There's A Bear Down Here

Last year I blogged about a huge alligator being down at the beach in the surf. Well, guess what was in the newspaper this week! I can not believe there has been a bear hanging out in Grayton Beach where I have taken out the trash many a time. You should have seen the look on my mother's face when she read it...eeek! to her, hilarious to me. Dad says that it has been spotted around here for quite a few years. Why didn't someone tell me? I said, "What if he shows up when we are out?" Dad said, "Give him the trash." Mom said, "...or take a picture." Only if you are on the 2nd floor.

Bear a resemblance: Resident snaps photo of Grayton bear

December 22, 2009 6:45 PM

By Deborah Wheeler

Craig and Nancy McLaughlin have lived at Grayton Beach for nine years. They had heard the reports of a giant black bear being seen there, but had not personally encountered the animal — until last week.

“I heard something in our trash can Wednesday night and it was making too much noise to be a raccoon,” said Craig. “I went out on our second-floor, screened-in porch and there he was!”

Craig said his 11 p.m. visitor was pretty good sized with his back reaching about 3 feet off the ground when he was on all fours.

“He had gone to our garbage can and pulled it out of its caddy and taken the lid off,” Craig said in amazement.

The bear saw McLaughlin and his friend and ambled off into the back yard and into the adjoining woods, but not before posing for a couple of photos.

“I had never seen a bear before except on TV,” said Craig. “I was surprised.”

The McLaughlins have a 6-year-old child who was asleep and missed the visitor.

This is not the first bear sighting in the neighborhood. In September, a Barton’s Way resident recounted her brush with the bear and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told The Sun that they had received about a dozen calls from the area.