Palmer, Massachusetts



From the August 18, 2004 Boston Herald:

As Al Jurkowski tells it, the 300-pound black bear had murder in his eyes when he ambled out of the night and onto his front porch.



The bear had already terrorized the Palmer farmhouse twice, taking a swipe at Jurkowski's Chihuahuas and downing a bag of birdseed. At 9 p.m. Sunday, the bear returned, this time getting so close Jurkowski said he could feel its breath.



``The thing was right in my face and I let him have it four times with my Ithica (shotgun),'' he said. ``I'm not a vengeful person, but I had to do something.''



The bear, a 3- to 5-year-old male, died on Jurkowski's lawn as his wife prayed in a locked bedroom. Environmental police said the shooting was justified given the bear's proximity to the house.



Jurkowski, a 56-year-old carpenter, said the bear had been stalking his family for a week. The first encounter happened Aug. 8, when the bear reached through a window and took a swipe at one of Jurkowski's three dogs.



He returned again about 8 p.m. Sunday while Jurkowski and his wife, Marjorie, were watching the Olympics. ``He was standing on the porch with his paws up as high as he could stretch and he had a 100-pound bag of sunflower seeds in his mouth,'' Jurkowski said.



Jurkowski rushed inside and told his wife to call 911. Palmer police arrived minutes later and chased the bear into the woods with flashlights and sirens. The cops told the Jurkowskis not to worry; the bear would probably be too scared to return.



But less than an hour later, Jurkowski saw the hulking animal heading for his doorway, which was guarded only by a flimsy screen and his three yapping Chihuahuas.



``He was 5 feet away when I fired my first shot,'' Jurkowski said. ``I shot three more times and then my gun jammed. He gave a humongous roar, and I ran into the house.''