There is definitely a middle ground somewhere between "kill off any native carnivores that could possibly come near a multi-thousand-acre ranch" and "just let them kill the whole herd lol".
Where we live on the Vermont/New Hampshire state line, we've had a several hundred percent increase in problematic black bears over the last 3-4 years. Normally, black bears are "more afraid of us than we are of them", and they avoid human contact. But once they discover that human houses represent food sources, well, they are 250 pound predators.
We've had a number of serious incidents in the last decade. A couple of examples:
- Woman attacked in her own home, loses eye: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/18/black-bear-att...
- A bear ripped a hole into the exterior wall of a kitchen to gain entry. Sorry, I can't find the photo for this right now, but was similar to the exit hole in this article: https://www.chestertelegraph.org/2024/08/14/plenty-of-bear-s...
Right now, some of our friends are dealing with a black bear that has repeatedly loitered on their porch. They have toddlers, pets and farm animals. And that bear isn't showing much fear of humans at all, which is a serious warning sign.
Vermont has asked anyone who encounters an aggressive bear to report it to the game warderns. They have a process for evaluating the situation. But often, the only good answer is for the wardens to shoot the bear. When possible, people would prefer to leave this to the wardens than to shoot the bear themselves.
If you live in bear country, remember, "a fed bear is a dead bear." Do not leave food sources where bears can find them, and discover that houses are a food source. When this happens, it puts human safety at risk, and it all too often means the bear will need to be shot by a warden.