You’ve likely noticed the cooler mornings as summer turns to fall. Bears no doubt have as well, and they are on the move, desperate to pack on fat to get through a foodless winter hibernation. More so, after dry weather conditions impacted natural food availability.
During their fall feeding frenzy, if the food is there, bears will attempt to feed for up to 20 hours on acorns and berries, add two to four pounds of fat, and consume an astonishing 20,000 calories, daily!
Black bears have extraordinary noses – seven times better than the best dog – and are lured near people and homes by trash, bird feeders, domestic fruit, chickens, compost, pet food, and more. Trash is by far the leading attractant. Bears obtain a huge caloric boost from these foods and seek out more, sometimes leading to property damage, damaged fruit trees, vehicle break-ins, or worse.
If bears need to be managed for problematic behavior, options for state wildlife managers are limited and oftentimes things don't end well for bears. In 2024, La Plata County led all Colorado counties in domestic fruit incidents and bears being relocated, and was second highest in trash incidents, bear sighting reports, and bears being euthanized. Fourteen percent (15) of the 98 bears euthanized, and 25% (17) of the 68 relocations of bears across the state, occurred within La Plata County.
It’s well past time for the cycle of teaching new generations of bears undesirable habits to end. Thankfully there are solutions. Here are some simple measures you can take:
- Check for anything of possible interest to a bear on your property. Keep all bear-accessible doors and windows closed and locked, including garage and vehicle doors. Remove anything with an odor from vehicles.
- Use properly functioning bear-resistant trash containers and keep them closed and locked when not in use. Do not overfill and set them out the morning of collection only. Keep containers in a secure structure, but note that bears can and do break into sheds and garages. Residents and businesses can contact a local waste hauler and visit bearsmartdurango.org for information on repairs, replacement or to obtain a bear-resistant trash container.
- Remove bird feeders when bears are active. Bears have been day-active, so bringing in feeders at night is only a partial solution. Native plants, hanging flower baskets and bird baths are great for attracting birds, and not bears.
- Harvest fruit and collect any fallen fruit from the ground. Good Food Collective can help or enlist some neighbors or friends. Not much beats a neighborhood picking party and apple pie making contest!
- If you see a bear, using an air horn or simply yelling at a bear is best for you, and for the bears’ welfare. Keep dogs on a leash and carry bear spray when recreating. (It also works on mountain lions).
- If you live in the county, electric fencing and mats are highly effective in deterring bears from most anything, including fruit trees, chickens, and structures. City residents, unfortunately, have to put up with costly property damage and loss as these valuable tools are not allowed within city limits.
- Report bear activity to Colorado Parks and Wildlife at (970) 247-0855 or the La Plata County Bear Hotline at (970) 247-BEAR. City residents should report incidents of bear-strewn trash by calling (970) 375-4930. County residents should call Central Dispatch at (970) 385-2900.
To help, a $100 rebate is being offered to county residents that upgrade to a bear-resistant trash container. Visit bearsmartdurango.org for information. It’s up to all of us to keep people safe and allow bears to thrive in their natural environments. Please do your part for yourself, your neighbors, your community – and for our area bears.
Bryan Peterson is the Executive Director of Bear Smart Durango, a nonprofit that has been working to reduce human-bear conflict for 22 years. For more information on living with bears, visit cpw.state.co.us and bearsmartdurango.org. Resident resources are also available by calling the La Plata County Bear Hotline at 970-247-BEAR.
