Bear Breaks Into Montana home, Shot Dead by Homeowner in his Underwear

A Montana couple got an unexpected wake up call when their dog began barking to alert them to a black bear that had broken into their home.

The bear broke through a screened window on the main floor, upstairs from where the couple was sleeping.

Upon hearing the barking, Thomas Bolkcom rushed upstairs to the living room and found himself standing five feet away from a black bear. He ran back down, grabbed a handgun, rushed back to the living room in his t-shirt and underwear, and shot the bear several times, ultimately killing the animal, according to Yahoo News.

Bolkcom and his fiancee, Seeley Oblander, have two dogs and live in the small community of Luther at the base of the Beartooth Mountains.

They were set to leave for Arizona so they could attend their bachelor and bachelorette parties and never expected the startling surprise at 3 a.m.

“I never thought there would be a bear in our house, so that was quite the wakeup call at three in the morning,” Oblander said. “I just stayed downstairs with the dogs, trying to help keep them out of the way and let Tom handle it. He did a great job.”

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Chrissy Webb said a warden showed up to the scene and deemed the shooting justified as self-defense.

Webb said black bears are typically seen in the area, and that one bear in particular had been roaming the area in recent weeks to rummage for food from unsecured trash cans. The couple whose home was broken into didn’t have unsecured garbage or food. Webb said it’s likely the bear was accustomed to associating humans with food.

“This is pretty abnormal behavior to have a bear entering a home," Webb said. “This large male black bear ended up dying because of improperly stored attractants in the community."