State environmental officials said black bears entered at least , setting a state record.
鈥淎 decade ago, we had less than 10, so bears have learned very, very quickly that people are a source of food and that's not a good thing,鈥� said Jenny Dickson, Wildlife Division director for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
DEEP is and secure garbage to prevent attracting bears to their yards.
鈥淏ird feeders and trash are the two biggest ways that bears tend to get themselves into trouble or have conflicts with people,鈥� Dickson said.
DEEP recommends only bringing out garbage bins the morning of collection day or purchasing a bear-resistant garbage bin. As for bird feeders, they can go back up in December.
Bird watchers have other options
"Birds can find plenty of food in the form of insects, in the form of berries, even flower buds this time of year, 鈥� said Corrie Folsom-O鈥橩eefe, director of Bird Conservation at Audubon 海角换妻.
If you want to help birds and make your yard more welcoming, Folsom-O'Keefe recommends putting out a bird bath.
鈥淎nother thing you can do is make sure that there are types of plants that provide cover. So conifers or shrubs that keep their leaves year round are going to provide great cover for birds," she said.
Folsom-O鈥橩eefe also said to grow native trees, shrubs and plants which host the insects birds need to feed to their chicks.
Environmental officials consider penalties for seed
Since 2023, like black bears.
While that does not currently apply to putting out bird seed, Dickson said DEEP is working on new regulations that will clarify when an action changes from unintentional to intentional feeding of bears.
For example, if a homeowner鈥檚 bird feeder has been shown to attract bears, yet the homeowner keeps putting out bird seed, DEEP is determining the parameters of when wildlife officials can take action and what that action will include.
Dickson said many residents are getting the message, especially in the state鈥檚 northwest corner where the black bear population is highest.
鈥淏ut they're still having issues with bears breaking into houses and part of the challenge is that at this point, the bears have learned that bad behavior,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淥nce you've learned something, it's really hard to unlearn it.鈥�
Shooting bears is legal only in very limited circumstances
If a black bear enters a home or is directly threatening a person or a person鈥檚 pet, a 海角换妻 resident can shoot it. But it is a very narrow scope, according to Col. Chris Lewis, commander of the State Environmental Conservation Police.
鈥淚f the bear鈥檚 eating your chicken, it doesn't give you permission to shoot the bear. If the bear鈥檚 just in your yard that doesn't give you permission to kill the bear,鈥� Lewis said.
In 海角换妻 chickens are classified as livestock, not pets.
Homeowners who have backyard chickens are advised by DEEP to put up electric fencing to protect them from black bears.
