A quiet Thursday evening turned into a terrifying ordeal for a 74-year-old Lake City resident when a black bear and her three cubs forced their way into his home, resulting in a violent attack.

Around 8:30 PM on October 3rd, the tranquility of the victim’s home was shattered by a loud crash. A black bear sow, accompanied by her three cubs, had managed to open a partially cracked sliding glass door and enter the residence.
In a desperate attempt to protect himself and his home, the elderly resident grabbed a chair and tried to force the bear back outside. However, the sow charged, throwing him against a wall and leaving him with significant injuries to his head, neck, arms, abdomen, shoulder, and calf.

Emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene and treated the man’s wounds. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured and declined transportation to a hospital.
“It’s incredibly fortunate that this wasn’t a fatal attack,” stated Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officer Lucas Martin. “It was a very close call.”

The situation escalated when the victim and other residents, who had locked themselves in a bedroom for safety, were unable to get the cubs out of the house. A Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Deputy eventually managed to haze the cubs outside, where they joined their mother in nearby trees.

CPW wildlife officers responded to the scene and, after confirming the bears’ involvement in the attack, made the difficult decision to euthanize all four animals. The bears were transported to CPW’s health lab in Fort Collins for disease testing and necropsy.
“There was no doubt these were the bears responsible,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond. “This is a tragic situation that our officers face all too often. These bears were clearly habituated to humans, comfortable entering an occupied home with people present. This level of habituation indicates a history of human interaction, and without community cooperation in reporting such incidents, we have limited opportunities to intervene.”

This incident highlights a growing concern in the Lake City area. Although CPW had only received eight official reports of bear activity in Hinsdale County this year, there has been increasing chatter on social media about bears entering unoccupied homes and garages throughout the late summer and early fall. Some reports even mentioned sows with cubs.

“The presence of multiple sows with cubs in town, coupled with readily available human food sources, creates a complex and dangerous situation,” explained Martin. “Unfortunately, cubs learn these behaviors from their mothers, potentially leading to generations of conflict between bears and people.”

CPW stresses the critical importance of reporting all bear encounters to their offices. “We often hear rumors of bears getting into homes or garages,” Martin added, “but people often just post about it on social media instead of contacting authorities. We need those reports to take action before situations escalate to this level.”

This incident marks the first reported bear attack in Colorado this year, compared to six in 2023. Since 1960, there have been 96 reported bear attacks on humans in the state.
CPW emphasizes the need for public vigilance in securing attractants and removing food sources that draw bears into human-populated areas. “This tragic event occurred because bears continue to have access to human food,” Martin stated. “For decades, we’ve stressed that access to trash, bird feeders, and other human food sources leads to escalating and potentially dangerous bear behavior. It’s a lose-lose situation for both bears and people.”

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