On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, Wild Bear Nature Center (WBNC) hosted Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to talk with the community about black bears and about how to best avoid human/bear conflicts in the Peak to Peak area. CPW District Wildlife Manager for Nederland Tyler Ansicar delivered facts about the species and provided helpful suggestions on how to prevent conflicts while out on trail and at home.

Asnicar has been with CPW since 2017 and has also worked for the Bureau of Land Management and National Parks Service. As a District Wildlife Manager, Asnicar specializes in the enforcement of animal safety laws, providing education to the public on animal biology and safety, and overseeing the natural progression of local wildlife as well as their habitats.

Ansicar gave an informative presentation which focused on bear biology and diet, as well as aimed to describe several examples of typical human/bear conflicts and suggest ways to avoid such conflicts entirely.

Colorado is home to the black bear species, which despite the name can come in different colors and different shades, including reddish-brown and even blonde. Ansicar notes that there has not been a confirmed grizzly bear sighting in Colorado since 1979.

In the summertime situations involving black bears take up most of CPW’s time as they are just awakening from hibernation and moving up into the mountains from Boulder, appearing more on trails and at campgrounds. Bears typically hibernate from October or December to April or May, though bears have been known to awake from hibernation early, fooled by warmer weather in February and March.

Bears emerge from hibernation under weight and traditionally take several weeks of interspersing periods of food gathering and sleep before returning to a normal active schedule. Male black bears can weigh anywhere from 125 to 600 pounds, with 250 pounds being the average. Females range from 90 to 300 pounds, with 150 pounds being the average. Their size depends on their gender, the season of the year, and food supply within their roaming range. The largest black bear in Colorado history was reported in 2010 at 880 pounds.

Black bears can measure as high as two and half to three feet in height when on all fours, and four to six feet in height from nose to tail when standing on their hind legs. They can live up to 25 years in the wild, with the oldest female black bear documented at over 47 years old.

A black bear’s movement range is anywhere from ten to 25 square miles and depends greatly on food availability. Black bears will aggressively defend their range, or territory, due to the scarcity of their food source and/or due to mating.

Black bears can begin breeding from the age of three and their gestation period is just two to three months long and can produce up to three cubs. Cubs are born blind with no teeth or fur and typically weigh less than a pound; cubs do not leave the den until they weigh closer to 15 pounds. Female black bears will choose to raise their on the fringes of human populations in order to deter male black bears from feasting on the young cubs.

Ansicar noted that the black bear’s sense of smell is seven times greater than that of a bloodhound, and 100 times greater than that of a human. A black bear can smell anywhere from three to 20 miles upwind, with downwind being even more. Bears are omnivorous and their diet consists of 85% vegetation, though in the springtime when gaining weight after hibernation a bear will prey on fawns and adult calves.

Though black bears can chase down a full-grown deer or elk, they much rather be lazy and opportunistic, and will scavenge on carcasses left by mountain lions or other predators. Their opportunistic behavior is why outdoor recreationalists and those living within a bear’s territory must be diligent in preventing negative behavior from bears.

Ansicar stated that humans are typically the initiating factor when it comes to human/bear conflicts, and that residents and visitors to the mountains must always be aware of their actions and should be sure to mitigate factors that can cause a conflict. The proper disposal of any attractants, which includes food as well as items with a strong order such as toothpaste, deodorant, and air fresheners, can prevent a bear from becoming inquisitive about human occupied areas.

BBQ grills, trash cans, trash compactors, and bird feeders, especially hummingbird feeders, were labeled as potential attractants for bears to properties, especially outlying properties further away from populated areas. Camping cabins and vacation homes are definitely high risk areas for human/bear conflicts, as are locals who reside on these outlying properties. Any livestock or small pets that are enclosed, as well as any apiaries on the property, can also attract a bear.

Leaving doors and windows to either a house or vehicle open may result in attracting a bear, especially if there are any lingering food smells or other attractants that a bear may catch a whiff of. Trash cans should be either bear proof or kept out of reach from a bear and should only be put out on the day of trash pickup, not the night before.

Electric fencing works best against a bear as being shocked is a novel experience that the bear won’t want to feel again. Spiked boards or electrified mats placed outside and underneath windows will definitely prevent bears from attempting to enter the home, though they are extremely hazardous to any pets or children.

When hiking or recreating be sure to bring bear spray and/or an air horn, to avoid wearing headphones, and to either leave dogs at home or keep them on a leash at all times. If confronted by a bear do not run away as the bear may perceive that as a reason to hunt; instead stand your ground, yell and scream, and attempt to appear bigger by using a jacket or backpack and by standing close together with others.

Ansicar added that when a bear is standing on its hind legs it is not doing so as an aggressive measure but it is actually trying to see you and smell you better.

CPW desires for greater community involvement in order to prevent the worst case scenario of a District Wildlife Manager, or law enforcement, having to euthanize a bear. Ansicar stated the utmost importance of community reporting as it allows CPW to track the movements of the bear and to act accordingly before the bear becomes too fearless of humans and therefore too dangerous.

Reporting bear sightings through email, and calling in any instance of a bear being a “nuisance” (meaning it has encroached too far into human space; i.e. going through trash or feeding from a bird feeder), can result in CPW either helping to haze the bear away from the area, or in them relocating the animal entirely.

Ansicar noted that from January 1 to December 31, 2022, there were only 20 reports of a bear sighting from Nederland citizens. Ansicar said that by residents being unwilling to report bear sightings the chances of a bear being continually attracted to a residence until it no longer perceives humans as a threat grows to the point where the bear is deemed dangerous. Once a bear breaks into a home, CPW have no other recourse but to euthanize the animal.

The public can deter bears from being attracted to their property by hazing the animal by yelling, using an air horn, banging pots and pans together, or by shooting the animal with a slingshot or with non-lethal rubber buckshot from a shotgun. Motion lights, a radio playing unsteady sounds, such as sports commentary, and placing ammonia-soaked rags around the property were also listed as suggested deterrents.

Ansicar concluded the presentation by reiterating the importance of residents taking the responsibility to make their homes bear proof, and by urging the community to get involved by speaking with neighbors who are not taking the proper precautions to avoid a potential human/bear conflict in your neighborhood, and even report neighbors to CPW if need be.

Please contact CPW if you witness any issues or aggressive behavior from local wildlife. CPW can be reached at 303-291-7227 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For other emergency needs, you can contact Colorado State Patrol at 303-239-4501 at any time of the day or week. To anonymously report any illegal wildlife activity, call Operation Game Thief at 1-877-COLO-OGT.