New numbers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) show a spike not only in bear sightings, but also an above-average number of bear conflicts.
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Since the start of 2025, CPW recorded 5,259 bear reports. That’s about 300 more reports than in 2024, and one of the highest numbers since 2019, when they first started tracking the number of bear conflicts. The wildlife agency considers a conflict to be any situation where a bear shows troubling behavior, like getting into trash or damaging people’s property or vehicles.
Despite this upward swing in incidents around the state, CPW reports that in Northern Colorado, especially Larimer and Weld counties, reports were fairly quiet.
“Forage conditions were fairly good in the hills, so we did not have very many bears in Fort Collins, Bellevue, or Laporte,” said CPW’s Jason Surface, Area 4 Wildlife Manager, in a statement. “We had a few moving through town from time to time but they did not cause many problems.”
Similar reports were shared in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding Jackson and Routt counties.
However, the situation was very different just north of Denver, in Boulder, Broomfield, and southern parts of Larimer County like Loveland.
“Human-bear interactions have been high this year in Area 2,” wrote Jason Duetsch, Area 2 Wildlife Manager. “Trash, bird seed, beehives, livestock, tents, homes/garages, vacation cabins, vehicles, crops and pet food have all been targets.”
Duetsch says people should practice hazing bears and take steps to avoid conflicts. In fact, CPW says in many cases humans are often responsible for these negative interactions.
The agency suggests Coloradans and visitors practice “BearWise” safety measures. This includes:
- Never Feed or Approach Bears - Intentionally feeding bears or allowing them to find anything that smells or tastes like food teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more. Bears will defend themselves if a person gets too close, so don’t risk your safety and theirs!
- Secure Food, Garbage and Recycling - Food and food odors attract bears, so don’t reward them with easily available food, liquids or garbage.
- Remove Bird Feeders When Bears Are Active - Birdseed and grains have lots of calories, so they’re very attractive to bears. Removing feeders is the best way to avoid creating conflicts with bears.
- Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors - Feed pets indoors when possible. If you must feed pets outside, feed in single portions and remove food and bowls after feeding. Store pet food where bears can’t see or smell it.
- Clean & Store Grills - Clean grills after each use and make sure that all grease, fat and food particles are removed. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out.
- Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity - See bears in the area or evidence of bear activity? Tell your neighbors and share information on how to prevent conflicts with bears. Bears have adapted to living near people; now it’s up to us to adapt to living near bears.
While the year is not over, CPW reports a significant drop in winter bear incidents.
People can report bear incidents to CPW regional offices during business hours or to State Patrol Dispatch after hours at 303-239-4501.
