Update: Black Bear Breaks into Home on Stageline Road

John Stary used to hunt for blackberries, and while in the woods he always hoped to see a Black Bear.

“When I was out picking berries, I’d look for bears. If I heard a noise, I’d run toward it,” he said. “But after coming face to face with one in my dining room (Monday night), I don’t think I’d run toward it anymore.”

Stary lives on Stageline near O’Neil Road.

On Monday night, Stary locked the doors—left a window that overlooks his deck cracked open so his cats could go in and out—and retired to his bedroom to watch news coverage of the Boston Marathon.

“I heard a funny racket, and when I went downstairs to check it out I noticed the window was wide open,” he said. “I thought holy mackerel, there’s bear standing next to my dinner table—and I said uh, oh.”

Stary called 911 and told the dispatcher, “there’s a bear in my house.”

Then he went upstairs and locked himself in the bedroom.

“I have wood-panel doors, so two swats and she would’ve been right through,” Stary said. “That’s when I realized I locked the doors, and my keys were downstairs next to the bear.”

So Stary called his daughter and asked her to bring a spare set so police could get inside.

While she was on her way, Stary said police retrieved a ladder from the garage and were preparing to get him out of the house through the bedroom window when another officer saw the bear in the backyard.

“The mother bear was on one side of the house and her cubs were on the other,” Stary said. “I’ve always heard you don’t want to mess with mother bear when her cubs are around.”

Law enforcement officers were eventually able to get the bears to reunite and leave the area using distractive devices—such as flash-bangs and bean-bag rounds—St. Croix County Chief Deputy Scott  Knudson said.  No one was injured.

The only damage is a small scratch on a dining room chair, Stary said.

The Wisconsin DNR was notified about the situation and is working to try and catch the bear and relocate it, Knudson said. The sheriff’s office has received a number of calls about this bear in the area recently, but this is the first time this bear has entered a home.

“That’s always a concern because the bear is becoming a little less scared of people,” Knudson said.

If the bear is causing problems, Knudson said residents should call police.

Do not try to scare it off. Bears are wild animals and needs to be treated as such, the chief deputy added. Bears live here too, so people should just let them move through the area as long as long as they are not posing a danger or causing problems.

Stary said he has seen the bear in the area before.

“I saw her here last summer, and rumor has is she slept in the culvert near the new addition to the hospital,” Stary said.

She’s a good-sized bear, he added. She was as taller than the dinner table standing on all four legs.

“This was an interesting call, that’s for sure,” Knudson said. “Overall, it turned out well. I hope the DNR is able to help relocate this animal.”

Thankfully, Stary said his wife is on a cruise and wasn’t home during the bear invasion.

“Needless to say, I didn’t sleep real well last night,” Stary said. “I tossed and turned a bit … and yes, I did shut the window.”

 UPDATED FROM Tuesday, April 16 11:15 a.m

A group of St. Croix County deputies along with Hudson police officers responded to a report of a break-in Monday night on Stageline Road near O'Neil.

A Black Bear break-in, that is.

The homeowner at about 8:43 p.m. Monday reported that he left a window on the back side of his house cracked open, a bear climbed through and entered the home, St. Croix County Chief Deputy Scott Knudson said. At that time, the homeowner locked himself in the upstairs bedroom.

Law enforcement officers arrived and were able to get the bear out of the home by opening the doors, Knudson said. However, the bear would not leave the area.

Using distractive devices—such as flash-bangs and bean bag rounds—deputies were able to eventually get the bear to leave the area.

No one was injured.

The Wisconsin DNR was notified about the situation and is working to try and catch the bear and relocate it, Knudson said. The sheriff’s office has received a number of calls about this bear in the area recently, but this is the first time this bear has entered a home.

“That’s always a concern because the bear is becoming a little less scared of people,” Knudson said.

If the bear is causing problems, Knudson said residents should call police.

RELATED: Black Bears in Hudson? You Bet!

PHOTOS: Local Hunter Kills Massive Black Bear in Hudson

Do not try to scare it off. Bears are wild animals and needs to be treated as such, Knudson said. Bears live here too, so people should just let them move through the area as long as ithey are not posing a danger or causing problems.

“This was an interesting call, that’s for sure,” Knudson said. “Overall, it turned out well. I hope the DNR is able to help relocate this animal.”