Secure Your Home To Fend Off Hungry Wyoming Bears

It's not something new when fall hits, but it's always a good reminder to be Bear Wise. Bears work to increase their food intake, and they're always looking for an easy meal. You don't want your house to be the bear community's go-to fast-food option, do you?

According to WGFD Large Carnivore Supervisor Dan Thompson, we're seeing increased bear activity statewide. In Wyoming, black bears can be found in nearly all areas. Meaning there are a lot of bears on the prowl, and this time of year they're in the hyperphagia phase and will eat anything they can scrounge up.

Keeping your house and property secure is a huge part of living in bear country. To do your part, follow these steps offered by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 

• Do not put garbage out until the day of scheduled pickup. Keep it inside a garage or other hard-sided building.
• Take down bird feeders and do not put them back up until December. Suet, bird seed, nuts, and even hummingbird nectar are easy, calorie-rich foods for bears.
• Secure domestic livestock such as chickens, goats and pigs inside an enclosed barn or shed at night or construct an electric fence around their pens.
• Store livestock food and supplements in a hard-sided building.
• Thoroughly clean barbecue grills of food bits and grease or keep them in a hard-sided building until use.

Being Bear Wise is a task the community needs to do together. So work with your neighbors to keep your neighborhood secure. One house with a BBQ grill or garbage out can cause issues for everyone else.