Keeping Bears Out of the Backyard

By Bonnie Jakubos, Idaho Department of Fish and Game This year's drought means bears are hungry, and hungry bears spell trouble for both people and the bears. "We have had more than our share of bear complaints the last few weeks," said Jim Lukens, regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Salmon. In late summer and early fall, bears are driven by their need to eat. A bear depends on the fat it stores to survive the winter. The bear's task is daunting. Two to four pounds of fat must be stored on a daily basis, which means eating 20,000 calories a day, or the equivalent of 42 hamburgers. However, since up to 90 percent of its diet is vegetation and hamburgers aren't handy, a black bear will spend up to 20 hours a day foraging for food. Less food is available during droughts, so bears must range farther in search of food. And fear of humans often takes a back seat to their appetite. The beckoning scents of garbage, pet food and other animal feed, compost, ripe fruit, vegetable gardens, and backyard barbeques can bring in a foraging bear from up to three miles away. To prevent backyards from becoming a bear's dining room, minimize tempting odors and easy food around the home:

• Store garbage in a secure building or bear-resistant container until trash day.
• Keep pet food and bowls indoors when not being used. Livestock feed should also be stored in a secure building.
• Hang bird feeders out of reach of bears or take inside at night.
• Harvest fruit from trees as soon as it is ripe and pick up all fruit that falls on the ground.
• Keep barbeque grills clean.
• An electric fence is an effective way to keep bears out of orchards, gardens, and compost piles.
• Don't leave scented products such as suntan lotion, insect repellent, soap, and candles outdoors or in your car.

To report a problem bear, call the regional Fish and Game office. Lukens also would like to remind landowners that black bear season is now open. "We encourage people with problem bears to buy a tag or have their friends and neighbors with tags harvest the bears," Lukens said. In some parts of the state, grizzly bears also are affected by the drought and lack of berries, but unlike with black bears, people can't just shoot grizzlies, which are protected. Bonnie Jakubos is the regional conservation educator for the Salmon Region.