Our black bear neighbors
This large black bear was spotted in October relaxing in The Village at Castle Pines.
One joy of living in Castle Pines is the wildlife sharing our neighborhood. This includes the black bears that we sometimes spot nearby.
Despite their name, black bears are a variety of colors: honey, blond, cinnamon, brown and black. Sometimes people mistake the brown and cinnamon-colored bears for grizzly bears, but there are no known grizzlies in Colorado. The largest populations of black bears live in areas with Gambel oak and aspen, near open areas with chokecherry and serviceberry bushes. They can have a roaming range of 10-250 square miles. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) estimates there are 17,000-20,000 black bears in the state.
The bears are most active from mid-March through early November.
“Black bears in Colorado do not hibernate like we would traditionally think. They go into a period called torpor,” stated Kara Van Hoose, CPW northeast region public information officer. Because Colorado’s winters are not cold enough for sustained periods, they occasionally wake up and need to look for food. Cubs are born midwinter and stay with their mother for their first year. From their mothers, they learn to forage natural foods, such as berries, nuts and insects.
With noses 100 times more sensitive than ours, bears can smell food from five miles away, so we who live in bear country should avoid careless handling of food, scraps and garbage. Bears who find human food, even once, can change their habits and thereafter seek food from human residences and trash cans. Fortunately, most bears spotted in residential areas do not cause damage and will move on if they do not find abundant food.
To help discourage bears from seeking food in the area:
- Store pet food inside, keep garbage in the garage or a bear-proof container, and periodically clean garbage cans to reduce food odor.
- Hang bird feeders 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet away from anything a bear can climb.
- Keep barbecue grills clean and store them inside or in the garage.
- If composting, use an enclosed system and avoid meat and fruit scraps.
- Do not feed wildlife; a group of deer can attract bears to your home.
In addition, CPW suggests that people experiencing continual bear issues place rags soaked in ammonia around their property to deter bears. “The smell is off-putting and will discourage them from hanging around,” Van Hoose stated.
For wildlife issues and sick or injured wildlife, call CPW Northeast Region office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 303-291-7227. After hours, call the Colorado State Patrol at 303-239-4501 or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 303-660-7500. For life-threatening situations, always call 911.
For more information about black bears, coexisting with them and deterrents, visit cpw.state.co.us/living-bears, or visit extension.colostate.edu and search “bears.”
By Susan Helton; photo courtesy of Walter Fronek
