Woman struggles to get bear off back porch

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Cherokee County woman alerted authorities after spotting a black bear in her back yard.

The black bear cub was climbing up the steps of her back porch. She told Cherokee County sheriff deputies that the bear wouldn't leave, so she called 911.

Deputies arrived and tried to get the bear to go back into the woods but it wouldn't cooperate. They called the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for help. 

Sheriff's Lt. Jay Baker advised residents not to panic during a bear sighting.

"Don't agitate or feed the bear. If he is moving, let him keep going," Baker told Channel 2's Dave Huddleston.  

That's eventually what the bear did. It took off back into the woods before the DNR arrived. Baker said in a case like this, when the bear won't leave, homeowners should call the DNR. Authorities will shoot the bear with a tranquilizer and then transport it to a safer area.

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WSBTV