Quick thinking led to this up-close photo of a black bear that’s been wandering around Kiantone. Neighbors know it’s the same bear because of its notched ear. Photo by Sue Laska

Sue Laska often goes out onto her porch to take pictures of the deer and other wildlife in her backyard in the town of Kiantone.

“Something told me not to go onto the porch that day, though,” Laska said. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

A black bear with a notch in its ear had wandered into her backyard and was getting closer to her porch. Laska told her husband Mike to get the camera, and she managed to take several pictures of the bear from the safety of her house.

“My heart was racing,” she said. “It was a beautiful creature, but it was scary too. He was standing on his hind legs when I first saw him, and I was in the back doorway taking pictures. If I had been out on the porch, I wouldn’t have waited. I would have died of fright.”

This particular black bear had been sighted throughout Kiantone, and Laska knows its the same one each time because of the notched ear. Bears often have a wide range of territory, she said, and they only approach houses to look for food. Most of the time, bears tend to avoid humans.

“We have a humming bird feeder in our yard,” Laska said. “It was trying to get to the sugar inside because it bent the rod holding the feeder up.”

Laska said she and her husband now make sure to remove the feeder at night. They’re also hoping to do something about a honey beehive in a tree nearby to avoid future close encounters. They had seen the black bear before, but it had never come so close to the house before.

“I’m glad I managed to get a picture of it,” Laska said. “We named him Pooh, because he was after the honey.”

Wildlife experts state that the best thing to do in case of a bear sighting is to stay calm. If you’re indoors, do not go outside for any reason. When walking through bear territory, it is recommended to make as much noise as possible to discourage bears from getting too close.

“When I told him to go away, he just turned around and left,” Laska said.

The Laskas have been making sure to not leave any food out. Leaving food encourages bears to keep coming back, and they can get aggressive when it comes to protecting a food source, wildlife experts say.

“This bear came to our house during the day,” Laska said. “So, you have to be careful even then.”

A black bear was also sighted several times in the Lakewood-Busti area recently, but whether it is the same bear is unknown. Still, area residents are advised to use caution, and report any bear sightings to proper authorities.