A 'beary' scary encounter: Black bear sightings in Snohomish County

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. -- Bears are coming out of hibernation, and at least one is roaming around an Everett neighborhood and going right into people's backyards.

"I called Judy," said John Vanderwerf.

"He yelled to me 'come quick, come quick'," said Judy Vanderwerf.

They're laughing now at the thought of it, but at the time, the Vanderwerf's couldn't believe what they were seeing right outside their windows Friday afternoon.

"He was sitting right there," said Vanderwerf. "When I came downstairs, I looked outside, and I saw a hairy leg here, and I couldn't figure out what the heck is that. Is it a dog laying there or something?"

The couple told Q13 News that they spotted a black bear chowing down from their bird feeder. So right away, they called the police and warned their neighbors.

"He looked like a pretty good sized bear from the way he was sitting. I mean he was not a little black bear," said John Vanderwerf.

"I was like 'oh my gosh' and I took the picture, and then I went barefoot all the way down the street 'take your child in," said Judy Vanderwerf.