Bears gone (un)wild: early uptick in human-bear conflicts

Trash mismanagement and juvenile bruins a bad mix

By Katherine Nettles

 The North Valley and Gunnison County saw a marked and unseasonable increase in human-bear conflicts in the last few weeks, which also coincides with regional reports. Wildlife officers across southwest Colorado have seen an unexpected surge in human-bear conflict since July, calling it “a worrisome trend well ahead of hyperphagia,” when bears go into rapid weight-gaining mode in the fall to prepare for hibernation.

“We have definitely seen a good bit of garbage day activity in Crested Butte with at least one bear in and out of local garbage cans,” reports Crested Butte chief marshal Michael Reily. “It is incredibly important for people to keep their cans locked away until the morning of pick-up so bears do not become habituated to an easy food source. Chained and barred dumpsters, and wildlife resistant containers in general go a long way toward keeping bears wild.”

Although the Mt. Crested Butte police have not been getting many bear reports this summer, on Tuesday, August 13, the police chief received a report that a bear was seen near Crystal and Castle Roads late the previous night.

 For the whole North Valley, Reily emphasized the importance that humans play in protecting bears from becoming a problem. 

“Bears have an insatiable drive to put on pounds in the months before winter and that natural drive can get them in trouble if people don’t keep them out of the trash,” he said. “As we have seen in the past, problem bears get destroyed and that is entirely our fault. Just last week a bear was trying to get in a wildlife resistant container and an officer took the opportunity to hit it with a taser. The electrical connection was quickly lost due to the bear’s fur and movement but hopefully that experience soured it on garbage cans. The Marshal’s Office will continue to safely harass bears in town to avoid having to take more drastic action. We would appreciate everyone’s help in keeping the bears wild by not giving them access to people food.” 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)’s southwest region public information officer John Livingston said last week that Gunnison County hasn’t seen nearly the rate of conflict as the far southwest corner of the state such as Durango, Mancos and Cortez. “But that is very typical, as our Durango area office usually rates among the state’s highest levels of human-bear conflict on an annual basis,” he said.

“So far in Gunnison County, we’ve had 30 incidents reported to our CPW office. The Gunnison area office as a whole has received 42 reports of conflict so far this year. That’s actually down from 80 reports on the same date a year ago,” said Livingston.

CPW officials say the conflict had picked up over the past month, but the recent rain has quelled the problem somewhat—for now. “We’ve had bears in trash, bears getting into hobby livestock such as goats and chickens, bears trying to get into RVs, bears getting into unoccupied cabins and bears getting a little too close for comfort to homes, largely because of bird feeders and trash,” said Livingston of the Crested Butte and Gunnison areas.

Codi Prior, CPW’s district wildlife manager for Gunnison Northeast/Crested Butte echoed Livingston’s assessment. “We saw an increase in human bear conflicts during the end of July and beginning of August. Most conflicts were trash related, but our area also covers the North Fork Valley,” said Prior. “The North Fork Valley saw an increase in bear conflicts involving hobby livestock (goats, sheep, chickens) and agricultural products (fruit trees). This increase could have been due to the lack of natural food sources, which have now ripened. The recent rain certainly helps mast production and we are not seeing as many bear related conflicts this week.” 

During most years, bear activity tends to ramp up in late summer and fall when bears enter hyperphagia, so CPW officials say these early conflicts have their wildlife managers concerned about the forecast for upcoming months.

Many conflicts have involved juvenile bears that CPW officers believe have likely not carved out their territory in the high country or in drainages. Conflicts in the high country have been relatively few, as there is a good supply of natural forage this year and conditions look good for a strong acorn crop in the fall. This lack of establishing a territory becomes more enticing to juveniles who see human-populated settings as an appropriate food source.

“All of these are concerning, and many can be avoided by keeping clean camps, not leaving doors and windows open and properly securing attractants,” said Livingston. “We also highly recommend protecting beehives or hobby livestock such as goats and chickens with electric fencing. When properly used, those have proven to be excellent deterrents. People should also never leave food in their cars and should make sure they roll up car windows and lock car doors to avoid a bear getting into their vehicle at night and causing damage.

“We’ve also too frequently seen bear resistant trash containers/dumpsters not used properly or people stacking bags of garbage on top of bear-resistant dumpsters. Those are only going to be as effective as they’ve proven to be if humans do their part and use them properly,” continued Livingston.

“If a dumpster is too full, please don’t stack more trash on top of it or add to the dumpster and prevent the latching door from closing properly. We ask that people keep that trash secured indoors until the dumpster has been emptied and can start to receive more trash,” he explained.

Prior added that if community members are using a bear proof trash can that is damaged or broken, to make sure and replace or repair it. “Crested Butte is lucky to have bear proof trash cans available, but they are only effective if people use them properly and they are in good shape. Also, please contact CPW if a bear is becoming habituated or is a safety concern. If a bear enters a home or vehicle, contact CPW or Colorado State Patrol Dispatch immediately.” 

Report bear activity early; save a life

CPW officers ask for early reporting of bear incidents and conflict so they can get out and assess the causes and help re-train the bear. 

Regarding recent bear break-ins to trash left outside a short-term property rental in Skyland, and several trash cans left out overnight in Crested Butte, Livingston said getting those reports early is appreciated. “And if we start getting more reports of bears in trash incidents in the same neighborhood, our officers can take a proactive approach and try to haze a bear away from the area or give tips to residents on how they can further prevent bears getting into their trash.” 

“Early intervention helps prevent a situation where conflict rises to the level of threatening human health and safety or to where we may need to set a trap.”

CPW also recommends that people take time to clean their trash cans and use ammonia which can keep bears from coming back. 

“Of course, the best thing people can do is secure trash somewhere indoors and not take their cans out to the curb until the morning of trash collection,” said Livingston.

Livingston emphasizes that setting a trap isn’t always the answer. If a bear is relocated and continues to be a problem, it will likely be euthanized. 

“Some folks have one conflict and want us to come and just trap the bear,” said Livingston. “We can’t do that in every incident and it is far more preferred for us to give recommendations on removing attractants and seeing that bear naturally move out of that area once it stops receiving a food reward.”

To report bear activity in Gunnison County, contact the CPW Gunnison office at (970) 641-7060.