COLORADO – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding the public to remain “bear aware” this fall, as black bears in the state enter “hyperphagia”. During this period, black bears spend up to 20 hours a day searching for and eating as much food as they possibly can, fattening up for the winter months. The public is urged to remove any potential attractants from their homes or campsites to reduce the risk of conflicts with these animals.
Black bears are driven to eat a remarkable 20,000 calories a day during hyperphagia. That’s about 210 tablespoons of Jif creamy peanut butter, or just about 9 large cheese pizzas from Dominos. They eat that much to build up fat reserves for the winter, driven by a biological need.
As such, bear incidents are significantly more common in Colorado during August, September, and October, with over half of the reported incidences taking place during those three months in 2023. Trash, bird seed, pet food, and barbecue grills are the most common attractants to black bears, and Coloradans will likely see more bear activity in urban areas throughout this period.
“Research shows that bears prefer natural sources of food. But they will seek out sources of human-provided food if it’s available which can become dangerous to humans. Preventing bears from relying on human food sources takes a community effort, and it’s important that we all take proactive steps to limit human food sources in order to avoid any possible conflicts with bears and bear-proof our homes.” – CPW Northwest Region Senior Wildlife Biologist Brad Banulis
Remember, a fed bear is dead bear!
Colorado Parks and Wildlife on “Be Bear Aware”:
Bear-proofing your home:
- Keep garbage in a well-secured location. Only put out garbage on the morning of pickup.
- Clean garbage cans regularly to keep them free of food odors: ammonia is effective.
- Keep garage doors closed. Do not leave pet food or stock feed outside.
- Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
- Bird feeders are a major source of bear/human conflicts. Attract birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Do not hang bird feeders from April 15 to Nov. 15.
- Don’t allow bears to become comfortable around your house. If you see one, haze it by yelling at it, throwing things at it and making loud noises to scare it off.
- Secure compost piles. Bears are attracted to the scent of rotting food.
- Clean the grill after each use, and clean up thoroughly after cookouts.
- If you have fruit trees, don’t allow the fruit to rot on the ground.
- Talk to your neighbors and kids about being Bear Aware.
Cars, traveling and campsites:
- Lock your doors when you’re away from home and at night.
- Keep the bottom-floor windows of your house closed when you’re not at home.
- Do not keep food in your vehicle; roll up windows and lock the doors of your vehicles.
- When car-camping, secure all food and coolers in a locked vehicle.
- Keep a clean camp, whether you’re in a campground or in the backcountry.
- When camping in the backcountry, hang food 100 feet or more from the campsite; don’t bring any food into your tent.
- Cook food well away from your tent; wash dishes thoroughly.
Protecting your chickens, bees, livestock:
- Keep chickens, bees and livestock in a fully covered enclosure, especially at night.Â
- Construct electric fencing when possible.
- Don’t store livestock feed outside.
- Keep enclosures clean to minimize animal odors.Â
- Hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure as a scent deterrent.
CPW asks all residents and visitors to help save Colorado’s bears by being actively bear aware throughout the late summer and fall seasons. Bear conflicts and, unfortunately, bear euthanization is most often traced back to human behavior. It is all of our responsibility to help minimize risks to humans and bears alike by being mindful of our impacts.