If there’s anything we have learned from Yogi The Bear, it’s that they enjoy human comforts.
About half of the California bear population can be found here in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on trash day it can feel like all of California’s bears live here in Truckee. However, our trash is not the only thing bears are getting into as we have been receiving reports of residents finding bears attempting to den under or around their houses and building structures.
Typically, bears begin to den between mid-November and December. While wild bears normally look for natural dens, the average Truckee bear has learned to adapt to the placement of our homes here in the Tahoe Nation Forest and has learned about our cozier replacements to their once natural den selection, especially:
- Outbuildings
- Porches, decks and crawl spaces
- Vacation homes
- Campers and RVs
Bears will often look for easy entry routes, like vents and doors, that they can rip open to gain access. They can fit in very small openings meaning that if a bear can get its head inside, the rest of the bear can follow.
So we looked around for some tips on how to best secure your property and came upon this very informative video from The California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Enjoy!
