Living with Wildlife
Living with Bears
Most conflicts between people and bears can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed or other attractants. When people allow bears to find food, a bear’s natural drive to eat can overcome its wariness of humans. Bears that get too comfortable around people can destroy property or even become a threat to human safety. Habituated bears must often be killed.
By educating yourself and your neighbors, humans can live responsibly with bears.
Black Bear Behavior
Breeding
After a 2-3 months of gestation, 1 to 3 tiny cubs are born mid-winter, typically while the mother is still in the den. Newborn cubs – weighing less than a pound at birth -- are blind, toothless and covered with very fine hair. When they emerge from the den in early or mid-May, they will weigh 10 to 15 pounds. Cubs stay with the mother bear for their first year, denning with the mother and littermates over the winter. By the time of their second spring, they will be self-reliant and will separate from their mother by the second autumn.
Despite popular misconceptions, mothers with cubs rarely attack humans. However, it is never a good idea to get between a mother and cubs. Mothers will often perform a bluff rush to scare potential threats while the cubs will climb trees or other tall objects. If cubs become separated from their mothers, they can become lost and fall victim to vehicle collisions or predators.
Feeding and Hibernation
Over 90% of a bear’s natural diet is grasses, berries, fruits, nuts and plants. The rest is primarily insects and scavenged carcasses. With a nose that’s 100 times more sensitive than ours, a bear can literally smell food five miles away.
Most Colorado bears are active from mid-March through early November. In the fall, bears enter a period of compulsive overeating (hyperphagia). They start feeding for 22 hours a day and need to gain 20,000 calories a day to survive hibernation. Bears will work hard to get the calories they need, and can easily damage property, vehicles and homes. Bears are very smart, and have great memories - once they find food near homes, campgrounds, vehicles, or communities, they’ll come back for more.
When food sources dwindle they head for winter dens. A bear's hibernation period is also known as torpor, denning or winter lethargy. Unlike a true hibernator, bears can be stimulated to wake anytime during these inactive months.
Signs of Aggression
- Huffing
- Popping jaw
- Stomps a paw
- If your presence causes the bear to look up or change its behavior in any way, you are too close.
What do you do if you encounter a bear?
Black bears are highly intelligent and respond uniquely to people and situations. Black bears seldom attack unless they feel threatened, cornered, or are provoked.
If a bear comes near your home, do your best to safely chase it away. Yell, blow a whistle, clap your hands, and make other loud noises. But never approach a bear.
If a bear enters your home or yard, deterrents can be useful in areas where bears have already learned that where there are people, there is usually easy-to get-at food. The purpose of a deterrent is to make your home less attractive and persuade an exploring bear to move on. For a list of deterrents and more, see the "Dealing with an Intruder" section of the Keep Your Home Safer for Wildlife page.
A bear knowingly approaching a person could be a food-conditioned bear looking for a handout or, very rarely, an aggressive bear. Don't feed this type of bear: instead, stand your ground. Yell or throw small rocks in the direction of the bear. If the bear continues to approach, get out your bear spray and use it when the bear is about 40 feet away. If you’re attacked, don’t play dead. Fight back with anything available. People have successfully defended themselves with pen knives, trekking poles, and even bare hands.
Who Do You Call About an Aggressive Bear?
If you have an encounter with a black bear or an attack occurs, immediately contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Before or after these hours, contact the Colorado State Patrol or your local Sheriff's department. If a person is injured by a coyote, call 911 immediately.
Tips for Living with Bears
Avoid Attracting Bears to Your Home
Garbage that is not securely stored provides an easy meal for scavengers like bears. Never leave trash or recyclables out overnight. Store garbage cans in a closed shed or garage and only put trash out the day of pick-up in wildlife-resistant containers. Empty trash containers can still attract bears and other scavengers, so clean containers regularly with ammonia or bleach.
If composting, use an enclosed composting system, and avoid placing meat or fruit scraps onto your mulch or compost pile.
Bird feeders are so appealing to bears because they are convenient calorie sources. To avoid causing problems in your neighborhood, remove all bird feeders from April-November when bears are most active.
Leaving attractants, like trash cans and bird feeders (hummingbird, suet and seed), out where they are accessible to bears is a violation of state law,
as well as some local city and county ordinances.
Crossing Paths with Bears
Double bag food, and never leave any trash or leftovers behind. Finding treats teaches bears to associate trails with food.
In late summer and fall, bears need to forage up to 20 hours a day, so avoid trails that go through berry patches, oak brush and other natural food sources.
Never approach bears or offer food. If you’re lucky enough to see a bear, watch from a safe distance and enjoy this very special experience.
Stand still, stay calm and let the bear identify you and leave. Talk in a normal tone of voice. Be sure the bear has an opening to leave the area. Never run or climb a tree.
If the bear doesn’t leave, wave your arms slowly overhead and talk calmly. Step off the trail to the downhill side, keep looking at the bear and slowly back away until the bear is out of sight.
Protecting Pets from Bears
Keep dogs leashed; exploring canines can surprise a bear. Your dog could be injured, or come running back to you with an irritated bear on its heels.
At home, always supervise your pet when outside, especially at dawn or dusk when most wildlife are active. If you must leave your pet outside, secure it in a fully enclosed kennel. Don't feed pets outside or leave pet food outside.
Living with Bears
Can Landowners Lethally Remove a Bear?
There are three distinct categories of black bear incidents, each with their own management considerations: nuisance, depredating and dangerous bears. Contact a CPW officer immediately if a bear poses a threat to - or has killed - livestock, or poses a threat to human safety. Offices will work with landowners to avoid situations which encourages predators.
Living with Wildlife
Camping with Bears
Most camp sites west of 1-25 are in bear country. When bears learn that people have food, they routinely visit camp sites, picnic areas and resorts in hopes of finding an easy meal. If you want to avoid problems for yourself and the bears, make sure there’s nothing to attract bears to your camp.