True stories of the Pilsner Bear

Mid-November and we have only scattered patches of snow, and temperatures have been moderate for this time of year. Low temperature at my cabin in the last two weeks was 12 degrees, but most nights have been in the mid-20s, and we even had two nights above freezing.

White-tailed deer are now entering the rut, and hunter success seems to be going up. Most of my neighbors have shot a deer — no monster bucks, but mostly medium to large four-pointers.

Due to the number of grizzlies in the area, successful hunters have all transported their game to town immediately after shooting it. No one wants to attract bears even if meat is hung up high and out of reach.

Most of us have learned years ago that if a bear smells meat around a house or, in a worst case, gets fed, the bear will return year after year looking for food. Even worse, grizzly bears will also teach their cubs to check out anyplace they had found food.

More than 10 years ago, a grizzly that came to be known as the Pilsner Bear taught us all a lesson. This bear nearly tore apart a shed containing a deer. The owner parked his pickup in front of the door and went back to bed. The bear returned and damaged the pickup before being driven off again.

The Pilsner Bear managed to get part or all of several deer that year that unwary residents had failed to pull up high enough. In one case, the bear even rolled a big block under a deer, got on the block and was able to pull the deer’s head off.

People are smart, too. After that year, everyone learned to hang their meat really high, and the bear never again got a food reward of venison. However, every year after that, the bear returned. After the first snow, his tracks could be seen around every building and leading in and out of any garage or woodshed with an open door.

Years later, now aged 28, the Pilsner Bear began breaking into cabins scrounging for food and generally trashing the interiors. He apparently had become a caffeine junkie because he would clean up regular coffee but completely ignore and leave untouched caffeine-free coffee. He loved all jams and jellies and was very fond of dog food.

After multiple break-ins, the bear was caught in a culvert trap by Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear specialist Tim Manley. He was very thin, had bad teeth and was obviously no longer able to live in the wild. He was euthanized. That was when his age was determined and his decades-old tattoo was found, which identified him.

In many ways, the Pilsner Bear was a class act, living in the same way as his ancestors and surviving to extreme old age for a bear. His spirit is still out there and, no doubt, his DNA is included in some of our present-day bears. What do you think?