A Steamboat Springs resident shot and wounded a bear Monday afternoon after the animal entered their home and charged toward them when they tried to haze it out. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers later tracked down the injured bear and euthanized it.
The resident attempted to haze the bear out of the house, but the animal charged toward the resident, according to Steamboat Pilot & Today. The confrontation happened in the area of Whistler Road, and CPW officers arrived after the bear had already been shot, locating and euthanizing the wounded animal at the scene. The bear became at least the 14th euthanized in Routt County so far in 2026 — a stark contrast to 2025, when the same outlet reports no bears were put down in the county at all.
A Record Year for Bear Conflicts Statewide
The Steamboat Springs incident lands amid what wildlife officials are calling an extraordinary spike in human-bear conflicts across Colorado. Reports to CPW from Routt County jumped 219% between Jan. 1 and July 31 compared to the same stretch in 2025, per the Aspen Times. Statewide, reported bear sightings and incidents reached 8,672 through Aug. 31, more than double the 3,680 logged over the same period a year earlier, according to the Denver Post.
That surge has translated into a sharp rise in euthanizations. CPW killed 294 bears and relocated 98 others from January through August 2026, compared with 83 euthanizations and 33 relocations over the same period the year before, the Denver Post reports. Bears have now been spotted in 41 of Colorado's 64 counties, and reported incidents statewide have climbed to 3.6 times the agency's five-year average, according to the Coloradoan.
Drought Is Pushing Bears Toward People
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has pointed to drought conditions limiting natural food sources as bears prepare for winter and try to eat as much as possible, the station's report on the Steamboat Springs shooting notes. Colorado is home to an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 black bears, the vast majority living on the Western Slope, and extreme drought has limited natural forage in the High Country, forcing wildlife into residential areas in search of food, per the same account from the Aspen Times.
The consequences have shown up across the mountains this year. A black bear forced its way into a home in Mt. Crested Butte, caused a kitchen fire, and had to be euthanized on-site due to its aggressive behavior, according to Colorado Public Radio. A bear also entered a Steamboat Springs home near Fish Creek Falls Road through a damaged sliding glass door and struck a woman in the face; she was treated and released, CPR reports. An Estes Park bear broke into a home and injured an 80-year-old woman on Aug. 27, according to the Coloradoan, and a black bear bit an unhoused man on the head while he slept in Aspen's Rio Grande Park before wildlife officers euthanized it, CPR reported.
Same Bear Blamed for 20 Garage Break-Ins
Colorado's bear problem isn't confined to homes. A bear suspected of breaking into at least 20 garages in the Ken Caryl neighborhood of Jefferson County has been the subject of an ongoing search by wildlife officers, according to CBS News Colorado. The bear has forced its way into garages and found food.
What CPW Recommends to Keep Bears Out
Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises residents to secure trash and bird seed, which can attract bears. The agency notes that a bear can smell food from five miles away, according to its Living with Bears guidance. Feeding wildlife is illegal under state law. Hyperphagia is a period when bears feed heavily as they bulk up for winter.
CPW recommends keeping all bear-accessible home, garage, and vehicle doors and windows closed and locked, according to the agency's guidance on protecting homes from wildlife. Securing windows can help keep bears from entering. Animal feed should be stored inside in scent-proof containers, and trash should only be kept outside with an adequate bear-proof mechanism. If a bear does get close to a home, CPW advises residents to yell, blow a whistle, clap their hands, or shake a tin can full of coins or rocks to drive it off — but never to approach the animal directly. The agency instructs residents to contact an officer immediately if a bear threatens human safety or livestock, and considers intentionally feeding wildlife illegal under state rules, according to Denver7.
Colorado's escalating bear conflicts underscore a broader risk that wildlife officials say is too often underestimated. Colorado's seven recorded bear attacks on people in 2026 compare with a recent five-year average of just three per year, the Coloradoan reports — a reminder that as drought pushes bears closer to civilization, encounters like the one near Whistler Road may not be isolated for long.
