Spike in bear activity around Carson City region due to drought and fires, says NDOW

Hungry bears looking to fatten up before winter have been roaming Carson City and surrounding valleys in larger numbers this season and that's in part due to drought and nearby wildfires, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The annual pilgrimage in search of 25,000 calories a day before winter arrives has bears sifting through trash cans and dumpsters, invading gardens and climbing fruit trees. This is not new.

What is unusual about this year is the combination of drought and wildfires has brought more bears down from the high country in search for food, said NDOW spokeswoman Ashley Sanchez. This year with the drought, the natural food sources in the Sierra are much lower, so the bears naturally go to where the food sources are.

"There's not a lot of water in the back country. Our valleys instead provide tons of food, garbage and manicured trees, so we are seeing the bears adapt themselves by coming down into the urban areas in larger numbers," she said. "The bears are seeing our valleys as having sustainable food sources so we are seeing a spike in bear activity. We're definitely getting a lot more calls."

There have been multiple sightings of bears in the Carson City area, along roadways, city streets and in parks. Early Wednesday morning a bear was struck by a vehicle and died on the I-580 freeway. Last month a bear was spotted along the I-580 freeway, winding up safely finding a nearby bike path, away from the freeway.

Also last month, a Carson City Park Ranger, Lauren Zentner, found herself next to one looking for food in Fuji Park.

"Like our deer herds, the bears have been spotted on city streets, sometimes in congested areas," said Sanchez. "We are seeing wildlife cross streets and in areas where we usually don't see them, especially in Carson City and Douglas County," said Sanchez.

Residents in bear country are asked to diligently manage food, garbage and other attractants around the home and yard in order to avoid attracting bears. NDOW recognizes that bears rummaging through garbage or eating apples in backyards may be perceived as a concern and possibly frightening.

By allowing a bear access to your trash, even just once, you are rewarding that behavior and it will revisit your home. Bears may become human-habituated and human-food conditioned, which often times leads them into conflict with people.

Here are things to know:
— Bears have a sense of smell seven times stronger than a bloodhound and eyesight as good as a human's

— Any scent, especially one of odorous foods like fish or other meats, may attract a bear to your home and yard

— Remove bird feeders completely until later in the year

— Remove fallen fruit off the ground promptly

— Use bear-resistant garbage cans and wait to set trash out until the day of pick up

— Store pet food inside

— Do not leave food or other scented items in your car

In the rare event a bear breaks into your home, move to a safe location and contact local authorities. Wildlife experts caution against directly confronting the bear or blocking the bear's escape route.

Whether you are living or recreating in bears country you should know how to act in a bear encounter. Keep in mind that bears exhibit stress behaviors which indicate their anxiety and preference to avoid conflict with you. These are not necessarily signs of an aggressive bear, according to NDOW.

— Moaning and woofing while avoiding direct eye contact with you.

— Clacking of their teeth and smacking of their jaws.

— Stomping on their front feet and false charges which stop short of making contact with you.

In most cases these behaviors are the bears way of telling you that you are too close. Back up and leave the area. Although black bears very rarely attack people, those attacks have increased in number over the last 20 to 30 years. Knowing how to behave in an encounter will help keep you and your loved ones safe. NDOW advises:

— Never approach or feed a bear. Give them respect by keeping your distance and observing them from a safe area.

— Give a bear plenty of room to pass by and it usually will.

— Keep a close watch on children while they are outdoors and teach them what to do if they see a bear.

— Tell them to stay together, back away from the bear and find an adult.

— If a bear approaches you, speak in a loud, firm voice "get away bear!" Raise your arms to make yourself appear bigger and back away to a safe area. You cannot outrun a black bear as they are capable of bursts of speed up to 35 miles per hour.

— In the rare event of a bear attack people have succeeded in driving away the bear by hitting it with stout sticks, rocks and punching it in the nose.

NDOW encourages people to carry bear spray and know how to use it. NDOW does not endorse any product but its bear biologist and game wardens use Counter Assault for close bear encounters.

NDOW also has a BEAR Hotline at 775-688-2327 wired directly into NDOW’s Dispatch Center in Reno. Normal business hours are 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. The hotline is for those who are experiencing conflicts with bears after removal of all human attractants.

Carson City's Senior Park Ranger John Costello encourages the public to remain bear aware, practice leave no trace methods, and if encountering a bear, use the thumb rule, which is if you can hold up your thumb and still see the animal, you're too close.