ASPEN, Colo.—Thanks to a late freeze and drought that damaged berries and acorns, bears rummaging for food among people kept wildlife officers busy, especially in west-central Colorado, where a total of 23 bears were killed and 52 were relocated.
Statewide, an estimated 45 bears were killed after run-ins with people. State Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield said a definite number won’t be known until all the district managers’ reports are completed.
Bears that have been relocated and return to rummage through garbage again are euthanized under the state’s two strikes policy.
Although calls about bears are still coming in, wildlife officers in the Aspen area and the rest of the Roaring Fork Valley haven’t had to kill or relocate many bears over the past two weeks.
Bears were especially troublesome in the Aspen area during the summer. Some were killed after invading homes and other buildings. Several were seen digging through Dumpsters for food.
But Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said the agency’s efforts to get people to close their doors and windows to keep bears at bay and lock up garbage seemed to start paying off.
In August, Pitkin County, which includes Aspen, approved an ordinance increasing fines to as much as $1,000 for leaving trash bins open and not using bear-resistant containers.
“Overall, it was a very busy and very tough bear year for our folks,” Hampton said.
Drought that shriveled berries also aggravated people-bear conflicts in other western states, including Nevada and California, as bears searched for food. Wildlife officials say another issue is that more people are moving farther into bear habitat.
Hampton said female bears and cubs are heading to their dens for hibernation, but male bears typically don’t settle in for winter until mid-November so people should still be vigilant.
