Fall has brought no end to reports of black bears exploring the valley’s human-populated areas in search of food as they make the final push for calories before hibernating.

During the past two weeks, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department received several reports of a black bear near Albertsons at the junction of Wyoming Highway 22 and U.S. Highway 89. And people witnessed a black bear crossing Cache Street near the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center. The bear then moved across to the National Elk Refuge.

Game and Fish officials say they have responded to roughly 175 bear conflicts so far this year, exceeding the last five years combined. Wildlife managers have killed nine black bears and relocated more than 25.

Earlier this year, a bear and her cub were captured near Taco Bell near downtown Jackson after they attempted to cross Broadway Avenue. Officials say drought conditions this spring likely resulted in a poor food year for bears. That pushed them closer to humans, where they can find improperly stored garbage, bird seed and other food.

While conflicts aren’t occurring as frequently as they did this summer, Game and Fish spokesman Mark Gocke said wildlife managers are still busy.

“It kind of comes in spurts,” he said. “It seems like we might not get a call one day, but the next day we’ll get three or four.”

“It’s just one of those years that if anybody is leaving their stuff out, a bear is going to find it eventually,” Gocke said. “Bears are still actively seeking out food this time of year.”

Sows with cubs will start heading into hibernation in late October, while male bears don’t hunker down for the winter until late November, Gocke said.

In the meantime, people should keep trash inside garages or in bear-resistant containers. Bird feeders should be hung high off the ground and well away from a tree trunk.

“It’s still important for us to be taking care of those attractants,” Gocke said.  

Game and Fish bear management program supervisor Mark Bruscino also said people still need to be careful.

“We need people to really be vigilant and act as responsibly as possible so we minimize the human conflicts,” he said. “It’s just another part of being a good neighbor.”  

Bruscino said the Game and Fish Department and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation have stepped up efforts to educate people about the dangers to both bears and people of leaving food unsecured in bear country. The two organizations have also cooperated in an effort to purchase and deliver bear-resistant containers to subdivisions near the Snake River and the foothills of the Tetons.

“I think a lot of people have really tried to do the right thing,” Bruscino said. “But a lot of people still don’t get it.”

For information on bears, go to www.livinginbearcountry.org.