Even Treasure Valley homeowners should be "Bear Aware" heading into the fall

While Idaho Fish and Game staff often start receiving reports of black bear conflicts in mountain communities early in the summer, there have been no such reports of black bears in the urban areas around the Treasure Valley so far this year. 

While it's not an everyday – or even annual – occurrence that a bear ends up roaming a neighborhood around Boise, it does happen periodically, particularly in neighborhoods situated along the urban-wildland interface. Throughout the state, most conflicts with bears occur from July through September. In the Treasure Valley, bear conflicts tend to fall on the latter end of that spectrum. 

As fall approaches and natural food sources become less plentiful, the potential for black bears winding up in the Treasure Valley’s more urban areas increases. 

"When we do have black bears make their way into town, it often happens as we get into September," said Southwest Regional Wildlife Manager Ryan Walrath. "When and whether we see bears in town partially depends on the availability of natural food sources in the surrounding mountains and foothills.” 

In years with a good berry crop, for example, Fish and Game might not receive reports of bears in Southwest Idaho's urban communities. In years where natural food sources are less plentiful, like 2021, Fish and Game might receive multiple reports of bears that are searching for other food sources in urban areas to help them put on weight prior to hibernation in the winter.

“In any case, particularly if you live in a place like the Boise Foothills, it’s wise to prepare for the possibility that black bears could venture into your community looking to score an easy meal, and to proactively make your neighborhood less attractive to bears,” Walrath added. “If homeowners make changes to their behavior before a bear becomes habituated to human food sources, it almost always results in better outcomes for both people in their community and the bear.”

Almost all cases of bear conflict are linked to human behavior – namely, careless handling of food and garbage. With thousands of campers, anglers, hikers, and soon-to-be hunters venturing outdoors, Idaho Fish and Game wants to remind people that most conflicts can be avoided by being extra mindful of their food and garbage.  The same cautions apply to homeowners in bear country – which essentially means most of Idaho, including the Treasure Valley.

"Ultimately, its all of our collective responsibility to ensure that our wildlife remains wild," Walrath added.

Conflicts happen when bears score an easy meal in town

Heading into the winter, black bears can pack on as much as 30 pounds per week and add about 4-5 inches of body fat prior to denning. To do that, they need to consume around 20,000 calories per day, so bears are continually on the hunt for food that’s high in protein and fat. Sometimes, that brings them to unlikely places when natural food sources are limited.

In urban areas like Boise, food for black bears is largely limited to human-related sources such as pet food, bird feeders, and fruit trees in backyards, and of course, garbage cans and dumpsters.

When bears find their way into town and find those food sources readily available, it often leads to a bear that is food-conditioned and habituated to humans, which creates a significant public safety concern, particularly in a heavily-populated city like Boise.

Here is how homeowners can avoid attracting black bears

Luckily, there are a lot of steps humans can take to avoid attracting bears to their neighborhoods. These tips are geared toward people living on or near an urban/wildland interface (such as homes near the Boise Foothills), where black bears are most likely to show up first.

• Remove bird feeders between April and mid-November
• Feed pets inside
• Place trash cans out the morning of your pickup day, not the night before
• Do not keep coolers, refrigerators, or freezers outside
• If a bear has already visited your place and found food, take the above steps right away. The bear will likely pay you a couple more visits, but if it finds no food, it will eventually move on

Residents should report bear problems to their local Fish and Game office in a timely manner

• Often, if Fish and Game knows of a problem early, staff can get information out to homeowners to encourage them to make some changes to make their neighborhood less attractive to bears, and make non-lethal interventions by Fish and Game staff more effective
• If the first report Fish and Game receives is a bear trying to get into a house, staff have fewer options
• If you live in the Treasure Valley and see a bear in town, report it to the Southwest Region Office in Nampa at 208-465-8465