Salmon man tackles black bear to save family after it breaks into his home; 3 bears euthanized

SALMON — A local family is recovering after a terrifying encounter with multiple bears at their home in the middle of the night.

Around 3 a.m. on Friday, a juvenile black bear reportedly broke into a home in the Sunset Heights neighborhood in Salmon, where Brian and Kim Heidemann, along with Kim’s 14 and 9-year-old daughters were sleeping.

According to Savanna Dabell, a close friend who is speaking for the family, Kim had been talking throughout the week about three black bears; a sow, and two juveniles, that were wreaking havoc around her neighborhood.

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“She had called me earlier that day, and she had been calling me all week about her chickens getting attacked,” says Dabell. “She was just super frustrated.”

Dabell says Kim had called the Idaho Department of Fish and Game early in the week to report the bears, was told they would set traps to secure them, and was asked not to shoot them on their own.

According to Tom Schrempp, the spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Salmon Region, traps were set up on the adjacent property from the Heidemann’s home.

Schrempp says the department will be sending out more information about the incident in the coming days.

In the early morning hours, one of the juvenile bears, estimated at about 1 year old, reportedly tried to break into the home through the 14-year-old daughter’s bedroom window.

“(Kim’s) daughter heard noises outside of her bedroom window, and they have a swamp cooler right there,” says Dabell. “Her daughter looked out the window, and at first thought it was a human because apparently when bears grunt, they sound very human-esque.”

The older daughter quickly realized it was, in fact, a black bear, and that it had climbed onto the swamp cooler and was trying to open her window.

“(She) ran across the house to her parents’ bedroom to go wake them up,” says Dabell.

Kim and Brian shot out of bed and ran toward the bedroom. But by then, the bear had reportedly changed routes and entered the home through a back door.

What happened next is something you’d only expect to see in an action movie.

“Without even having time to process or think, because both of the girls’ bedrooms were back there, (Brian) launched himself toward the bear,” says Dabell. “Because it was in the doorway, they both went outside the house.”

Now, in a wrestling match with a black bear in his backyard, Brian continued to try to fight off the bear with Kim close behind.

Inside, the girls tried to keep the family dog, Lulu, a pitbull boxer mix, from running outside, but were unable to keep hold of her.

“The bear was attacking Brian and Kim at that point,” says Dabell. “The dog was able to scare the bear after also being attacked itself.”

At that point, the family realized there wasn’t just one bear, but two juveniles and a sow surrounding their home.”

Thankfully, they were able to get back inside and call 911.

Initially, the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office reported that the attack happened on the front porch, but Dabell says that with all the chaos, some information got misconstrued.

“After they got off the phone with 911, they did contact another neighbor who shot in that direction of where the other bears were on their porch, and were able to scare them off so the ambulance could get to them,” says Dabell.

Brian, Kim, and their dog, Lulu, all sustained injuries. Brian’s were the most serious, including a bone-deep laceration on his arm, and deep cuts to the back of his head, and torso.

He was life-flighted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Kim was checked by medical professionals, and Lulu was taken to a local vet for care.

Brian is expected to be released from the hospital on Saturday.

“(The bears) were just all around the property, and Kim said it was like they wouldn’t let (them) leave,” says DaBell. “At that point, they weren’t outside digging and looking for easy food, it was like they decided that they wanted in the house.”

Dabell says learning that Brian and Kim fought the bear to save their children was definitely shocking, but easy to understand when you have kids in danger.

“I think instinct took over. (Brian) didn’t even have time to think, ‘Hey, go get a gun’ or something, it was like ‘This bear is right here in my entryway, and my two daughters are right there, let’s get this thing out of my house.'”

A fundraiser has been started by friends and family, to raise money for the Heidemann’s medical bills after the attack.

Click here to donate to the fundraiser.

According to a Facebook post from Idaho Fish and Game, a houndsman was brought in on Friday morning to track the bears.

The sow was killed, and the two juveniles were later trapped and euthanized.

Local areas have seen a large increase in bears becoming accustomed to human food and becoming an even bigger danger to humans as a result.

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The Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office asks the public to please refrain from feeding bears and from leaving food out for them.

“To prevent bears from coming into your house, you must remove outdoor food smells, secure all potential entry points, and use deterrents around your property,” says a Facebook post from the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office.

• Lock up garbage: Keep trash cans inside a secure garage or shed, and only put them out on the morning of pickup.
• Clean outdoor grills: Scrub your barbecue grill and empty grease traps after every single use.
• Remove bird feeders: Take down bird feeders during active bear seasons, as seeds and nectar are high-calorie attractants.
• Eliminate outdoor pet food: Never leave pet food, stock feed, or water bowls outside your home.
• Manage fruit trees: Pick ripe fruit immediately and do not let rotting fruit pile up on the ground.
• Secure crawl spaces: Board up openings beneath your porch, deck, or house using thick plywood with no gaps that a bear can use for leverage.
• Keep windows and doors shut: Avoid cooking with ground-floor windows or doors open, and store scented products like sunscreen, bug spray, and toothpaste inside. Keep car doors locked so bears do not smell food inside vehicles.
• Use deterrent mats: Place commercial electric mats or DIY “unwelcome mats” (boards with evenly spaced protruding screws or nails) under vulnerable windows and near entry doors to make the ground uncomfortable.