All this took place Monday morning about 5-6 miles from Casa NewMexiKen.
For a 350-pound black bear with a penchant for appearing on human turf, he’s “been a pretty good bear.”
But Monday marks the second time he’s been captured out of the wild, and the state has a “three-strikes-and-you’re-out” policy for urban ursine intruders.
“It’s not a hard-and-fast rule,” said state Game and Fish Sgt. Chris Chadwick, adding that there’s a good chance the bear would escape the death sentence if captured again, because it’s been three years since his last public appearance.
…“He heard a noise. The bear kind of yelled at my husband or made a noise to warn him,” said his wife, Laura Wall. “It scared him, and he just ran in the house.”
Authorities found the bear taking refuge a 40-foot-tall tree. It took four darts to tranquilize the bear, which fell onto an airbag set up to soften its landing. Usually one dart will do the job, Chadwick said.
…By about 9 a.m., the crew had packed the bear into a waiting van. Nine hours later, the bear was released into the Jemez wilderness.