Bear Aware

Today, bears share space with a rapidly growing human population. Black bears are curious, intelligent, and very resourceful; they will explore all possible food sources. If they find food near homes, campgrounds, vehicles, or communities, they’ll come back for more. Bears will work hard to get the calories they need, and can easily damage property, vehicles, and homes. Bears that become aggressive in their pursuit of an easy meal must often be destroyed.

Bears At a Glance

Black is a species, not a color. In Colorado, many black bears are blonde, cinnamon, or brown.
With their bulky fur coats, bears can look bigger than they are. Males average 275 lbs.; females average 175 lbs.
Over 90% of a bear’s natural diet is grasses, berries, fruits, nuts and plants. The rest is primarily insects and scavenged carcasses.
Black bears are very wary of people and other unfamiliar things. Their normal response to any perceived danger is to run away or climb a tree.
Most Colorado bears are active from mid-March through early November. When food sources dwindle they head for winter dens.
With a nose that’s 100 times more sensitive than ours, a bear can literally smell food five miles away.
Bears are very smart, and have great memories - once they find food, they come back for more.
During late summer and early fall bears need 20,000 calories a day to gain enough fat to survive the winter without eating or drinking.
Bears are not naturally nocturnal, but sometimes travel at night in hopes of avoiding humans.