Just Hanging Out: Butler County Man Twice Catches Bear On Camera In His Yard
BUTLER COUNTY (KDKA) - A Butler County man has captured an amazing video of a bear on his property two separate times.
A black bear is getting a little too comfortable in Russ Stutzman's yard on Cherry Valley Road in Clinton Township.
"I've seen them in the area, but I never had one come through the property like this before," Stutzman said.
Stutzman loves capturing videos of birds in his backyard, but his cameras caught the same bear twice.
Both times the bear was there between 3 and 4 a.m. and did whatever it takes to eat bird seeds.
"You can see the teeth marks, where he bit into the bird feeder," Stutzman said.
This week, the bear tore down all his bird feeders and had a feast.
"I had just filled the feeder the night before. He got a full couple pounds of sunflower seeds," he said.
A month ago, the same bear stole some food and lounged.
Stutzman stopped putting bird feeder out for a few weeks after the bear's first visit and he just recently started filling them again.
"My first thought was he was just out trying to find his new territory and just passing through but now with this visit, maybe he's hanging around a little bit," Stutzman said.
Black bears aren't picky eaters. The Pennsylvania Game Commissions website states, "Black bears will eat human food, garbage, bird feed, pet foods, fruits from trees or gardens, and livestock feed."
It also explains how bears will keep coming back if there is easily accessible food and the best way to get rid of bears is to remove or secure food sources.
These aren't quick stops to get a late-night snack. The bear stays for nearly an hour.
"A little nerve-wracking, but I let all the neighbors know with their kids and their pets," Stutzman said.
He is going to leave the bird feeders down for a while and hopefully, there won't be any more unwanted visitors.
"Glad I had the cameras. I would have never expected that to happen here in the old backyard," said Stutzman.
The game commission says if you see a bear on your property, you can either make loud noises from a distance or you can leave the bear alone and clean its mess later.