Aggressive Bear Shot

A Klamath Falls man started off his day by having to shoot an angry bear…

Sergeant Randall Hand of the Oregon State Police says the incident began just before 5 this morning at a home in the Round Lake area, when a homeowner was awakened by his dogs barking…

“Stepped outside to take a look, and this bear was actually chasing the dogs.”

The homeowner, who has requested to remain anonymous, had his wife get a rifle…he hit the bear with his first shot.

“The bear was only 20, 25 feet away from him – kind of snarled, and kind of gave him a charge, and he shot.” Notes Sgt. Hand. “The bear turned and ran away, and he fired another shot and the bear collapsed.”

It’s estimated that the male brown bear weighs between 350 and 400 pounds, and was an older bear in its teens.

There’s evidence the bear had been getting into garbage in the area.

The homeowner notified police after the shooting, and police have confirmed his story.

Sergeant Hand says the homeowner was justified in defending his property…

“It was a problem for his family, it was a problem for his pets, and what he did was legal.”

The bear’s remains have been taken to the Klamath Tribes for processing in a traditional manner.

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