BEDFORD COUNTY, Va – A quiet night at home took a surprising turn for a woman in Bedford County this week when she came face to face with a black bear outside her window. Madison Dalton was making cookies when she heard a loud noise, prompting her normally calm German shepherd to alert her to the unexpected visitor.
“I see this big bear staring right back inside, looking at Athena like she’s crazy for barking,” Dalton recounted. “I’m trying to get her to calm down and get her away from the window. My first thought was, ‘The only thing separating me and this bear right now is this window,’ and I just didn’t know what to do.”
In a moment of panic, Dalton called her husband and father for guidance. Fortunately, the bear eventually walked up the driveway and left the area.
“It was just wild. I did not expect it,” she said. “We’ve had deer come through the yard in the past, we’ve had raccoons, and we actually just moved into this house not even a year ago. I had asked the neighbors if they had seen any bears in the area, and they said they had seen a couple over the years, but it’s not really common, so I just didn’t think much about it.”
The only damage from the encounter was to a bird feeder, which Dalton plans to take down in hopes of preventing similar visits in the future.
“Maybe it’s time to switch out those bird feeders or at least bear-proof them because they are out and about and they are looking for a snack,” she said.
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), black bears are found throughout most of the Commonwealth, and encounters between bears and people are on the rise. The department emphasizes that bears are naturally attracted to easy food sources, including bird feeders.
To minimize bear encounters, DWR recommends several preventive measures:
- Remove or secure potential food attractants
- Discontinue bird feeding when bears are active in the area
- Store garbage in bear-resistant containers or secured locations
- Clean outdoor grills after use
The encounter ended safely when the bear walked up the driveway and left the area. While black bears are generally shy and secretive, wildlife officials remind residents to maintain a respectful distance and never approach or feed bears.
For more information about living safely with black bears in Virginia, residents can visit the DWR website.
