Getting ahead of a hungry bear is much easier than cleaning up after one.
It’s that time of year when bears are looking for extra calories. Already this summer, plenty of Montanans have dealt with what’s left after a bear has torn into their chicken coop, strewn their garbage across their (or worse, their neighbor’s) yard, or broken limbs off fruit trees. The berry crop failures in many areas and the dry, hot summer haven’t made things easy for bears or people.
Bears are moving around more in search of food—something they do every fall. But this year, you may see bears more than usual as they search.
Seeing a bear in your neighborhood isn’t a problem most of the time. The bear may just be moving through as it follows its nose. Problems occur when bears get into human or pet foods, trash, structures, or linger for too long.
While Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks can respond to conflicts, preventing them in the first place will save you time, effort, and probably some financial expense.
Here are five basics for keeping bears moving.
Stash your trash.
Garbage left outside and not secured is the biggest draw for bears to human areas.
Store all waste—trash, recycling, and compost—in a way bears can’t access it. A garage or other hard-sided building is usually best. If you can only keep trash outdoors, keep it in a bear-resistant container.
You can get a bear-resistant container by asking your local trash hauler. If you haul your own trash, you can buy IGBC-certified bear-resistant cans at hardware stores.
Protect small livestock.
Chickens are fast becoming the second most common draw for bears. Protect chickens, along with bees, goats, pigs, and other small livestock with properly installed electric fencing.
There are a lot of resources to help you build an electric fence for bear deterrence. Find several how-to guides online, like FWP’s electric fencing guide or People and Carnivores’ video guides. Financial incentives and cost-share programs are also available with nonprofits. Local “bear smart” community or bear resource groups may also be able to help.
Don’t forget about livestock feed (or pet food). Keep it inside the electric fence, a secure building, or a bear-resistant container.
Take down the bird feeders.
You can bring bird feeders back out in winter, once bears are asleep. In the meantime, opt for birdbaths and native, non-fruiting trees and shrubs to attract birds.
Protect fruit trees.
Electric fencing is a great way to protect fruit trees, berry bushes, and gardens.
If you don’t use electric fencing, the next best strategy is to stay on top of harvesting. Pick fruit early and often. If you can’t use it all, share with neighbors, food banks, wildlife sanctuaries, or cideries. Don’t forget to collect fallen fruit.
If you find yourself falling behind on picking, there are volunteer groups that can help. Northwest Montana has several gleaning programs, including the Great Bear Foundation’s Bears and Apples program in Missoula; FWP’s Northwest Montana fruit donation program in mid-September where all fruit is donated to West Yellowstone’s Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center; and Facebook pages like Flathead Fruit Gleaning and Kootenai Fruit Gleaning.
Be a bear.
The best way to protect your home, yard, and animals is to walk around your property and look at it the way a hungry bear might.
Check your yard, decks, any outbuildings, and animal enclosures. Clean grease from barbecues after each use. Keep pet food inside. Put coolers away. These may seem like annoyances or feel overwhelming to address, but removing attractants will help keep bears from hanging around and damaging your property, and from visiting your neighbor’s place, too. Take it one step at a time.
Bears are smart. Once they learn an area provides food, they’re likely to come back. Keep them moving on in search of natural bear foods, rather than finding an easy meal on your property.
This fall, let’s help keep our communities and the bears that travel through them safe.
Ryan Wilbur is People and Carnivores’ Northwest Montana Field Specialist and Bear Smart Community Coordinator, working from Kalispell. Rosie Costain is People and Carnivores’ Communications and Development Manager, working from Helena. For more information, visit www.peopleandcarnivores.org and www.bearsmart.org.