Tips for Living with Black Bears

If you live in black bear country—and that can mean anything from the rustic California mountains to the human-dominated landscape of suburban New Jersey—here are some simple tips for making your property less bruin-friendly:**

• Rinse food cans and wrappers before disposal. Keep garbage cans clean and deodorize them periodically.
• Don't leave trash, groceries or animal feed in your car.
• Place trash cans at the curb on collection day rather than the night before. If trash must be kept outside, invest in a bear-proof garbage container.
• Harvest fruit off trees as soon as it is ripe, and promptly collect fruit that falls.
• Only provide bird feeders outside during the coldest months of the year—generally November through March—and always hang feeders so they are inaccessible to bears.
• Place your garden in the open, away from cover.
• Don't keep an open compost pile in bear country, especially one in which household leftovers are dumped. Burying compost is also not advisable, as bears will easily dig it up if motivated by enticing odors.
• Keep barbecue grills that are on decks or close to the house clean. If possible, move the grill well away from the house when not in use.
• Don't feed pets outdoors.
• Securely block access to potential hibernation sites such as crawl spaces under decks and buildings.
• Don't leave any scented products outside, even non-food items such as suntan lotion, insect repellent, soap, and candles. (**Note: Many of these common-sense solutions are also applicable to conflicts with other urban mammals such as raccoons and coyotes.)