With it being late spring/early summer (depending on who you ask), the black bears are out and about across the country. In some cases this means black bear families with young cubs, wandering about and looking for food. This black bear family, for example, was caught on security cameras attempting to break into a bear-proof trash can at Colorado’s Breckenridge Resort.
Based on the timestamp on the video, it appears this incident occurred on May 30th at nearly 9pm, but the bears are still out and hungry even though it’s now mid-June. This is a great reminder of the value of bear-proof trash cans for those living in bear territory. Despite giving it their best effort, this family was unable to access the delicious garbage inside, preventing the animals from becoming habituated to human and potentially saving their lives in the future.
Living or recreating in bear country means taking steps to remain bear aware. Bear-proof trash cans are just one step. Additionally, it’s important that all attractants are kept secured inside, including food, trash, pet food, and anything else that may have an attractive smell. Read more on bear safety in Colorado below.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Guide for Dealing with Bears:
Bears spend their day searching for any possible food sources. Once they successfully get food in a location, they will come back again hoping for another food reward.
- Do not provide any possible food or scent attractants for bears
- Store trash in your house, garage, or shed until trash day. Clean your trash can with bleach once a week to get rid of residual smells.
- Keep bird feeders out of reach of bears with a pulley system that keeps the feeder 10 feet off ground and 10 feet away from trees or climbable structures.
- Do not store pet food or feed pets outside.
- Clean grills after use, clean out grease traps.
- Secure bee hives and chickens with electric fencing.
- Be vigilant when leaving your house in the morning or evening. Make noise as you leave to let a bear know you are coming. If they hear you they will usually leave the area.
- If a bear will not leave, do not approach it. From a safe location, make some noise and throw things at it. If the bear will not leave, call your local wildlife office.
- Call your local wildlife office and report bear incidents. Wildlife officers can do site checks to help you secure your specific property.
- If a bear enters your home, open doors and windows and make sure it can leave the same way it got in. Don’t approach the bear, corner the bear or block escape routes. Call 911.
- If you see a bear hanging around your neighborhood or property, call your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to report it.
- Flashing lights, noise makers, alarms and sprinkler systems may startle bears and cause them to leave the area. Products that randomly produce a different noise each time they’re activated or have lights that flash in different patterns may be more effective than something with repetition.
- Leaving a radio tuned to a talk show can make it sound like someone is home and may persuade bears to leave the area. If you’ll be gone for an extended period of time, you can put a radio on a timer.
- Spraying bear spray on things you’d like bears to avoid doesn’t work — when the spray dries, the pepper residue left behind mellows out and creates odors that can actually attract bears.
- People have had some success with covered buckets or other containers filled with bleach or ammonia, with holes punched in the lids to let the scent out, placed outside bear-accessible doors and windows. Never mix bleach and ammonia; the combination produces fumes that can be deadly to both people and bears. Be careful with ammonia and bleach; it can blind bears.
- Unwelcome mats are typically made of sheets of sturdy plywood that have been carefully studded with small nails pointing up that can be placed in front of bear-accessible doors and windows. It’s very important that unwelcome mats be made, installed and used properly to avoid injuring bears, humans and pets..
