Montana Black Bear Turns My Truck Into a Snack Shack

A single piece of green apple licorice turned a picture-perfect Montana elk morning into a bear-fueled demolition of my 2025 Silverado, and the hard-won bear safety reminders are worth your truck’s life.

Elk Dreams, Pine Air, Then a Black Bear Wrecked My Day

September in Southwest Montana is the kind of month hunters live for. The elk are bugling, the air is crisp, and the mornings taste like camp coffee and smell like pine sap. It’s the season where you roll the dice on unpredictable weather, lace up your boots, and pray you drew a decent tag. What I didn’t expect this year was to roll the dice with something else entirely: a black bear that apparently moonlights as a demolition derby driver with a sweet tooth.

On September 20th, 2025, my truck wasn’t just vandalized; it was obliterated. The culprit? A black bear with a craving for green apple licorice and a total disregard for Chevrolet craftsmanship.

The Scene Of The Crime: Three Doors Pried Like Pop Tabs

The morning started like countless others. When I parked at the trailhead that morning, all felt right. Bow in hand, pack on my back, I hiked into elk country, dreaming about bugles echoing through the timber. It was one of those mornings when everything felt right, the kind of day that makes you thankful for being alive in the Rockies. What I didn’t know was that somewhere in the timber, a black bear was already plotting a heist worthy of a Netflix series.

When I returned to the trailhead hours later, the scene looked like a horror film. Three of the Silverado’s doors were open, each pried apart by claws like crowbars. The bear had managed to open them as if it had spent the summer working valet at a ski resort.

Carnage!

Inside, carnage. The leather seats? Shredded and half-eaten like a venison jerky sampler. Although the jerky that was actually in the vehicle was casually thrown into the woods without a second thought. The dash? Gnawed and clawed until it looked like driftwood. The center console? Gone, reduced to confetti. I didn’t know a bear could eat foam and plastic, but apparently, that’s part of the diet plan.

And what did the bear consume? Not the granola bars, not the jerky I’d mistakenly left in the back seat. No, it was a single piece of green apple licorice. One. Piece.

To put the finishing touch on his masterpiece, the bear climbed onto the hood and then the roof, scratching every body panel along the way. My shiny Silverado looked like it had spent a year in Ukraine. If trucks had emotions, mine would’ve been filing a restraining order.

Bear Country Reality Check, Food Scents Beat Door Locks

If you’re shaking your head right now, I don’t blame you. Every hunter, every outdoorsman knows the rule: don’t leave food in your vehicle when you’re in bear country. It’s Bear Safety 101.

Here’s the problem: we get comfortable. Montana is big. Trailheads are plenty. And sometimes, after an early morning, we toss gear and snacks in the truck and hit the trail without giving it a second thought.

But black bears don’t miss a thing. Their sense of smell is seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s. If you sneezed in your truck two days ago after eating beef jerky, a bear can still smell it. For them, a locked Chevy is just a puzzle box. If you’ve got so much as a stick of gum under the seat, they’ll sniff it out. They don’t see a locked truck as a barrier; they see a challenge.

In my case, the challenge was accepted, completed, and then some. All for a single piece of licorice.

Gun Guy Truth: Your Pistol Helps You, Not Your Parked Truck

Here’s where the GunsAmerica reader in me has to speak up: sure, a rifle or a 10mm on the hip or chest rig gives peace of mind in the backcountry. But none of that matters when you’re a few miles away and your truck is the one getting mauled.

The only thing missing from this story is the bear trying to chamber a round. He had three doors open, and he was halfway to sitting in the driver’s seat like Clint Eastwood. If he’d paid any attention to my Seekins PH3 rifle in the back seat, I’d have had to explain to the sheriff how a black bear ran off with my rifle, looking to turn the tide of outdoor enthusiasm in his direction.

That said, I’d argue that the same mindset we hunters bring to firearms safety should apply to bear safety, too. We respect our tools, and we don’t get careless with a loaded chamber. The same goes for food in bear country. Complacency leads to disasters, whether it’s a negligent discharge or a totaled Silverado.

Hard Lessons You Can Use On Your Next Montana Hunt

Looking back, I should’ve known better. Green apple licorice isn’t exactly trail mix, but it was still food, and that’s all it takes. If you’re hunting or camping in bear country, here are some lessons you can take from my personal disaster:

1. Never leave food in your vehicle
   Even if it’s just a candy wrapper, bears will find it. Parked cars are like vending machines to them, and they’re not putting quarters in.
2. Use bear boxes when available
   Many trailheads and campgrounds in Montana provide steel storage boxes. They’re not there for decoration; use them.
3. Clean your vehicle before hunting season
   Old French fry under the seat? Toss it. Energy bar wrapper in the console? Gone. Don’t give a bear a reason to test its locksmithing skills.
4. Bear spray isn’t just for the trail
   You don’t need to unload a can on your Silverado, but having deterrents around your vehicle and your camp can help if a curious bear starts nosing around.
5. Insurance: read the fine print
   Spoiler: most policies don’t cover “bear eats my truck interior.” Don’t assume. Check.

It’s tempting to be angry at the bear, but the truth is, this was my fault. Bears don’t know the difference between a trail snack and a dashboard. They’re opportunists. They’re survivors. And when humans slip up, bears pay the price, often with their lives, when they become too habituated to human food and have to be put down.

Lessons Learned

That’s the real takeaway here. Yes, my truck should be totaled by the insurance company (and no, it’s not going to be). Yes, my hunting season started with a massive headache. But at least I can walk away with an opportunity to share a valuable lesson, and hopefully, there is a bear with enough sugar in its system to leave someone else’s rig alone for a while.

Southwest Montana is still one of the best hunting grounds in the nation. Incidents like this are rare, but they’re also 100 percent preventable. The next time you’re at a trailhead, before you shoulder your rifle or your bow, take one last look in the truck. Toss the wrappers, the jerky, the gum. Don’t let a bear turn your vehicle into its personal snack shack.

My hunt that day didn’t end with elk quarters in the back of the truck. It ended with me calling my insurance company and explaining that a bear had committed what basically amounts to vehicular homicide. But hey, at least the bear got his licorice fix. And I got a hunting story I’ll be telling for the rest of my life.

Bear Break In Quick Specs For Fast Readers

Pros And Cons After The Maul Lesson

• Pros: Hard-earned bear safety checklist, unforgettable reminder to clear vehicles, memorable story that might save someone’s rig.
• Cons: Expensive repairs, ruined hunt day, potential risk if firearms or gear are left accessible.