‘Loud huffing and moaning’ under Colorado family’s deck leads to discovery of a ‘giant’

A family was sitting on their back deck when they heard “loud huffing and moaning underneath their feet,” Colorado wildlife officials said.

They feared it might be a bear or another injured animal and called Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“When we showed up, we found a very large bear,” the agency said.

A photo shows a massive bear beneath the deck of the Pagosa Springs home.

Wildlife officers recognized it as a bear with a bit of a reputation in the area.

“Knowing this particular bear was likely one commonly spotted in the area for several years with a reputation for getting into non-natural food sources, CPW Officers Cody Rarick and Nate Martinez decided to attempt to use a tranquilizer dart to sedate the bear and relocate it,” officials said.

A photo shows one of the officers crouching under the deck to dart the bear.

“The sedation was successful, but getting the giant out from under the deck and into the bear trap for safe transport proved to be quite a challenge,” officials said. “Officers estimated the 10+ year old boar to be approximately 400 lbs, requiring the assistance of several bystanders.”

Photos show the huge bear lying on a tarp and several people helping uniformed wildlife officers lift it.

“After the grueling process, the big bear was relocated to ideal bear habitat, far from humans to give it the best chance at success where it will find abundant natural foods,” officials said. “Watch as District Wildlife Manager Nate Martinez releases it.”

Video shows Martinez unlatch the heavy metal door of the bear trap and take cover behind it as the bear turns, hops out the back and runs off into the wilderness.

“The best way to keep bears like this away from residential areas and prevent relocations is to always secure trash, remove bird feeders and all other attractants that might bring a hungry bear into our communities,” officials said. “Let’s all do our part to keep bears wild.”

Someone asked in the comments whether relocated bears ever “Incredible Journey” their way home, adding that they “hope he stays in the wilder area.”

“They certainly have,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife replied. “To try to prevent this, our officers will relocate bears a good distance across multiple different drainages from where they were captured.”

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