TRAVERSE CITY — Marc Graczynski was ready to brew his morning coffee when he looked out his back window and saw several people gathered around a 200-pound black bear.
Graczynski didn't know what to think, so he stepped outside to get a better look.
"I walked into the backyard and knew for sure it was a bear," said Graczynski, 37, of Traverse City. "He didn't break in to steal my green beans or nothing."
Authorities surrounded the male bear Wednesday morning behind Graczynski's Plainview Avenue residence, but the bear moved to the front yard and climbed 20 feet up an oak tree.
The bear initially charged a police officer, so the officer fired a shot into the ground and the beast scampered up the tree, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
The bear clutched oak branches for more than three hours until wildlife officials arrived and shot it with a tranquilizer dart. The bear fell to the ground and ran to a nearby yard, where wildlife officials hit it with another dart.
It dropped and wildlife officials monitored it for a few minutes before they lifted the animal into a cage.
"Once a year, we see sightings of them around town," said Sean Kehoe, a conservation officer with the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
A tranquilizer dose takes about 15 minutes to kick in, but its effect can last for hours, Kehoe said. Officials carted the bear to Missaukee County, where it was released into the wild.
The bear likely roamed Traverse City in search of food after months of hibernation, said Dan Moran, a DNR wildlife assistant from Houghton Lake.
"Food sources are limited," Moran said. "He's just looking for a handout."
Locals first spotted the bear around 3:40 a.m. near 12th and Wadsworth streets. Other reports show the bear was spotted near Division Street before it took to the tree above a dirt road near Cherry Capital Airport.
A local radio station alerted listeners of the bear's presence on Plainview Avenue, prompting hundreds of wildlife enthusiasts to stop by and see for themselves.
Parents brought their children, while others aimed cameras high to document the sight. Neighbors said Plainview Avenue doesn't generate much traffic throughout the day, but vehicles packed the road on Wednesday.
Rachel McPherson had never seen a bear up close outside of a zoo, so she stopped by with her coworkers to catch a glimpse.
"I love Traverse City entertainment," said McPherson, as she left the scene.
Eligio Salazar lives across the street from Graczynski, and heard a neighbor's dog bark early Wednesday. He didn't think anything of it until he received a phone call about the bear.
"I didn't want to believe her at first," said Salazar, 26, of Traverse City.
Salazar peered outside and saw the bear crouched in his neighbor's tree.
"They're just lucky it's not a grizzly bear," said Salazar from a safe perch on his front porch.
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