If you live in Grays Harbor, you live in bear country.

Each spring, black bears emerge from winter dens and immediately begin feeding on grass and flowers. Once their digestive system has “woken up” from their winter slumber, they begin their search for more high-calorie meals. It isn’t uncommon to see a bear in developed areas where they are drawn to attractants like garbage cans, pet food or birdseed.

A pound of birdseed provides 1,700 calories, compared to only 600 calories from a pound of blueberries. Imagine how many calories are in your garbage can.

Some people are tempted to feed bears or allow them to forage on their lawn or landscaping, thinking they are helping the bears. This can be especially true when people see female bears (sows) with their young (cubs).

The truth is, wildlife don’t need our help, and feeding wildlife can cause more harm than good. Sows that become habituated to human food may teach that behavior to their cubs, leading the cubs to grow up reliant on human food instead of being equipped to survive in the wild. Once black bears know about a non-natural food source, they keep coming back and can lose their fear of humans.

Never attempt to provide food for black bears or allow them to be comfortable around people — this can lead to problems for both bears and people. (Not to mention, it’s against the law.)

Removing human-provided food sources is the best way to encourage bears to move along and prevent human-black bear conflicts.

Did you know they can smell food from over a mile away? With both temperatures and black bear activity increasing, we’re asking for your help to secure unnatural food sources and reduce potential bear encounters.

WDFW responds to a variety of situations involving black bears every year, and most are due to human-provided attractants leading to preventable encounters.