CPW reports an above average number of bear conflicts and sightings in 2025, offers regional insights from area wildlife managers

Joey Livingston
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-345-4658 / [email protected]

Dec. 1, 2025

DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received 5,259 bear reports between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2025, marking a slight increase from the 4,996 reports during the same period in 2024. This year's total ranks as the highest since 5,392 in 2019, the year CPW launched a digital report tracking system, and exceeds the seven-year average of 4,583 bear-related conflicts and sightings reported to CPW.

There are an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 bears in Colorado and every year the majority of incident reports involve bears trying to access human food sources. While the last two months of the year see relatively few reports, CPW continues to call on residents to remove attractants to reduce conflicts, keeping you and the bears safe.

Reports of bear sightings and conflicts in Colorado have been increasing steadily the past three years. 

Bear reports received, Jan. 1 - Dec. 1:
2022: 4,271 statewide
2023: 3,488 statewide
2024: 4,996 statewide
2025: 5,259 statewide

Wildlife Managers continue to encourage folks to report bears seen in urban areas to their local wildlife office. CPW can provide people with additional tips and advice for how to make their homes less attractive to bears.

Food availability is a major driver of bears slowing their activity during the winter months. If food remains available due to people not securing their trash, bird seed, pet food, etc., bears will remain active year-round. 

Live BearWise®. Keep bears wild. As a member of BearWise, CPW encourages everyone to share BearWise information with their neighbors and communities to help prevent conflicts with bears. CPW asks all residents and visitors to help save Colorado’s bears by being actively bear prepared throughout the year. Human-bear conflicts are most often traced back to human behavior. Living BearWise is the most effective way to prevent human-caused conflicts with bears.

Six At-Home BearWise Basics

• Never Feed or Approach Bears - Intentionally feeding bears or allowing them to find anything that smells or tastes like food teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more. Bears will defend themselves if a person gets too close, so don’t risk your safety and theirs!
• Secure Food, Garbage and Recycling - Food and food odors attract bears, so don’t reward them with easily available food, liquids or garbage.
• Remove Bird Feeders When Bears Are Active - Birdseed and grains have lots of calories, so they’re very attractive to bears. Removing feeders is the best way to avoid creating conflicts with bears.
• Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors - Feed pets indoors when possible. If you must feed pets outside, feed in single portions and remove food and bowls after feeding. Store pet food where bears can’t see or smell it.
• Clean & Store Grills - Clean grills after each use and make sure that all grease, fat and food particles are removed. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out.
• Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity - See bears in the area or evidence of bear activity? Tell your neighbors and share information on how to prevent conflicts with bears. Bears have adapted to living near people; now it’s up to us to adapt to living near bears.

CPW also provides local Colorado communities with financial resources through its Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program, which supports efforts to reduce human-bear conflicts. This spring, CPW offered up to $1 million in grants distributed through a competitive process.

Regional Bear Activity Summaries
Drought conditions and other factors affecting natural food availability for bears vary across the state, as do human behaviors around bear interactions. Below are localized perspectives from Area Wildlife Managers about bears, food conditions and human activity in their areas this year.

Map of Wildlife Management Area boundaries.

Area 1 - Clear Creek, Gilpin, Park and west side of Jefferson counties
“Bear-human conflicts continue to be a significant issue along the front range. Roadkills were very significant this year with a higher incidence than previous years. There were localized food failures from the dry fall, which could be partially responsible for the higher than normal numbers of roadkills in the area. Wildlife officers continue to deal with trash and bird/hummingbird feeder issues. Unoccupied homes have been of particular interest to bears this year.” - Scott Murdoch, Area 1 Wildlife Manager

Area 2 - Boulder, Broomfield, the southern portion of Larimer counties including Loveland, portions of southwestern Weld County
“Human-bear interactions have been high this year in Area 2. Trash, bird seed, beehives, livestock, tents, homes/garages, vacation cabins, vehicles, crops and pet food have all been targets. The public should haze bears using whatever methods they are comfortable with (noise, bear spray, water hose, etc.). Residents should report bear incidents to CPW during business hours or to State Patrol Dispatch after hours at 303-239-4501.” - Jason Duetsch, Area 2 Wildlife Manager

Area 3 - Northeastern Colorado
No reported bear activity in Area 3 in 2025.

Area 4 - Larimer and Weld counties
“It was a pretty quiet bear year for us in Area 4. Forage conditions were fairly good in the hills so we did not have very many bears in Fort Collins, Bellevue, or Laporte. We had a few moving through town from time to time but they did not cause many problems. We had some conflicts in the subdivisions in the hills but again it was fairly minimal. The conflicts were mainly trash and bird feeders.” - Jason Surface, Area 4 Wildlife Manager

Area 5 - Denver Metro Area counties (Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson and portions of Broomfield County)
“Natural food sources were limited in spring and early summer, but scarce going into fall. Accessible trash and bird feeders continued to attract bears to residential areas, causing habituation and frequent conflicts. Bear conflicts were frequent throughout Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Jefferson counties in spring and early summer, but especially high in specific communities in Douglas County from mid-summer into early fall. Bear conflicts in these specific communities were the direct result of accessible trash and other attractants.” 

“District Wildlife Managers and CPW Volunteers made tremendous efforts to educate the public; however, many residents left attractants accessible to bears. Leaving attractants available to bears not only habituates bears, creating potentially dangerous situations, but it also results in sows teaching their cubs to rely on human food. This unfortunately sets the cubs up for failure early in life. CPW would like to remind residents to be BearWise by removing bird feeders, securing trash indoors, and closing garage doors.” - Matt Martinez, Area 5 Wildlife Manager

Area 6 - Rio Blanco and Moffat counties
“Like last year, there has been a rise in human-bear interactions in Area 6 compared to previous years. This increase is believed to be due to a higher bear population and a shortage of natural food such as berries and acorns in some areas due to prolonged drought conditions. Although we had two large fires in the Meeker area this year, we did not observe an increase in conflicts compared to the same time last year following those fires. Local staff continue to work with local counties and municipalities to provide education materials to reduce the number of human-bear interactions in more rural areas. The number of game damage claims varied across the area, with some places experiencing fewer conflicts and others experiencing conflicts above average calls with nuisance and depredating bears." - Johnathan Lambert, Area 6 Wildlife Manager
.
Area 7 - Grand Junction; Mesa and Garfield counties
“This year human-bear conflict numbers in Mesa and western Garfield county were significantly less than the previous 5 years (2020-2024). There were decreases in conflicts in the areas of Collbran, Parachute, Rifle, Silt, and New Castle. Also, fall agriculture conflicts in the Fruita and Loma area were minimal compared to many previous years. Despite a relatively dry spring and early summer, natural food sources later in the summer and early fall were productive. This doesn't mean that our communities do not need to stay vigilant and engaged on reducing attractants and working with local CPW staff on strategies to reduce conflicts. Additionally, Black Mountain Waste which services the rural community area surrounding Collbran received a CPW Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Grant of $60k to purchase residential bear-resistant trash containers for its customers.” - Kirk Oldham, Area 7 Wildlife Manager

Area 8 - Aspen, Glenwood Springs; Eagle and Pitkin counties
“The Roaring Fork and Eagle valleys saw remarkably low levels of human bear conflicts. Given the hot and dry conditions, staff were prepared for limited natural food sources but many fruit bearing plants produced significant nuts and berries which kept bears out of trouble. In spite of the assistance from Mother Nature, conflicts still exist demonstrating the need for constant awareness and diligence EVERY year.” - Matt Yamashita, Area 8 Wildlife Manager

Area 9 - Breckenridge, Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby; Grand and Summit counties
“Area 9 continues to see unnecessary human-bear conflicts with bears. In 2025, we observed a significant increase in bears entering homes in both Grand and Summit Counties. This is primarily a result of poor trash management and unlocked or open doors and windows. We are thankful to residents who are doing their part to be "BearWise", but it ultimately takes a community effort. We continue to ask residents and guests to remove attractants, secure their homes, camp responsibly, and remember to lock their vehicles. It takes everyone doing their part to care for Colorado’s wildlife." - Jeromy Huntington, Area 9 Wildlife Manager

Area 10 - Steamboat Springs; Jackson and Routt counties
“In Routt and Jackson counties, reported human–bear interactions have decreased; however, bear activity remains steady within the Steamboat city limits and surrounding neighborhoods. Since the implementation of the city’s bear-resistant trash receptacle ordinance, compliance has improved, though proper use continues to be a challenge. Unlocked vehicles also remain a common attractant, often resulting in significant damage when bears gain access.” 

“Despite an abundant natural food year, many bears still find easy meals around town, leading to frequent sightings in many neighborhoods. Nearby Oak Creek has also experienced an increase in bears accessing unsecured trash. It’s important that CPW is notified as soon as possible when conflicts occur, so we can address issues before a bear becomes habituated to human food sources.” - Kris Middledorf, Area 10 Wildlife Manager

Area 11 - Pueblo, Trinidad, South-Central Colorado
“Area 11 observed a slight increase in overall bear incidents and sightings in 2025 compared to the previous year. Given that uptick in incidents Area 11 field staff noticed that food sources were good throughout the foothills and higher elevations. As typical with many human-bear conflicts, the majority of interactions have been a result of unnecessary conflict due to poor trash management, storage of pet food, and unprotected beehives. Area 11 has also experienced some conflicts with livestock, mainly chickens. People can avoid these unnecessary conflicts by utilizing a bear resistant dumpster, and removing pet food/attractants from the outside of their home. Homeowners and landowners alike can reach out to their local District Wildlife Manager for help and advice in protecting apiaries and livestock enclosures.” - Mike Brown, Area 11 Wildlife Manager

Area 12 - Southeastern Colorado
No reported bear activity in Area 12 in 2025. 

Area 13 - Chaffee, Fremont and Lake counties 
“The Upper Arkansas Valley, including the area around Leadville, Buena Vista, Salida, and Cañon City, had an average bear conflict season. The area received below-average precipitation during the summer, resulting in lower natural forage production and smaller fruit. Reports of bear activity around homes are steady throughout the area, and we continue to encourage people to remove and minimize attractants around their homes. Attractants include bird feeders, fallen fruit, and, of course, trash.” - Sean Shepherd, Area 13 Wildlife Manager

Area 14 - Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs; El Paso and Teller counties
“We had a significant uptick in conflicts this year. Most of our conflicts still link back to some sort of attractant being left out by a homeowner. The most common is unsecured trash and then bird feeders. We also saw an increase in conflicts with small hobby farms and bears depredating on livestock. We recommend securing animals at night in a barn or putting them in a pen with 3-5 strands of hot wire around it. I sound like a broken record but we need the public's help to keep bears wild. Please secure your attractants and there is no need to put up bird feeders in the summer.” - Tim Kroening, Area 14 Wildlife Manager

Area 15 - Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata and Montezuma counties
"We saw a second consecutive year of high levels of human-bear conflict with officers working around the clock much of the summer, and we continue to manage human-bear conflicts still in November. This has come in the face of two winters in a row with almost no low-elevation snowpack and well below average snow in the high country paired with a hot, dry summer with little to no moisture until heavy rains came in September and October. Natural food availability was spotty in most areas, at best. We had a lot of younger bears involved in conflict early in the summer, and female bears with cubs that struggled to find natural food were also prevalent in residential areas. The increase of hobby chicken farming also led to more livestock conflicts this year. We continued to see higher rates of roadkill incidents with bears on the move looking for food sources. We took more than a dozen orphaned cubs to our Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center with severely underweight cubs turning up in town. However, we saw fewer incidents of conflicts at campgrounds this year, which was one positive in an otherwise difficult year of managing human-bear conflict." - John Livingston, Southwest Region PIO

Area 16 - Gunnison Basin, North Fork Valley
"We weren't as bad as some other parts of the state, so I would consider this an average conflict year. Natural foods were spotty and it was a dry summer with fire activity to our west, but bears found enough natural foods to mostly get by. We continue to have the same conflict issues of trash, bird feeders and poorly managed campsites. But we also had too many instances of people not reporting issues until bears were highly habituated. It is hard to manage issues when a bear has already been allowed to repeatedly break into cars and structures. We encourage our communities to report conflicts early so we can proactively manage a situation without having to trap and move bears. We need to get those calls sooner." - Brandon Diamond, Area 16 Wildlife Manager

Area 17 - San Luis Valley
"We had an average year for conflict in the San Luis Valley. We once again dealt with situations where bears simply took advantage of easily avoidable situations and became used to easy access to human foods. Trash remains the leading source of conflict, and fruit trees continue to attract bears. We need the public to be vigilant about securing trash and picking up fallen fruit." - Rick Basagoitia, Area 17 Wildlife Manager

Area 18 - Incorporating Montrose, Delta, Mesa Ouray and San Miguel counties
"Our area saw a partial food failure with spotty food production and overall low mast crops. This was not surprising following two consecutive winters of below average snowfall, especially at lower elevations. We had several issues of bears in homes, particularly on the west side of our coverage area as well as Telluride and Mountain Village. Roadkill mortalities were also increased with bears on the move looking for scarce natural foods available. As for Montrose, it was a typical year for bears, but we didn't see as much damage to cornfields as we typically see, as issues were limited to just a couple of incidents. Our primary issues continue to be related to human source food and trash." - Rachel Sralla, Area 18 Wildlife Manager

Media resources
Colorado Parks and Wildlife provides resources, photos and data that can assist with local community outreach and media coverage.

The link below contains:

• Facts and figures folder with 2024 bear report breakdowns, bear report progression map, black bears at a glance fact sheet, sample bear reports, bear materials
• Folders with photos and videos from bear encounters for use by media outlets

Thank you for helping CPW spread the word on the importance of being BearWise and making small adjustments to your home and outdoor routines to keep wildlife in mind.

###