Black bear conflicts, sightings in Colorado increased nearly 15% last year

DENVER — Reports of bear sightings and conflicts with people increased nearly 15% in 2024 from the previous five years, according to new data from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), with more than half of the conflicts stemming from trash.

Last year, CPW received 5,022 of these reports. About a fifth were linked to livestock, chickens and beehives, and 18% were connected with bird seed, pet food, BBQ grills, coolers and refrigerators, CPW said. Of the more than 5,000 reports, 2,225 resulted in property damage.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

"These conflicts could all easily be reduced if the public takes some simple steps around their homes and properties to prevent bears from accessing them," CPW said.

Watch the video below to see a black bear try to open a trash can and then leave when it is unable to do so.

Black bears are the largest carnivore in Colorado and typically stick to their natural diet of berries, nuts and insects.

However, if they find human food, they can quickly change their habits, and begin actively seeking out homes, unsecured trash cans and birdfeeders.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

The 17,000 to 20,000 black bears in the state tend to live along the Front Range and foothills into western Colorado. In the majority of incidents involving the animals every year, they were trying to access human food.

Last year, natural food sources varied across the state due to drought, late frosts and varying rainfall. The places that saw a decrease in acorns and berries ended up with more bear activity in residential areas, which led to both property damage and car crashes, CPW said.

The agency launched a system to report bear activity in April 2019 to help wildlife managers track conflicts around the state. This data helps the agency track trends and identify what is attracting bears to people on a local, regional and statewide level. Since the system's launch, CPW has recorded nearly 27,000 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears.

CPW said it knows that sometimes people don't report bear activity because they believe wildlife officers will euthanize the animal. The agency said of the 5,022 bear-related reports from 2024, just 1.95% led to euthanization. When reported early, wildlife officers can educate neighbors, try to haze the bear and, when applicable, can try to relocate it before its behavior rises to a dangerous level. However, the latter has mixed success.

If you see a bear causing an issue in an urban area, call your local CPW office. To learn more about living with bears in Colorado, click here.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

CPW has the following recommendations for how to bear-proof your home, cars and campsites, and protect livestock:

Bear-proofing your 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, Do not leave pet food or stock feed outside.
• Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
• 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 at it, 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, 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.

Bear-proofing your car and campsites:

• 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 you’re 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.

Bear-proofing your chickens, bees, 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. 
• Hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure as a scent deterrent.