Bear UnWelcome Mats

Bear UnWelcome Mats are half or full sheets of sturdy plywood with screws or nails sticking up every couple of inches spaced 1 to two inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to gage the spacing.

Properly constructed, they cause instant pain if a bear attempts to walk over the mat to reach a door or window, but do no permanent damage to the bear.

. To be effective on a black bear, the nails or screws should stick out of the board no more than ½” – ¾”. The objective is to cause the bear enough pain to abandon its approach, not to cripple or injure it.

Galvanized roofing nails have big heads that don’t bend or twist under the weight of a bear paw. Carpet tack strips are sharp, evenly spaced and easy to work with. Drywall screws are effective because they’re very sharp and easier to use than nails.

How to Install an UnWelcome Mat

It’s important that the mat fully cover the entire area in front of the doors or windows where the bear is trying to gain entry. If it’s on a deck, screw or tack it down so the bear can’t shove it out of the way.

If it’s on the ground, pound two 18” sections of rebar in each corner facing out so the bear can’t flip the mat over or shove it out of the way, or drill holes in the front two corners and pound in long spikes with sturdy heads. Your objective is to “nail down” the mat so the bear can’t move it.

Cautions:  Pets, other wildlife and small children can’t read –  be sure you’ve thought about who or what might be dropping by your place before you roll out the UnWelcome mat

UnWelcome Mats are commonly used when people don’t have to get in and out all the time – at vacation homes, for instance, or intermittently used campers or mobile homes. They can also be used as a temporary, short-term measure to deter a specific bear from returning.