WATCH THIS: Area homeowner wakes up to bear looking through window

NORTH BEND, Wash. -- It’s no surprise that bear sightings are on the rise this time of year near the Cascade foothills, but it’s what one homeowner caught on video that will give you goose bumps.

Who needs an alarm clock when a bear is tapping at your window at 5 in the morning?

The homeowner posted the video to YouTube. They even fired pellets at the bear but that didn’t quell his curiosity.

“This is a young bear, they’re curious,” said Sgt. Kim Chandler of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. “This is strictly a food-driven behavior. He’s not trying to get in that window to eat the homeowner, eat the homeowner’s kid.”



Chandler said more than 230 complaints have already poured in to the state from King County alone.

“This truly is not a bear problem; this is a people problem, plain and simple,” Chandler said.

Chandler added that new home development encroaching on bear habitat is one of the biggest reasons why complaints are higher than usual.

But since the state hasn’t investigated any bears acting aggressively toward people, Chandler sees no reason to kill or trap them.

“There’s no ears laid back, there’s no stomping of the feet, no chomping of the jaws,” Chandler said. “Granted, it’s a little bit unnerving to have a bear looking in your window.”

Chandler said homeowners need to lock down their garbage cans and not leave pet food anywhere outside in order to keep bears from rummaging through your property looking for food sources.