A bear has repeatedly entered garages in Ken Caryl, prompting Colorado Parks and Wildlife to set traps in the neighborhood. CBS News reported that the animal has gotten into at least 20 garages, sometimes returning to the same one, and that CPW believes its first break-in was August 22.
Residents have described damage from the repeated entries. Aimee LaBaugh was home but slept through most of one incident; afterward, she found a hole in her garage door. According to CBS News, dogs reacted to the bear, and LaBaugh's husband scared it off by pounding on the door between the garage and the home.
Jackie Treece also found paw prints and damage after a bear entered her garage. The animal got into a stocked refrigerator, according to the same report. Treece told the station she felt sorry for both the bear and neighbors dealing with the disruption.
CPW Sets Traps After Repeated Garage Entries
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has set out traps to try to catch the animal, including two placed directly in the Ken Caryl neighborhood, CBS News reports. The agency has set traps around Ken Caryl a few different times this year, according to Hogback Post, which reported that CPW has confirmed more than 15 bear break-ins into garages in the Ken Caryl Valley during 2026. Once a bear is captured, officials evaluate it for habituation to humans, its overall health and any threats it may pose to public safety, the outlet notes.
CPW is concerned that repeated garage entries could teach the bear where to find easy meals and lead to a home entry if the pattern continues, CBS News reports. Wildlife officials warn residents not to try trapping bears themselves. The agency also advises calling 911 if a bear is inside a home.
A Spike in Bear Activity in Jefferson County
The Ken Caryl incidents come amid a rise in reported bear activity across Jefferson County. Hogback Post reported that the county had logged 179 bear reports by early August, compared with 97 over the same stretch in 2025 and 96 in 2024; the outlet put the full 2026 count at 314 as of September 22. Ken-Caryl Ranch's open space program says the area is home to wildlife including deer, elk, foxes, songbirds, bears and mountain lions, according to Ken-Caryl Ranch.
Officials attribute the spike to a drought-driven failure of the natural food crop that bears typically rely on, pushing them into neighborhoods and trash cans in search of calories, per the Hogback Post report. The timing lines up with hyperphagia, the weeks-long eating marathon bears go through as they bulk up before winter denning. The Hogback Post reports that a CPW news release dated August 22 said bears were entering hyperphagia. The National Park Service describes hyperphagia as a period when bears become especially active as they prepare for the colder months ahead.
As of August 12, knowingly luring a bear with food or edible waste has carried consequences under Colorado law, with a first offense treated as a misdemeanor under Colorado Revised Statutes section 33-6-131, according to the Hogback Post's reporting. Black bears are drawn to unsecured food sources like trash, bird feeders and fruit trees, Ken-Caryl Ranch notes, which is exactly the kind of attractant CPW wants gone from Jefferson County garages this fall.
What CPW Wants Residents to Do
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has reminded residents that fall is a critical time to lock down anything that might draw a bear onto their property. The agency recommends bringing all food and trash completely inside homes rather than leaving it in garages or outdoors, and it is asking anyone who spots a bear to report the sighting directly to CPW. With traps already in place and hyperphagia in full swing, officials are concerned that the bear is learning where to find food.
What Bear Reports and CPW Guidance Mean
Statewide figures offer context but do not establish whether Jefferson County reports rose over the same period: according to Denver7’s reporting of CPW figures, the agency received 6,129 bear sighting and conflict reports from January 1 through August 13, nearly double the 3,115 reported in the same period in 2025. These are reports, not confirmed garage break-ins. CPW says bears can remember places where they find food near homes, vehicles or communities and may return. Its general guidance is to contact the agency after a black bear encounter during weekday business hours; before or after those hours, contact the Colorado State Patrol or local sheriff, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
