Bear sightings rise in Douglas County as bears seek food for winter

Bear sightings are climbing in Larkspur, Castle Pines and Roxborough Village, and one bear already entered a home and damaged the inside of the house, turning a seasonal wildlife issue into a direct property and safety concern for Douglas County residents.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says more sightings could continue between now and October as bears move through neighborhoods looking for food before winter. That warning matters most in foothill and open-space areas, where rural and semi-rural homes sit close to bear habitat and where a single open trash can or patio cooler can draw a bear to a block.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says black bears enter hyperphagia in mid-August, a feeding frenzy that drives them to forage heavily for winter. In fall, bears shift from summer foods to fruits and nuts, and many may spend up to 20 hours a day looking for calories to build fat for hibernation.

That creates a simple but urgent checklist for homeowners: do not feed bears, do not leave food outside, keep trash in a bear-proof container overnight, close garage doors, avoid leaving food in vehicles and keep lower-level windows and doors tightly shut. CPW says bears can smell odors from far away, which means even small attractants can pull them toward homes.

The agency says most bear conflicts can be traced to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed, pumpkins and other attractants. Once bears get comfortable around people, they can destroy property or become a threat to human safety, and CPW says habituated bears often must be killed. That makes prevention not just a convenience issue, but a wildlife-management and public-safety issue as well.

Colorado’s suburban growth is adding pressure. CPW says expanding subdivisions are increasing encounters between people and black bears across the state and can push wildlife into open spaces, parks, river bottoms and undeveloped parcels near growing neighborhoods. The agency also runs a Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program to help communities reduce those clashes.

Anyone who sees a black bear creating a public-safety problem in a residential area or on private property should call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 303-660-7500 or call 911 if the situation is an emergency. In a county where bears still move through the edges of neighborhoods, securing trash, food and entry points is the difference between a passing sighting and a costly home intrusion.