Officials kill wandering black bear near Harrison
HARRISON — Nebraska officials Monday killed a young black bear that had wandered around Harrison and finally was trapped in a barn north of this northwest Panhandle town.
The last time a black bear was killed in Nebraska was in 1907, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Web site.
The bear went through Harrison Monday and then four miles north to a ranch, said Jeff Hoffman of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
After it entered a barn, the ranch owner shut the door behind the young male.
Hoffman said the bear was killed because it was not acting normally and seemed accustomed to humans — a problem when it comes to large predators that can prey on livestock, pets or attack people.
Tranquilizing and moving the bear was not an option because Nebraska doesn’t have large tracts of public land to accommodate bears, Hoffman said.
Todd Nordeen, Game and Parks’ district wildlife manager for the Panhandle district, said his office received its first report of the bear around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
“It had been in and around Harrison. It sounded like folks had run it out of town,” he said.
Josh Windsor, 19, encountered the animal in his parents’ backyard while hanging clothes on the line at around 5 p.m.
When he saw an animal run out from behind a dumpster, he thought it was his family’s dog.
He turned and found himself face-to-face with the bear.
“He ran to the edge of the yard and stopped and looked at me,” Windsor said. The bear took off after he yelled at it.
Charlene Baker was on her way home from work at Security First Bank when she saw something cross the road.
“I did a double-take because I thought it was too big to be a dog,” she said.
She watched as the bear loped across the football field and crossed the highway in front of her. She lost sight of it after that.
“I could see that horses were riled up and the dogs were barking so I’m assuming that’s where it went,” she said.
The bear, estimated to be no more than 2 years old, made its way four miles north of town to the Bill Grote ranch.
Grote and his son, Lane, were checking on their spooked horses when they saw the bear hide under a trampoline.
Eventually, they were able to trap the bear in their shop.
After word spread through town, several people drove to the Grote ranch to get a look at it and take photos.
Pat Skavdahl saw the bear locked in Grote’s shop. She said she had never heard of one being in the area in recent times, but surveyor’s books from years past mention them frequently.
As soon as Game and Parks received the call, Nordeen said, officials began discussing how to handle the situation. Officials at Game and Parks headquarters in Lincoln were involved in the talks.
They decided to kill the bear for several reasons, primarily its behavior.
Also, zoos are not taking bears and Nebraska does not have enough public land large enough for a bear, Nordeen said.
“It would have ended up on private land. This bear didn’t seem to be afraid of humans too much, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt,” Nordeen said.
He said it was hard to tell where the bear had come from — and how it ended up in Harrison.
It likely crossed into Nebraska from Wyoming, South Dakota or Colorado, Nordeen said.
With hibernation over, the bear was undoubtedly looking for a way to survive, which Nordeen said would have been difficult.
“At his age, he would have had a tough time surviving in this area or anywhere for that matter.”
The state hasn’t decided what to do with the bear’s body. It might be mounted for display at a museum or in a Game and Parks facility, Nordeen said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The last time a black bear was killed in Nebraska was in 1907, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Web site.
The bear went through Harrison Monday and then four miles north to a ranch, said Jeff Hoffman of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
After it entered a barn, the ranch owner shut the door behind the young male.
Hoffman said the bear was killed because it was not acting normally and seemed accustomed to humans — a problem when it comes to large predators that can prey on livestock, pets or attack people.
Tranquilizing and moving the bear was not an option because Nebraska doesn’t have large tracts of public land to accommodate bears, Hoffman said.
Todd Nordeen, Game and Parks’ district wildlife manager for the Panhandle district, said his office received its first report of the bear around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
“It had been in and around Harrison. It sounded like folks had run it out of town,” he said.
Josh Windsor, 19, encountered the animal in his parents’ backyard while hanging clothes on the line at around 5 p.m.
When he saw an animal run out from behind a dumpster, he thought it was his family’s dog.
He turned and found himself face-to-face with the bear.
“He ran to the edge of the yard and stopped and looked at me,” Windsor said. The bear took off after he yelled at it.
Charlene Baker was on her way home from work at Security First Bank when she saw something cross the road.
“I did a double-take because I thought it was too big to be a dog,” she said.
She watched as the bear loped across the football field and crossed the highway in front of her. She lost sight of it after that.
“I could see that horses were riled up and the dogs were barking so I’m assuming that’s where it went,” she said.
The bear, estimated to be no more than 2 years old, made its way four miles north of town to the Bill Grote ranch.
Grote and his son, Lane, were checking on their spooked horses when they saw the bear hide under a trampoline.
Eventually, they were able to trap the bear in their shop.
After word spread through town, several people drove to the Grote ranch to get a look at it and take photos.
Pat Skavdahl saw the bear locked in Grote’s shop. She said she had never heard of one being in the area in recent times, but surveyor’s books from years past mention them frequently.
As soon as Game and Parks received the call, Nordeen said, officials began discussing how to handle the situation. Officials at Game and Parks headquarters in Lincoln were involved in the talks.
They decided to kill the bear for several reasons, primarily its behavior.
Also, zoos are not taking bears and Nebraska does not have enough public land large enough for a bear, Nordeen said.
“It would have ended up on private land. This bear didn’t seem to be afraid of humans too much, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt,” Nordeen said.
He said it was hard to tell where the bear had come from — and how it ended up in Harrison.
It likely crossed into Nebraska from Wyoming, South Dakota or Colorado, Nordeen said.
With hibernation over, the bear was undoubtedly looking for a way to survive, which Nordeen said would have been difficult.
“At his age, he would have had a tough time surviving in this area or anywhere for that matter.”
The state hasn’t decided what to do with the bear’s body. It might be mounted for display at a museum or in a Game and Parks facility, Nordeen said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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