakin' hilarious how the CONS look for the slightest opportunity to slam the LIBS -- and the LIBS look for the slightest opportunity to slam the CONS. What both sides so conveniently "forget" is that ALL POLITICIANS ARE PROFESSIONAL LIARS!

Yes, AKRandy, you shouldn't put bird feeders out in the spring in bear country. But residential Montpelier VT isn't really considered "bear country." The bear population seems to be increasing a bit and they are trying to get the word out, but it's really not the kind of thing people automatically consider as they would if they were living in your neck of the woods.

And NoneOfYrBusiness who said "We all know a Governor needs to be conscience of his security. Are you telling me he had no security cameras to back this up?" This is Vermont. Not New York, Massachusetts, or even Rhode Island. Montpelier is the smallest state capital in all of the US. with just under 8,000 residents. The nastiest drive-by you worry about in Montpelier is when someone drives thru a big puddle and splashes you standing on the sidewalk. They don't even have a Governor's house or cottage, let alone a Governor's mansion. If they don't live within commuting distance, VT governors, like Shumlin, rent a house in Montpelier. So no, they probably don't have a bunch of security cameras. Having lived there for quite a while, you can take my word for it (or not -- your choice) that they really don't have the same kind of security mentality, or the need for it, as in other locations. (Just think of the money they save on security staff and cameras!)

Also having lived there while Shumlin was in the VT HoR, I really don't doubt that if he said this happened, it did. And since Vermonters are usually very practical, I don't doubt that a lot of his neighbors are also saying, like people here, "Ya dumb $h!t, ya shoulda left the birdseed and not messed with the bears!"

Since this guy's a Democrat, how do you suppose a Republican Governor might react? Is this a baiting question, or what? LOL!!!

What an idiot for trying to take bird feeders away from bears, one would hope that a person would be smarter then that. At least he runs fast.

He was chased by bears, not GOP elephants. Species does matter.

That's the lesson I would have learned. Don't mess with those guys. What was he thinking??

Pretty ballsy of him to try that. I would have whipped out my paintball gun and painted the things green. But there's probably a law against that too.

Here in New Hampshire, our Governor is a lot smarter. He took his bird feeders down a month ago and would not consider trying to outrun a bear - with cubs no less. Jeez.

Wonder if they waited til Friday the 13th to post this tale or would this be a bear's tail? lol

But yeah, at least one MAMA BEAR AND CUBS ... the guy was doubly a dumbazz!

Hmmm what kind of decisions does he make as Govenor ... hopefully none on the spur of the moment!! WHOOPS ... did I do that?!

I don't know about up there, but in Florida if the same bear is caught either two or three times in a inhabited area they have to be put down, plus the added interactions is just asking for trouble. Feeding them makes them come back, he wasn't trying to save the feeders. He was trying to deny the bears food, although almost gave them an additional snack in the process.

Still stupid to do after they got to the feeders.

The bears in Florida ain't much bigger than Racoons.

What makes him really the luckiest dumbass on the planet is a she bear with cubs.

And if the bear had caught him and hurt him, while defending her cubs, she would have been shot. Just so this idiot can save his bird feeder.

The bears in Florida ain't much bigger than Racoons.

Must have some damn HUGE racoons in Florida, 'cause the ones in Minnesota are about the size of a bulldog.

Who DAT

Does it really matter? BOTH care only for themselves!

Was that code?

New Hampshire?!? . . . and YOU are calling people DUMB?!?

moron

Leftsux do you know Vermont is NOT New Hampshire?? Good grief!!

*I'm not dumb enuff to read this drivel.

*I'm not dumb enuff to read this drivel.

Just dumb enough to type it and misspell enough, correct? I can almost hear you stomping your feet and spiting on your monitor.

You all butt sore for being called a simpleton?

You folded easier than a deck of cards. Instead of doing the easy thing and saying you were mistaken about the state, you act like you're better than everyone else.

Anybody who posts a comment to an article they don't even bother to look at is dumber than a box full of rocks -- 'specially a Tea-Tagger who posts comments to an article they don't even bother to look at.

Complete and total idiot.The animal had more sense than the Democrat. Why does that not suprise me.

Considering that all Democrats have even more sense than any Repub, it makes perfect sense that you would inject your totally useless comment here. I was going to say that it's a shame that you can't see beyond the initial after somebody's name, but then we'd all be better off if you were fertilizer.

Hey, Leroy, is that a picture of MALCOLM X? Funny you should use a picture of a RADICAL LEFTIST who was virulently PRO-EQUAL RIGHTS.................. Don't you know that ol' Malcolm was labeled as a COMMUNIST AGITATOR?

Maybe he's just got a cheap streak? I had to get one of those plexiglass umbrellas to stop the local squirrels going after my suet block bird feeders. A nursing female squirrel can eat a whole block in a day!

ORB, we now feed with "hot seed" suet. The birds like it just fine, and the squirrels will eat it once! After they've eaten a few bites, they'll back away and try to rub the heat out of their mouth. Later they walk right by the suet on the way to the neighbor's feeder.

this guy lives in vermont and made it all the way to gov'nr? better send him to washington where he'll be safe . . .

I've never understood the privileging of birds over squirrels. I mean, why the strong desire to feed the one, and deprive the other? Now bears, I can understand--you don't want them scavenging around on your porch.

I don't know about up there, but in Florida if the same bear is caught either two or three times in a inhabited area they have to be put down. Feeding them makes them come back, he wasn't trying to save the feeders. He was trying to deny the bears food, although almost gave them an additional snack in the process.

Still stupid to do after they got to the feeders.

ain't no wal-marts in vermont fool

1038, Really? There is a Wal-Mart in Berlin, VT, not too far from Montpelier.

Or...we could respect that the animals have a right to exist also, restrain ourselves from population growth, and stop our ceaseless expansion into their territory. This is not a hunting issue - it's a "there's no place left for wild animals" problem.

You want hunters in your neighborhood? As for restoring balance why don't people crowding out the natural habitat. No I am not against hunting, however it is not the wildlife over populating the planet.

Coyote attacks are EXTREMELY rare, so far there is only two known cases of deaths from them, she wasn't a young girl, but a young adult. So, saying we should kill coyotes to smaller population because of two known cases is just silly. As for the geese, no. Any bird can hit a plane, it's just how things are.

Planes need to fly higher. Geese only fly a couple hundred feet off of the ground.

That has been the standard liberal reply to a wildlife problem. However: 1) get in an airplane & you will see vast amounts of uninhabited land in this country; it is a misconception that we are robbing animals of their habitat...hunting has become so restricted that they have lost their fear of us and are moving into OUR territory as their numbers have overgrown. 2) unfortunately human populations will continue to rise; no liberal will stand by if government tries to limit families' freedom to choose how many kids they want. A balance has to be found; yes, they have a right to exist, but we are here and we're not going away. Humans are more important than animals, & I don't want to see my neighbors' children harmed by predators. They may be God's creatures, but they do not have the right to hunt us.

Rhinos, tigers and elephants can hurt humans too. Be thankful were gonna kill every damn one of them. Next is sharks. After that all snakes. then every spider. All crocs and gators, mountain lions, wolves. Of course we can't survive without those things either. BUT KILL them ALL!

The biggest problem with geese is during takeoff when the engines are throttled high and hence sucking in a lot of air and birds if they're in the area.

At mcg

Humans are not more important than wildlife,by the way humans are animals as well and are the most destructive to the environment.

Although I agree that there are cougar sightings in every state, I disagree about any management of their population. The population growth of attractive mature woman should be allowed to continue to grow.

But as far as wildlife interactions are concerned, people need to understand that dealing with animals is just part of the package. I understand that people on the east coast have more sensitivity than the folks in my state, but losing bird houses and trivial problems caused by wildlife should be expected. For instance, if Yogi Bear is stealing my bird houses because I decided to hang them outside in Vermont, I should be prepared to have those destroyed by wildlife, most likely squirrels. However, if Yogi tries to eat a person, Hanna-Barbera will be short one-less animated bears.

I'm more concerned about all the wolves in DC

M.C.G.

2) unfortunately human populations will continue to rise; no liberal will stand by if government tries to limit families' freedom to choose how many kids they want.

This is where I know you have no idea what you are talking about. Well, I knew before, but this was the most off thing you said. People complain about Liberals wanting too much government. Conservatives are supposed to want limited government. If you really want to stick to your Liberal hating conservative views, you need to get the talking points right. If a Conservative is for limited government and liberty, why would they enforce family sizes via government policies???

Think, then type next time.

M.C.G. fear and hysteria, debt and growth based economy are the tools of statism, over-population is the result of redistribution and a debt based economy to feed consumerism and new age debt slavery. A misconception that we are taking animals land? We are in a man made extinction on the level of the dinosaurs. Sharks, frogs, tigers, rhino's (not Republican Rino's though)Whales, all sorts of Gods creatures are going extinct or pushed to the edge. Its unnatural and unGodly to have the level of human resource use, population and destruction we have now. I'm just 50 and remember driving for hours in the Midwest and seeing very little and Phoenix when it was town-like, miles of open land near L.A. I'm a lifelong conservative Republican, Christian, NRA member but population explosion and the results are extreme it's just that we are in the middle of it and do not notice day to day until we look back 10, 25, 50, 100 years ago. Conservatism is based on a savings based hard money currency, self sufficiency, and leaving each generation with better living standards than we had. The only U.S. political faction that addresses core conservative issues is the Ron Paul movement. What would be a balance in your opinion two of each animal in a zoo and a gallery of black and white photos from before 1900 before we raped and pillage Gods earth? It's not for the sake of humans or even survival but for bankster, multi-national corporation, and defense contractor profits, which is statism, corporatism, new age fuedalism, fascism certainly anything other than conservatism.

I'm more concerned about all the wolves in DC

Why would you care about all the lobbyists? There are over 14,000 of them currently.

I think D.C. could support 10,000 more with ease.

Posted above before I read your comment, funny, same thoughts exactly.

Yep

I thought the same thing. If there is a cub around, you better stay away because the momma will want you dead for no reason. It's just a maternal instinct.

I'm not going to hate on the governor, but I'm mildly surprised that he didn't know that - given the rural nature of Vermont. I grew up in the woods and knowing what to do about the bears was the one of the first wilderness things they taught me! Bears mostly leave you alone and just want to stay away from you. Unless it's a mother bear... unless it's hungry... Not a good combination.

Funny thing is , A Republican is smart enough to not confront a momma bear over bird feeders. What a frikkin idiot.

From simply a mass standpoint, Christie is the better target.

Less energy to chase down and more meat to eat.

When animals become dependant on someone else to take care of them it causes major problems. Same thing with humans. Look at Greece. Or America in 10 years.

Don't feed the liberals.

This is what happens when Dems give out too much freebies.

No, this is what happens when a person, regardless of politics, doesn't use their head.

It really must suck to have to interject politics into everything you type.

Do people you know walk the other way when you come by so they don't have to hear your political hate 24/7?

Running for his orifice.

because, leroy, as I wrote before on this thread,

"Considering that all Democrats have even more sense than any Repub, it makes perfect sense that you would inject your totally useless comment here. I was going to say that it's a shame that you can't see beyond the initial after somebody's name, but then we'd all be better off if you were fertilizer."

still just as true . . .

and why does it not surprise me that some vitriol comes from the mouth of a neo con>?