Wildlife Encounters

In Durango we saw many different types of wildlife, here are some pictures of what we saw. Not pictured was a coyote, squirrels, chipmunks, cows, sheep, horses, and hummingbirds, surprisingly we didn't see any elk.

2 scary Bairs

baby birds

2 big horn sheep along side the road to Silverton

marmet

deer (we saw A LOT of deer with and without antlers)

Something broke into the house through this window....

other side of the window leading into the kitchen

What the heck could open individually wrapped string cheeses?

And eat a whole package of raw tortillas from Costco?

And then come back a second night and rip out this screen?

And fit into this cage?

a black BEAR!!!!

she was a juvenile female weighing about 175lbs

her watching all of us

So here's the story:

The manager of the cabin warned us that a bear had broken in the previous week through an unlocked door. So we were to keep all doors locked and all food put away with nothing on the counters. So thats what we did or thought we did.

Steph made delicious carbonara pasta for dinner, cooked bacon can be smelled for miles in the forest. We cleaned up and went to bed. Well our bedroom was on the first floor looking straight down the hallway to the kitchen. While sleeping I heard a noise in the kitchen and just thought it was someone getting a drink and stayed asleep. Later I kept hearing the noise and was just thinking who the heck is being SO loud and rude at 2:30am. I sat up and could see a shadow moving around so I got up and went to the door and looked and could see a dark figure about 3-4ft tall moving around. Well my heart about jumped out of my chest, a bear IN our kitchen!! I whispered for Aaron but that didn't wake him so I went over and shook him saying "there's a bear in the kitchen!" he thought I was still sleeping until I said it again. Then he jumped up and grabbed his gun. We stood in our doorway and switched on the hall light and then Aaron started whistling. The bear perked up grabbed the bag of tortillas and jumped back out the window. The creepy thing was that it was as silent as a cat never making a noise except for the bag of food in its mouth. Chandy then came out and we told her as we were staring out the window to the back deck at the pile of food bags it left out there, empty. She (the bear) pulled the screen down and slide the window open we don't know if it was shut and not locked or what but needless to say we were wide awake for the next couple of hours and in the morning I called the manager and she called the Department of Wildlife to come set a trap.

Later that day the DoW officer came out and set the trap, baiting it with an elk quarter, fermenting fruit and canned blueberries. He said he'd be surprised if we even caught the bear because she had already been caught a month earlier, tagged and relocated 15-20 miles away. She had been tormenting the area breaking into multiple homes during the day and night.

Flash forward to about 10:30pm that same night. All the kids are in bed and most are sleeping, Aaron's already asleep, and everyone but Chandy and I are getting ready for bed. Chandy is watching tv and I sit down and say to her "You know that bear is just out there watching us waiting for us to go to bed." Seriously seconds later I hear a noise on the patio, Chandy mutes the tv and we hear it again. She thinks it someone just messing with us I say its not and go and get Dave, who's dealing with Tessa and reading. He comes out with Tessa following, I run to my room and get my camera. As I'm coming back down the hallway I stop in front of Chandy's bedroom door with Tessa going back in right as the bear rips the window screen out and her face pops up over the fan on the window seal. I grab Tessa and start yelling and she doesn't move, so I'm waving my arms and yelling and she gets down. Then the WHOLE house comes running down the stairs asking whats going on. So we start searching out the windows looking for the bear. Everyone but Justin and I go upstairs and are able to watch the bear circle the cage. I hear a slam and then everyone cheers "We caught the bear!!" Of course we all go outside to see, staying back, and she's in there! Yeah!!

The next morning we all go back outside and can see her so much better, she's very tame around humans. Which is what is so scary, she has NO fear of us. Later that morning the DoW officer came back out to get her. He said it was the same bear that had been relocated and tormenting the area so her next trip was going to be short and sweet to 'Bear Heaven'. And thats the last we saw of her...