An ‘Absolute Tank’ of a Bear Removed From Under Colorado Deck

Bears are quite common in Colorado. You hear about bears getting into trash cans, vehicles, and breaking into homes every year in the state. Yet, I have lived most of my life in Colorado, and I have only seen two bears throughout hundreds of excursions into the Rocky Mountains. Maybe I am just unlucky when it comes to spotting bears in the woods. Who knows.

Fall is denning season for bears in Colorado and most of the waking moments of a bear's life during the warm months consist of getting fat for the winter. One Colorado bear that Colorado Parks and Wildlife dubbed an 'absolute tank' was recently removed from under a deck in Southern Colorado. This bear was indeed an absolute tank.

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At approximately 450 pounds, this bear had to be tranquilized and relocated as there have been several incidents related to conflict with this specific bear all summer. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the bear became fond of the specific location under a deck in West Durango.

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When the homeowner came out of their home and down the stairs of the deck, the 'absolute tank' of a bear growled and huffed at him. The homeowner then called Colorado Parks and Wildlife to deal with the grumpy bear that was trying to make a nice den under the deck.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that the bear had to be shot with two darts to get the bear to go down. Once the tranquilizers did their thing, four or five Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers pulled the bear out from under the deck, loaded him onto a stretcher, and then used a winch to get the big bear into a trap.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers then took the bear on a long ride away from Durango to a quality bear habitat that has plenty of natural foliage for the bear to snack on. Take a look at the photos and videos that Colorado Parks and Wildlife posted to X below.