Bears are Preparing to Ravage Idaho Homes and Garbage

They aren’t the cuddly fuzz muffins your parents gave you when you were two. The real deal is an animal with big claws and big teeth. Black bears in Idaho are pouring out of hibernation. They’re hungry. Very hungry. Many will be sweeping into backyards and at the end of driveways, looking for a meal.

Often, your garbage bin or food you may have stored if you’re in the outback hunting or fishing. A bear has an impressive ability to sniff out food through a can. A few years ago, some climbed poles, got onto a second-floor deck, and opened sliding glass doors. This happened in the Idaho panhandle. The animals raided the refrigerator, drank the Pepsi, and left deposits on the carpets.

How to Keep it Safe

Idaho Fish and Game is offering tips on keeping the animals away from your neighborhood. You can read them by clicking here.

The danger isn’t only to you. Bears that get acclimated to people's food will return, and when they become a nuisance, it may require agents to put them down.

Don't Have a Bad Experience

One of my mom’s friends walked out her kitchen door one night after sunset to put some garbage in the can. She closed the lid and turned around and a bear was standing behind her. She managed to get back inside before the big fellow gobbled the contents of the can.

The woman had a carport. If you live in Bear Country, you shouldn’t put out the trash overnight in an open area. Keep it locked up inside or in a garage. That is until you’re ready for morning pickup.