Belcarra man recounts fight to ward off black bear

Bud Jones is triumphant when he talks about the black bear now dead and carted off by conservation officers from the property he lives at on Main Avenue in Belcarra, B.C.

"I had a little tussle with a bear and the bear's dead now and I'm still here," he said to CBC News on Sunday. "That makes me the winner."

On Saturday, Jones had arrived home from work and was inside the house when he heard cries for help from other residents who also live there.

They had set garbage down near a garage door and within seconds a black bear had appeared from the surrounding woods and was going through the refuse.

Jones appeared and used a broom to try and shoo the animal away, but Jones tripped on a stair and fell.

Bud Jones describes fight with black bear in Belcarra B.C.

8 years ago

Duration 1:07

"I had a little tussle with a bear and the bear's dead now and I'm still here," he said.

"And of course the bear took that chance to jump right on me," he recounted, describing the animal as skinny.

"He figured he was going to be able to hold me down and it was less that a second, I was back upagain swinging the broom at him and I guess he thought, 'well this old guy just won't quit will he?'

"I don't stay down very easy."

Jones and another man managed to drive the bear away and then quickly cleaned up the garbage. They then called RCMP officers who arrived to hear about the fight and callin conservation officers, who set a trap for the bear.

But before they left, it appeared again and the officers chased it back into the woods to its den where they shot it, according to Jones.

On Sunday, conservation officers returned again to collect the dead bear.

The trap still remains at the property filled with molasses and sardines as there have been reports of at least one or two other bears who have been creating problems for residents who live in the area, which is surrounded by forest.

As for Jones, he says he's the son of a logger who is not afraid of bears.

"Nah, I'm not scared of bears ... I have a lot of experiences with bears, I've had all kinds of encounters. This is the first encounter I've had around town," he said while showing off a wound on his arm. "I'm a fast healer."

Jones doesn't recommend others confront a black bear like he did, "If you're scared you give off a different odour, they can tell when you're afraid of them."

Conservation officer Todd Hunter told CBC News that they recommend residents who see a bear on their property to go inside and call RCMP.

"Prevention is always better than confrontation," he said.

Hunter says because thebear was scared off and then reappeared within a couple of hours was reason enough to shoot it asonce bearshavemade human contact, they cannot be returned to the wild.

with files from KamilKaramali.