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Bear Family Wanders Through Loomis

LOOMIS (CBS13) -- Jim Paclik has been living in a country-style Loomis home since the 1970s, and for decades he'd spot maybe a racoon or mountain lion, but the past two years he's seen the tracks of a furry family of four.

And this time he caught them on camera -- a mother black bear and her three bear cubs.

"Thinking about it now I probably should've been a little concerned," he said.

Jim was alerted to the bears over the weekend when he went to let his cat outside at his home on Horseshoe Bar Road and he didn't want to go.

"I walked over here clicked to open door and didn't see him," he told CBS13's Neda Iranpour. "Usually he trots out and rolls on the concrete."

Jim was still clueless to the big bears just feet away until ...

"This mother bear came around and was standing on my door," he said.

Jim had just stepped inside when mama bear caught his eye and he grabbed his camera. Then around the corner came three more bear cubs.

"I came out and didn't have a chance to do any settings," he said. "I just put it on auto. They were right over the edge of the deck."

He saw them sniff around for some pecans and persimmons, but they may have been too full for a hearty meal.

According to a neighbor they had already been next door that same Saturday morning, chomping on some chickens.

"They probably had Chicken McNuggets for breakfast," Jim said.

So they nibbled on his fruit trees as dessert.

"They've been fed pretty good. They were cute," he said.

But with some neighbors reporting their trash is being dumped over, they may have to invest in something you wouldn't expect to need in Loomis -- bear-proof bins.

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