DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is cautioning residents to be aware of their surroundings when out in bear country as sightings and incident reports increase amid the animal's feeding frenzy.
In a press release Monday, CPW said the agency has received 3,614 bear reports from April 1 through Oct. 1, 2022, which is an increase from the 3,155 reports over the same timeframe the previous year.
Reports typically increase as bears are now in hyperphagia, the period when they are preparing to den for winter and spend up to 20 hours a day on the hunt for 20,000 or more daily calories.
The wildlife agency said most of the reports involve bears trying to access human food sources and they are urging residents to remove attractants to reduce conflicts.
“Lots of folks like to try to take their trash out the night before. So, we encourage folks to take your trash out in the morning or as near to the time when your trash truck comes as possible to lessen the potential that a bear might get into your trash,” CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan said.
CPW said that bear reports are up statewide this year and the Aspen area continues to see the largest increase.
There were 887 bear reports received, Aug. 1 - Sept. 30 in Colorado in 2021. This year, there were 1,571 reports.