Living in Bear Country
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LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY Guidelines for protecting people, property and bears Acknowledgments This brochure was produced by Defenders of Wildlife with generous funding from the Fanwood Foundation and the cooperation of the following agencies, tribes and organizations: f we can learn to live with Blackfeet Tribe bears, especially the Brown Bear Resources Center for Wildlife Information grizzly, and if we can Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes I learn to accommodate the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks needs of bears in their natural National Park Service National Wildlife Federation environment, then maybe we Nez Perce Tribe can also find ways to use the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes Sierra Club finite resources of our Wyoming Game and Fish Department continent and still maintain U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S.D.A. Forest Service some of the diversity and About Defenders of Wildlife natural beauty that were here Defenders of Wildlife is a national nonprofit organization when Columbus arrived.” dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. —Stephen Herrero, Visit our Web site: www.defenders.org. author of “Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Defenders of Wildlife 140 South 4th Street West, Suite 1 Avoidance” and a Missoula, Montana 59801 recognized authority 406.549.4103 on bear behavior Copyright © 2008 Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036-4604 202.682.9400 Cover photo: Grizzly bear, Thomas D. Mangelsen/ www.mangelsen.com ild beauty, wide-open Wspaces, abundant wildlife—these are the benefits of living in the northern Rocky Mountains. With these benefits, however, come the responsibilities of minimizing our impact on the natural ecosystem. Learning to co-exist with bears is one such responsibility. the cooperationofpeoplewhosharetheirhabitat. bearslikethesegrizzlycubswaryandwildrequires Keeping with food.Suc once, andweendupwithbearsthatassociateus Reward thisbehaviorwithsomethingtoeateven world, theyhavelosttheirnaturalwarinessofus. have becomesousedtoourpresenceintheir — sometimeswithunfortunateresults.Manybears A ing itbyusing pepperspray “problem” bear maytryrelocatingitordiscourag can damagepropertyandinjure people. dences. Inpursuitofaneasy meal,thesebears bird seedandotheritemsfound nearourresi- feed,fruittrees,vegetablefood, livestock gardens, for themintheformofgarbage,compostpiles,pet the unnaturalsustenanceweunwittinglyprovide outs andfollowtheirnosestodevelopedareasfor Wildlife managerscalledintodealwitha Wildlife interactions withblac areahasincreased,sohaveour Rockies s thehumanpopulationofnorthern h bearswillaggressivelyseekhand 2 , firingrubber bullets k bearsandgrizzlies - - THOMAS D. MANGELSEN/MANGELSEN.COM destro grizzlykilled bywildlifeofficialsisoneofthemanybears This encourage yourneighborstodothesame. follow theguidelinespresentedinthisbookletand bears frombecomingmortality statistics. Simply dent ofbearcountryyoucanhelppreventwild to manygrizzlyandblac incidentalRockies, feedingbyhumanscontributes thenorthern not, endsupdead.Throughout moreoftenthan experts concur:Ahuman-fedbear, ed foodhabitcontinues,butatpresentwildlife only otheroption. killingthebearisusually methods fail,however, or deployingspeciallytrainedbeardogs.Ifthese Research onbreakingbearsofthehuman-relat- Research LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY yed each yearbecause ofourcarelessness. yed each k beardeaths.Asaresi- JEFF HENRY/ROCHE JAUNE PICTURES LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY Dispose of garbage properly. Don’t discard cooking grease in your yard. Collect it in a glass, plastic or metal con- Don’t let garbage pile up or develop tainer with a lid. When ready to dispose of it, strong odors that can attract bears. transfer it to a plastic bag, seal the bag tightly and Minimize odors by keeping garbage inside the place it in a bear-resistant container. house or another secured area in tightly closed plastic trash bags. Stash food scraps, especially Be bear-aware when cooking meat, fish and fruit by-products, in the freezer in an and eating outside. airtight container or wrapped in newspaper until trash collection day. Don’t leave any food or beverage— Put garbage and recyclables out for col- including unopened canned items—outside lection in bear-resistant containers. Plastic or even on a screened porch. Bring all and metal trash cans with fitted lids and dumpsters dishes,containers, utensils and uneaten food with sliding doors or lift-up lids are not bear-resis- inside as soon as you are finished eating. tant. Bear-resistant trash and recycling containers Promptly and properly discard or recycle feature sturdy construction and self-closing mail- soda cans, used paper plates, cups, dispos- box-top-style lids and are designed to be secured able containers and napkins. Anything that permanently to prevent toppling. Your local has been used to hold or cook food and bever- garbage service may require you to use such con- ages (especially sugary ones) can attract bears. tainers and may even provide them. Fifty-five-gallon Don’t leave food cooking outside steel drums with locking-ring lids are a less expen- unattended. Bears have been known to snatch sive alternative. Ask your state wildlife agency sizzling steaks right off the grill. where you can purchase them. If you don’t have a Clean outdoor cookers and coolers bear-resistant container, keep garbage and recy- thoroughly after each use. Burn off any remain- clables in the house or a secured area such as a ing food particles and scrub the grease from grills, roofed enclosure with bear-resistant fencing until smokers and other outdoor cookers. If cooking close to pick-up time on trash day. over an open fire, remove any unburned food or When garbage is no longer accessible at one scraps from the fire pit. house, bears will move on to the next, so encourage Store outdoor cookers and coolers inside your neighbors to handle their garbage properly, too. if possible. Even clean grills and empty coolers may retain trace odors that entice bears. And bears that have had a taste of what coolers and grills can offer will investigate these potential food For comprehensive information on living with sources whenever they come across them. predators, including sources of bear-resistant Don’t leave scented products outside. products, visit the Living with Wildlife Bears will sample anything that smells good, even Foundation Web site: nonfood items such as suntan lotion, insect repel- www. lwwf.org lent, soap and candles. 4 5 LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY Lawns: Keep your lawn mowed and weeded. Grasses, dandelions and clover are natural bear foods. Keep the landscape open in the area sur- rounding your house. Gardens: Consider electric fencing if you have a garden. Vegetable gardens, especially those con- taining potatoes and root vegetables such as car- rots and beets, attract bears. Flower gardens are not as attractive to bears as long they don’t con- tain sweet vetch, dandelions or clover. Never use blood meal as a fertilizer or deer repellent in any M O C type of garden. S O T O H P Compost Piles: If you must have a compost pile, E E L S enclose it with electric fencing. Don’t put meat, S E J / E fish, melon rinds and other pungent scraps in the E L . R pile. Better yet, compost only leaves and grass, S S E not kitchen scraps. Keep the pile aerated and J Attracted by strong odors from food, garbage or other scented properly turned. Add lime to promote decomposi- items, a black bear and her cubs attempt a break-in. tion and reduce odor. Fruit Trees and Berry-Producing Shrubs: It’s Make your property bear-resistant. best not to have shrubs and fruit-bearing trees, which bears can climb and destroy. However, if Vehicles: Don’t leave trash, groceries or animal you do have apple, crabapple, chokecherry or feed in your vehicle. Bears can and do pry open other fruit trees or berry bushes and don’t wish to car and truck doors and break windows to get at replace them with varieties that don’t attract food or coolers and other items they associate bears, install electric fencing. Pick fruit as soon as with food. it ripens (or before if you’re not going to use it right away). Remove any fruit that has fallen to the Porches, Windows and Other Entranceways: ground as soon as possible. Keep doors and windows closed and locked. Food smells can lure bears inside. If you must keep a Bird Feeders: Don’t put out any type of bird freezer or refrigerator outdoors, secure it to the feeder during the period bears are active, mid- wall and padlock the doors so bears can’t knock it March to mid-November. (Birds don’t need sup- over and open it. Outdoor lighting can also be plemental feeding at this time anyway.) This used to deter bears from approaching buildings. includes suet feeders, peanut butter feeders, all 6 7 LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY LIVING IN BEAR COUNTRY types of seed feeders and hummingbird feeders. Funding for efforts to prevent conflicts At a minimum, make feeders unavailable by hang- with grizzly bears and reimbursement for ing them at least 10 feet from the ground and four verified losses of livestock to grizzly feet from any supporting post or tree trunk. Better bears is available. yet, take bird feeders down and bring them in at Defenders of Wildlife administers The Bailey night. Regularly pick up all waste seed, hulls and Wildlife Foundation Proactive Carnivore shells, or use only shelled seeds and nuts. Store Conservation Fund, which provides financial all birdseed indoors. assistance