Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received 3,083 bear reports from April 1 through Oct. 1, 2023, a decrease from the 3,637 reports over the same timeframe the previous year. That number will continue to grow before bears slow their activity as the year comes to a close.
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. CPW continues calling on residents to remove attractants to reduce conflicts, keeping you and the bears safe.
“Bears are biologically driven to pack on calories in preparation for winter and spend increasing amounts of time looking for the most efficient way to get food,” said Area 11 Wildlife Manager Mike Brown, whose region covers south central Colorado. “We ask residents to secure their trash by utilizing a bear-resistant dumpster and ask residents and visitors to lock their cars, secure their homes, and remove all attractants to prevent any conflicts with bears.”
Bear reports are down statewide in 2023, though there are still some areas of concern. CPW’s bear report numbers since the start of hyperphagia indicate that CPW’s Area 11 (Pueblo, Huerfano, Las Animas and Custer counties) is seeing more bear calls this year than the last two.
Bear reports received, Aug. 1 – Sept. 30:
2021: 887 statewide | 19 for Area 11
2022: 1,571 statewide | 45 for Area 11
2023: 878 statewide | 127 for Area 11
“A large portion of human-bear interactions within the area have resulted from unnecessary conflict due to poor trash management, storage of pet food, and unprotected apiaries,” Brown said. “Additional conflicts have arisen from people leaving doors and windows open in addition to irresponsibly camping in bear country.”
Brown encouraged folks to reach out to their local wildlife office for additional tips and advice to help bear proof their residence.
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.
That is why CPW promotes Bear Aware principles year-round, aiming to minimize interactions that put both humans and bears at risk. Being “Bear Aware” includes easy-to-execute behaviors such as:
- Securing trash cans and dumpsters
- Removing bird feeders
- Closing garages doors even when at home
- Cleaning and locking your car and house doors
- Calling CPW when bears become a nuisance. When you call to report a bear coming near your home, CPW can give you tips tailored to your situation to prevent them from coming around in the future.
In an effort to help communities co-exist with bears, CPW provides local Colorado communities with financial resources to support efforts that reduce human-bear conflicts through its Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program. This spring, CPW offered up to $1 million, distributed through a competitive grant process.
Drought conditions and other factors that may influence the availability of natural food crops for bears vary across the state, as does people’s behavior when it relates to human-bear interactions.
