Norway woman encounters bear on walk

A game camera shows a black bear rummaging through a backyard on Cobbs Lane in Norway last week. Crystal Marie/Facebook

NORWAY — Emily Ellis’ stroll down Emerson Drive on Tuesday morning took a bear-y scary turn when she spotted a bear in a nearby field.

“I was totally frozen and couldn’t move … I thought ‘OK, what should I do?” she said.

When she called her dog, who was walking a short distance ahead, the bear stared at her.

“He looked at me, and I looked at him,” she said. “He turned around and started to walk toward the field again. I cut our walk short, and we went home.”

According to Ellis, the bear comes into the area every spring but moves along without an incident. But still, Ellis isn’t sure if she’ll chance encountering it again.

“I’m not sure if I’m going out again tomorrow morning, or if I’ll find a different pathway,” she said.

On April 28, a Norway Police Department post on Facebook indicated a black bear had been spotted on Aspen Drive, though it’s not certain if it is the same one spotted in the area.

“It is common for bear to risk closer human interaction in the spring for food while natural sources are scarce,” the post reads.