Burglar Bear: 0, Homeowner with Marlin: 1
When Victor Peters found a 400-pound black bear tearing through his sunroom in a search for food Wednesday night, the mild-mannered retired park ranger wanted things to work out amicably for both sides. However, when the bear decided otherwise, Peters had his Marlin 1895 there to help even the odds.
The story began the day before when Peters, 64, of Lady Lake, Florida came out to discover that a 35-pound bag of dog food for his Rhodesian Ridgeback, ironically named Bear, had been destroyed, a hole made in the wall of his sunroom, and the windows destroyed. A recent transplant to the state from Michigan where he had spent 30 years as a wildlife officer and park ranger, he quickly figured out that the culprit was likely a very different type of bear rather than his canine companion.
After calls to local authorities, who advised him to take any dog food and trash inside and to be vigilant, Peters broke out his Marlin 1895 big bore in .45.70 that he used to hunt feral hog in the state and loaded it– just in case. This later turned out to be a good idea.
