Montana Rancher Shoots Bear Bandit Who Broke in to Raid His Pantry
OutdoorHub Reporters 08.30.12
It’s not unheard of for bears to break into a home or store for a midnight snack, but this particular thief had a taste for peanut butter and flour. Unfortunately, he didn’t make out as well as a bear in Colorado earlier this month who enjoyed sweets from a candy store.
The candy store owner wasn’t wielding a .45-70 rifle like Choteau, Montana rancher Lane Yeager was. Yeager returned home at 9 pm Monday night and as he headed to switch on the lights, a bear ran across in front of him, according to the Great Falls Tribune.
He feared for his family since a bear was able to get into the house. Luckily, his children were at their grandmother’s at the time of the break-in and subsequent shooting. The bear climbed over an electric fence surrounding the property as it was not on at the time for fear of fire danger with dry grass in the area.
It broke through the screen of an open window and had likely been in the house for an hour before Yeager came home, according to estimates by wildlife officials.
Other than a large, bloody mess, Yeager had nothing else to worry about after he killed the bear. Officials said he had “the legal right to protect himself and his property.”
