Bear rams into door as it tries to charge woman inside Idaho home, officials say

Maddie Capron
Idaho Fish and Game

A woman spotted a bear wandering outside her Idaho home and opened the door to shoo it away.

The adult black bear started rushing toward her, Idaho Fish and Game said, and the woman slammed the door into the bear’s face.

Now officials are searching for the bear.

The bear was spotted Monday, July 11, near Ketchum, about 150 miles east of Boise, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

It was trying to get into the woman’s garbage outside her home. She tried to get it to go away, but the bear charged toward her.

“She quickly closed the door, and the bear collided with the door,” Fish and Game said in a July 12 news release. “The bear then charged a window as the woman banged on the glass in an attempt to scare the bear away.”

The woman wasn’t hurt and reported the bear to Fish and Game.

It was the second report of “aggressive bears” in the woman’s neighborhood over the past year, Fish and Game said.

“The Wood River Valley has had persistent problems with bears raiding garbage cans and finding other sources of food at or near homes,” officials said. “In June 2021, in the Warm Springs area, a woman had a face-to-face encounter with an aggressive black bear during a late-night walk through the neighborhood.”

Fish and Game is trying to track down the bear. If wildlife officials trap the bear, it will be euthanized, Fish and Game said.

“We can’t risk public safety on account of one animal that has developed a bad habit of roaming neighborhoods in search of food,” Terry Thompson, Magic Valley regional communications manager, said in the news release. “We want wildlife to remain wild, but unfortunately, when there’s bear food in the form of garbage or other attractants, bears will follow.”

What to do if you see a bear

Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. Bears in most attacks are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.

Here are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack:

  • Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you’re a human and nonthreatening.

  • Stay calm: Bears usually don’t want to attack. They want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear.

  • Don’t scream: Screaming could trigger an attack.

  • Pick up small children: Don’t let kids run away from the bear. It could think they’re small prey.

  • Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people.

  • Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don’t make any sudden movements.

  • Don’t drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide you protection.

  • Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out.

  • Again, don’t run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would.

  • Don’t climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.

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