Watching bears conditions them to being near people! Don’t allow the bear to stay near your home, or within sight of humans. If possible, safely make the bear leave by yelling and banging a wooden spoon on a metal pan from a safe location and keep it up until the bear leaves. If the bear is unafraid and doesn’t leave, or if you know that it has obtained a food reward, please notify appropriate wildlife authorities.

Early reporting is critical! The sooner a bear is conditioned to avoid people and human development and return to wild behaviors, the better for the bear. The longer a bear has contact with humans, the more likely it will be successful in finding unsecured food. Call your local Wildlife Officer or Game Warden to report bear activity early, before bears become food conditioned or habituated to developed areas. Otherwise, the bear may have to be destroyed!

Around your home

Barbeque grills should be cleaned by burning off residue and stored after each use in a secure shed or garage away from windows and doors.

Fruits and vegetables should be picked when ripe, and fallen fruit from trees immediately collected. Do not allow fruit to rot on the ground. Do not apply blood meal to gardens!

Birdfeeders attract bears. Eliminate them or hang them at least 10 feet high, and 4 feet away from the nearest trees. Immediately clean up spills on the ground. Hummingbird feeders can be replaced with flower baskets, which are also attractive to hummingbirds, but not bears.

Pet food should be stored indoors, (or in a certified bear-resistant container) and pets fed indoors. If your pet must be fed outdoors, feed only as much as your pet will eat in one meal. Uneaten pet food and bones with meat on them will attract bears.

Livestock feed should also be stored in a secure shed or barn or certified bear-resistant container. Uneaten feed should immediately be removed.

Garbage should be stored in certified bear-resistant containers, or indoors in a secure shed or garage. Place all garbage in tightly sealed plastic bags to reduce odors, and remove garbage regularly. Cleaning garbage containers periodically with a diluted Clorox solution will also help reduce odors, which attract bears. Do not put garbage out until the morning of collection

Compost piles should be limited to grass, leaves, and garden clippings. Adding lime and turning regularly will help reduce odors, and help composition. Do not add food scraps! Kitchen scraps can be composted indoors in a worm box with minimum odor and later added to garden soil.

Beehives, honey, and bee larvae are especially attractive to bears. If you keep hives, elevate them on bear-proof platforms, or erect properly designed electric fencing.

Please help grizzly and black bears by sharing this information with your friends and neighbors.
The more people participate in removing attractants and helping bears stay wild, the more
likely it is that bears and people can safely coexist. When a whole neighborhood works together to remove the things thatattract bears, the conflicts between humans and bears in that area is reduced dramatically!