June is an important time of year to be wise about bears, according to the BearWise program.
Young bears are striking out on their own and some of their favorite food sources, like berries, are not yet available.
Andy Tri, bear project leader with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, was a recent guest on the KAXE Morning Show. He shared information from BearWise, which is a national program of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies dedicated to helping people live more responsibly with bears.
Tri explained the BearWise At-Home Basics:
- Never feed or approach bears
- Secure food, garbage and recycling
- Remove bird feeders when bears are active
- Never leave pet food outdoors
- Clean and store grills
- Alert neighbors to bear activity
"Bird feeders are a particularly tasty treat for (bears). For about a pound of bird seed, it's about 2,600 calories," Tri said. "They have to eat something like 20 pounds of blueberries to get anywhere close to that calorie load, so it's just a no-brainer for them."
When thinking about bird feeders, don't forget about your hummingbird feeders. Tri said those are like "bear Kool-Aid."
Mother bears have recently set their young bears, just over a year old, out on their own. Females are given a piece of their mother's home range, but the males are sent out further.
"Usually it's these young juvenile males that are on the landscape that are just trying to figure out how to be bears on their own and taking the easy path sometimes," Tri said.
Bears have very good memories. If they were able to find something to eat on your property once, they will likely return to see if they can find more of the same.
Tri reminded us that when it comes to bear encounters, "they are not inherently dangerous. But they are big wild critters and we want to give them space as we would any other big critter. But in general, the bear is in your yard because there's something attractive there."
Listen to our full conversation above
Have you had any bear encounters this year? Let us know!
