DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said on Wednesday they've recorded an increase in bear sightings this year.
From January through early November, CPW received about 4,600 reports of bears — an uptick from 3,400 during the same period in the previous year. Kara Van Hoose with CPW said that the warm weather later into the fall and the lack of snow likely caused the increase.
"When we have really warm falls and warm starts to winter, bears will be awake and active longer," she said.
As more people move into areas where bears make their homes, encounters become more common she added.
"When you have people move into spaces like Fort Collins, and then you start to develop areas that weren't previously developed, you're naturally going to have more conflict with bears," she said.
While bear reports are scattered across the state, the general Fort Collins is an area seeing more bear activity. CPW noted that Larimer and Weld counties are experiencing typical bear behavior, but Fort Collins specifically is seeing a spike. The area that includes Fort Collins had 128 bear reports and 93 sightings between Jan. 2 and Nov. 1, according to CPW data.
Residents like Doug Kling, who lives on the edge of city limits, have noticed the uptick in bear sightings. He said he sees bears "with regularity."
CPW encourages Coloradans to be "bear aware." Here are some safety tips:
At 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.
- Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
- Don't leave pet food or stock feed outside.
- 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, 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.
When camping or traveling:
- 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 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 chickens, bees and livestock:
- Keep chickens, bees and livestock in a fully covered enclosure, especially at night.
- Construct electric fencing when possible.
- Don’t store livestock feed outside.
- Keep enclosures clean to minimize animal odors.
- As a scent deterrent, hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure.