Most people don’t appreciate noisy, unexpected visitors dropping by past 11 p.m., especially when the intruding guest is furry and hungry, weighs between 250 and 300 pounds and doesn’t care about leaving a mess behind.
Hornell couple Mike and Wendy Chace had to deal with just that type of late-night caller Saturday, May 23 when a large adult black bear stopped by their Fairview Avenue home in the City of Hornell determined on grabbing a snack.
The Chaces have resided at the Fairview Avenue address for about 15 years, never previously seeing a live bear or even bear sign, tracks or claw marks on their property prior to last weekend.
Mike Chace, a senior cybersecurity engineer, was working from his home office at around 11:15 when he heard the sounds of a physical security breech: a metal bin getting knocked around outside the house.
The bin is where Wendy Chase keeps her birdseed supplies. The container had proved impenetrable to squirrels and raccoons, but it was no match for a New York black bear.
“I hear the birdseed bin get knocked over and I look out the window, and I am about three feet from a bear,” Mike Chace recalled.
Ring camera video shows the bear grabbing and walking off with a five-gallon pail containing birdseed, peanuts and other supplies.
Mike Chace decided the bucket was worth at least trying to retrieve.
“I know that it is something that my wife uses frequently so I am going to see if I can get it back,” Chace said. “I grabbed a flashlight and went out back and yelled, and I hear (the bear) scamper off into the woods.
“I was cautious as I approached the back gate. I was using the flashlight to look around and make sure I can see him. Probably ten feet from the gate, just behind my shed, is the bucket.”
“So, I am looking, I do not see the bear. I am slowly walking up to the bucket. I grabbed all her stuff because (the bear) tipped the bucket over.”
Lesson learned, Mike Chace cleaned up the mess, returned the pail to the bin and locked everything up in the garage.
End of story, right?
The bear had other ideas. Around 12:30 a.m. (it’s now Sunday), the Ring camera shows the bear returning to the Chace’s yard for another go at it.
Mike Chace banged on a window to scare the animal off. It eventually worked.
“It casually walked to the far left corner of the yard and climbed over the fence. Without any effort whatsoever. I was like, ‘Wow.’ I was surprised how easily a bear that large climbed over my fence,” Chace said.
Chace said the bear intrusion left the family’s bird feeders the worse for wear. The animal damaged a couple feeders, while helping itself to jelly and oranges at the feeding station meant for Orioles.
The Chaces have taken down all their bird feeders except for one for goldfinches and woodpeckers that the bear showed no interest in.
DEC tips to discourage visits from black bears
The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation recommends homeowners follow the DEC’s At-Home BearWise Basics to discourage intrusions.
Bear hunters in New York state’s Southern Zone set a new harvest record in 2025, with one of the heaviest bears in the state taken in Steuben County. A 528-pounder shot in the town of Woodhull during the regular season ranked fourth in the state.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Ring camera shows Hornell bear grabbing late night snack from backyard
Reporting by Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
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