Bear necessities: Black bear goes shopping on Main Street in downtown Bozeman

Customers at Bozeman Spirits may have thought they’d had one drink too many Tuesday morning — until they realized there really was a bear outside.

“He was smelling around for that huckleberry vodka, so I think he came to the right place,” said Tim Mastas, who works at the distillery.

Mastas said he was leaving through the back door that morning when he got an unexpected greeting.

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“I was met by a massive black bear — cinnamon bear — about three feet from the back door. We kind of had a little standoff,” he said.

The bear wandered down the alley beside Bozeman Spirits, giving Mastas a moment to p