Officials Agree Man was Acting in Self-Defense when he Chased, Shot Bear that Broke Into his House

A Montana couple is not at fault for shooting a bear that broke into their home in the middle of the night looking for food as they did what most people would do in the same situation, wildlife officials said. 

Tom Bolkcom and Seeley Oblander from Luther, which sits about 40 miles from the Wyoming border, said they woke up to their dog barking downstairs around 3 a.m. Thursday and found the black bear rummaging through the house, reported KTVQ. 

Bolkcom then grabbed his gun and shot the bear multiple times while chasing it around the house.

Chrissy Webb, the communication and education manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 5, said the couple then called authorities, according to the news outlet.  

“We had a local warden visit with the couple after this incident. After hearing their perspective on the situation, FWP's stance on the situation is that their action was completely justifiable as a self-defense action,” she said according to KTVQ. “The couple is in no trouble for killing this bear. It sounds like the shooting of that bear was probably the best option to keep the people safe in that situation.” 

The warden then disposed of the bear’s carcass, she said. 

The bear, which had crawled into the home through a cracked window, had been a frequent visitor to the area as some of the surrounding homes improperly stored attractants, she said. 

"It was likely that this particular bear had gotten into attractants, like garbage, maybe some groceries, maybe some pet food, in the surrounding area and neighborhood where this couple lived. And you know, once a bear realizes it can get food from a certain source, it will start coming back to that for food."

The Carbon County Sheriff’s office had sent out a warning two weeks ago about a habituated black bear - presumably the one that got killed. 

“The yearling Black Bear has become habituated, bold & dangerous, there have been numerous reports of the bear breaking into vehicles, garages & residences,” authorities said in a social media post.