Bears everywhere in Botetourt
The bear cubs in Fincastle were about the size of this one photographed by Ben Schrader
It pays to advertise– last week the print edition of the Botetourt View ran a picture of a Fincastle bear dining on apples which elicited a bear story response from a Buchanan reader!
Helen Beavers from Buchanan reported a bear came in her house creating a huge mess! She moved in the house on June 13, the next weekend on Friday the 19th of June, she was at home by herself. Her bedroom is on the main floor and she had gone to sleep. The bedroom door was closed. She shares the house with her grandchildren. She heard a noise during the night but thought it was her daughter. Her daughter woke her up later and said for her to come see the kitchen. “The kitchen was trashed. We thought it was a neighbor’s dog.” The kitchen window screen was torn open. A little while later she hear a noise again. The bear was trying to get back in the window. She went for the gun. “He went around the house between them and a neighbor. The dog came out spotted it and chased it in the woods. I Could see the claw marks in the screen. Around the house the bear shred five window screen,” said Beavers. The bear had actually gone upstairs and moved the baby’s furniture had been moved around. She had bear paw marks on the trunk of her car. Different people have seen the bear since but it hasn’t been around here. Beavers lives at the bottom of Purgatory Mountain.
On Sunday morning at approximately 11:27 a.m. a Momma (Sow) Bear story at this reporter’s house five miles west of Fincastle. The husband came through the garage and yelled, “There’s a bear in the garden.” So we raced outside to get a look. I thought my brother’s beagles were chasing the bear. So I went down the walk and bellowed, “Come back here dogs!” Well, they were not beagles– they were baby bears. Momma Bear took- off loping across the field and crossed the road near the farm pond and her two babies tried to keep up. She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were following and honestly for such a dangerous situation as a Momma and her cubs can be- it was one of the most beautiful sights to see them leave the field and go to the woods. Her coloring was striking and the babies– precious!
She disappeared into the woods and the cubs followed her. They were about the size of Beagles. Surprisingly, they had rather large round ears and looked to be about 25-35 pounds. Momma on the other hand was a big gal at around 300 pounds. They did not get in the garden which is surrounded by an electric wire (because of deer). Better yet, the three beagles on premises that normally bark even at the wind, were soundless the whole time and were discovered shivering in their dog houses. Maybe they are smarter than they act!
Unfortunately, the bear visit unfolded too fast to get a photo but more than likely we’ll see her again!
Have you got a bear story or photo to share?
OTHER BEAR SIGHTINGS IN BOTETOURT:
* July 16: Bear sighting in Arcadia
* July 2: Photos of a mother bear and two cubs three miles north of James River High School
* July 1: Bear sighted galloping across U.S. 220
July 27, 2009 - 10:57 AM
My other bear story happened a few late winters or very early springs ago–Dale was not home–he was at the Buchanan Theatre showing the ACC basketball tournament games…thus unable to hear his cell phone when I tried to call him and tell him to come home ASAP!!…..Now–to start at the beginning of the story, our little dog Freckles was acting strangely and whining and crying, etc. and just would not stop even with petting him and talking to him and he just insisted something was wrong–so, I finally get up from chair by the tv as he is whining and crawling towards the glass door in the breakfast room, visibly nervous and upset! I tell him nothing is wrong and it’ll be okay–I reach to flick on the porch ht and flood lights and on the other side of the glass door is a large black bear staring into the room at me,….well, I thought–”What can I do or what should I do?” Cuss words entered my mind but nothing like that was gonna help me–I need calm, cool and collected thoughts, and HELP!!(haha!)…ever try to be calm cool and collected with a big black bear less than 2 feet from you..And, only a glass door between you two? I quietly urged Freckles to be quiet and not bark and to follow me (I was backing up in tiny little baby steps) and reaching for the portable phone in my pocket and praying I had Dale’s cell phone number on speed dial……I did, but he didn’t answer it!! (Cuss words crossed my mind,again), but I felt prayer must be more appropriate at a time like this–possibly even “last rites”–was a close second following those thoughts!!) Perhaps last rites or even a blessing over us before the bear had its’ dinner? What to do–what to do? Kinda hard to think clearly with this large black critter looking right at you—-but I backed out of the room and made Freckles come with me and locked him in the bedroom and told him to be quiet and DO NOT BARK!! I tried a neighbor and then 2 friends who live in town but got no answer–I finally remember another friend–I call her and get no answer at first(I knew she was at home!) and she answered…I hurredily asked her to go to the theatre and tell Dale to come home at once with his horn blowing and emergency lights flashing as there was a bear on the porch and he/she would not go away!! I need him to come home NOW!! Understand?
She is laughing and asks me “What have you been drinking?”–That made me mad and I told her==Apparently not enough because my so-called friend does not beleive me–I am terified of this bear breaking into the house to get to Freckles and me and you won’t do me a simple favor–Come On!!
So, she says, “Are you serious? How did he get there?” He walked up the freaking steps–you just come get him–off my porch!” “I have called the sheriff’s office to send over a deputy and the dispatcher just laughed and me and said they do not do bears–I need a game warden—I tell her
and she says they don’t do tht sort of thing! Please listen to me–I am not drunk, on drugs or anything of the sort-I have tried calling the game warden and no one answers the phone==will you PLEASE call him? She finally realizes I am serious and says she will see if there is a deputy in this part of the county that can come over…I thank her and tell her to please tell him to hurry………….the bear is still there-right where I saw him last…looking in the door!! After what seems to be an eternity (to me)….I see vehicle lights coming on Greyledge Road and then turn up our driveway–it’s Dale with the horn blowing, etc. The bear ambles down the steps and off porch and across the driveway and sits down again–watching the side show put on by yours truly!!Dale dashes out the truck and over to us and he laugha and says …”Okay where is this big bear?” I say…”over there” and point the flashlight toit…he/she is sititng at the edge of the trees, just looking at us and enjoying the show–or so it seems! Dale shoots the shotgun and it makes plenty of noise, but the bear hardly moves very far…this goes on for a while—and then Dale comes back in the house and tells me to come outside and look at the bear’s eyes–they are yellow……..Does he think I care what color the bear’s eyes are? I just want the bear to leave-period!! He is very amused by my reaction. He does not have an artifical hip and partial knee replacement…and apparently he finds a bear on our porch much more interesting than I do!! I am NOT amused, in the least!! And, I surely do not care what color eyes he/she has! I know we live in the woods, and the bears live in the woods…and we invaded their territory, but we have lived here several years and that was my first encounter with a real live bear…and not my last by any means. But that one was just way “up too close” for my taste and comfort–I still get a lot of teasing about it and I can handle that—but, please when I tell you there is a bear on my porch, pay attention to me because I am serious!! That is too close for my comfort!! You’ll have to contact the bear for its’ version of the story. I am sure it is equally amusing, but don’t ask me “Have you seen a bear lately?”…because I have!! (I also did not see that ACC ballgame!)
Great bear story, Gloria. Dale is a man of steel! I am more like you– get there bear out a here ASAP. Last night at 11ish we abruptly raised from slumber and went out looking for the cause of Frosty the Quarter horse’s frantic whickering and gallop from the back field to the field in front of my bedroom. I hoped not to find a bear. The horse will chase coyotes but he runs from bears. George and I got in the Jeep– no bear stalking for Momma Cat at night on foot, and started out of the drive into the yard. We soon discovered Gunsmoke the Houdini of ponies out in the hayfield. The horse was jealous the pony was out eating without him. TGNB!
Thank Goodness No Bear! A new acronym for Botetourt County! Pony was happy all night in the back yard and horse bit him as soon as he got put back in the field this morning. The horse however got all of the watermelon rinds from dinner last night, so there you have it!