Replies

From Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, California
300 pound bear killed trying to get into house QUARTZ VALLEY -- A 300 pound black bear was killed outside a Quartz Valley home Friday morning after it broke out a bedroom window in an attempt to get inside the house. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting a possible prowler on Quartz Valley Drive at about 3 a.m. The woman making the report called back a few minutes later saying she had heard gunshots outside her home. When deputies arrived, they were contacted by a neighbor who reported a bear had attempted to gain entry into his house by breaking out a window into his bedroom. The bear was not displaying any fear of the man's dogs or the man, so he told deputies he fired two shots to the bear's face. The bear eventually left the window and died a short distance away. Ron Presley with the Department of Fish Game was called to investigate the shooting. Presley said his office had received reports of bear sightings the day before the event, but at a location a little further to the east. Something attracted this bear to the inside of a house and there was not much the owner could do except to defend his home. Bears are attracted to the smell of food, "but what can you do if you have food smells coming out of your home and they try to get in?" Presley said. The law prohibits the shooting of a bear outside of hunting season, unless a depredation permit is obtained or when public safety comes into play as in this case. Presley investigated the shooting and confirmed the story that the owner gave. "It was clear that the animal had caused damage," Presley said. "If a bear is threatening the public, it can be killed. We will do an investigation after the fact, confirm the situation, and no depredation permit need be issued in that case," Presley said. Presley described the bear in this incident as a mature male weighing close to 300 pounds with some damaged teeth, which Presley said could be the reason why he was looking for food that was a little easier to take. "I don't think anyone would deny the man the opportunity to defend himself. That's a scary thing when bears start coming into residential areas," Presley said. -- By Pat Arnold