Plainville family finds bear hibernating under their deck

PLAINVILLE, CT (WFSB) - We know this is the time of year that bears hibernate, but imagine finding one camping out right in your own backyard.

A family in Plainville discovered a black bear taking refuge under their deck.

The bear, nicknamed Marty, has been there for several weeks.

The family is following guidance from state environmental officials and he’s welcome to stay for a while.

It was a walk outside that turned into a crazy encounter about two weeks ago.

“My dog started growling that’s when my girlfriend got scared and ran to the house and I turned my head and saw the bear and we were staring right at each other, it’s pretty crazy,” said Vincent Dashukewich.

A black bear is hanging out underneath Dashukewich’s deck!

“He’s massive but he’s super chill, he hasn’t done much so far,” Dashukewich said.

His family contacted the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

“They said to just leave him alone, let him be as long as he’s not creating a disturbance or bothering anybody,” said Dashukewich.

“It’s a common occurrence in Connecticut. We get about 15 to 20 calls a year about bears denning under decks and porches,” said Jason Hawley, Wildlife Biologist on Black Bear Program.

Hawley with DEEP said there are measures you can take in this situation.

“The most important thing is to just leave it alone so not go over and continuously be looking underneath stay out of the area and keep your dogs and kids away from the area,” Hawley said. “We encourage people to call us if they spot a bear underneath their deck, it could be a bear we’re looking for.”

Meanwhile, Dashukewich says it’s barely been an issue and they’ve named him Marty.

“The reach has been crazy, the first TikTok videos blew up that’s when I created the socials for Marty,” Dashukewich said.

They want to make his stay as comfortable as possible.

“They’re essentially sleeping so you can think of it as a 5-month long nap,” said Dashukewich. “My parents are a little worried they don’t want any problems happening especially with the dog so we’re just going to let him be and keep to himself.”

DEEP officials said Marty could be there until early March or longer.

The family has made Marty his own account on TikTok and Instagram under the username “marty.the.bear”.

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