As the leaves change color and the days get shorter, Colorado's black bears are embarking on a fall-feeding frenzy known as hyperphagia, searching out every calorie they can find. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has urged residents to up their bear awareness game because these furry foragers will spend up to 20 hours a day in pursuit of enough food to amass vital fat reserves for winter hibernation. The kind of binge eating that puts even the most dedicated fast-food aficionado to shame, they're aiming to rack up roughly 20,000 calories daily, which is akin to scaling down twenty chicken sandwiches, ten large fries, ten sodas, and ten milkshakes.
Historically, it seems that bears have a knack for getting themselves noticed during autumn, with over half of 2022's bear incident reports occurring between August and October. CPW's Senior Wildlife Biologist Brad Banulis said, "Research shows that bears prefer natural sources of food. But they will seek out sources of human-provided food if it’s available which can become dangerous to humans," as noted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. These incidents often boil down to human carelessness with trash, bird seed, pet food, and barbecue grills.
To counter this, CPW has rolled out a range of strategies to bear-proof your living space. Some tips are simple, like securing your trash and cleaning your cans with ammonia to hide food smells, or being the unfriendly neighbor who scares off bears by making a ruckus. Other suggestions involve investing in bear-resistant trash receptacles and switching up your bird feeding habits. Preferably, encourage birds naturally with flowers and birdbaths instead of bird feeders from mid-April to mid-November. For the backcountry campers, CPW advises keeping your s'mores and snacks locked in your car and away from your tent, because Yogi and Boo-Boo are smarter than the average bears when it comes to finding a midnight treat.
