With summer drawing to a close, black bear sightings in Estes Park are increasing as the animals fatten up for winter. Known as hyperphagia, this is a period of intense, almost nonstop eating. It is not uncommon for a bear to spend 20 hours a day trying to eat more than 20,000 calories.

Almost daily, postings on local social media platforms show images of garbage dumpsters toppled by bears at area restaurants or pictures of a bear scampering across a residential neighborhood in broad daylight.

According to Susan Wolf, Bears Are Us, an Estes Park advocacy and educational group, was formed in 2012 in response to the killing of a mother bear and her two cubs by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in October 2011. 

“Unfortunately, bears that break into homes or lodges are often killed and are not released back into the wild,” said Wolf, one of the group’s founders.

“And a number of other adult bears have been euthanized due to the refusal of residents to remove bird feeders. Bird feeders allow bears to get used to our neighborhoods, resulting in bears breaking into homes and lodges.”

The human-wildlife interface poses safety and management problems for bears, residents, visitors, and authorities.

Nine years ago, Colorado Parks and Wildlife euthanized a small, blond black bear after being caught in a live trap. Three years earlier, in a highly publicized incident, a 20-pound bear cub was shot in the stomach by someone. The cub suffered for days and then died by a creek with its mother screaming for it.

The wildlife advocacy group raised $6,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.

Two black bears were shot and killed by a poacher in 2017 near Aspen Avenue. A 2018 video captured a bear strolling through the lobby of the Stanley Hotel. And reports of bears breaking into cars and entering houses, including one where a bear smashed through a wall “like the Kool-Aid Man,” are both true and part of local lore.

Last week, a resident of the Black Canyon neighborhood shared a photo of a bear that boldly came up on his deck and attempted to enter an open sliding door.

According to CPW, the state agency that manages wildlife and oversees outdoor recreation in Colorado, there are 17,000 to 20,000 bears in Colorado. In 2024, the agency euthanized 98 bears, an increase from 63 bears in 2023, and Larimer County ranks sixth in reports of human-bear conflicts.

Bear conflicts and euthanization are most often due to human behavior. When a bear becomes a habitual problem, CPW may have no choice but to kill it. If a bear is habituated to seeking food from human sources, removing the bear can transfer the problem to a new location rather than solve the problem. “The public needs to do their part to prevent bear deaths,” said Wolf.

After Bears Are Us was formed, the group petitioned the Town to create the Bear Education Task Force to educate the public about coexisting with bears and preventing future bear deaths, said Wolf.

Task force members included people from Bears Are Us, CPW,  Rocky Mountain National Park, Visit Estes Park, League of Women Voters of Estes Park, Estes Park Police Department, Estes Valley Library, Waste Management, commercial establishments representing the lodging industry, a Town Trustee, and the Town’s public information officer.

The group helped to write the Town’s wildlife ordinance to keep bears wild and people safe. Some 90 restaurants, lodges, and businesses were visited. Approximately 70 signed the “Bear Responsible Business Pledge” to bear-proof their dumpsters, and many put a sticker stating “We’re Doing Our Part to Keep Bears Wild” in their business windows.

Nick Mollé produced a 5-minute video, “You’re in Bear Country, Estes Park, CO,” to educate locals and visitors about the area’s black bears.

In 2014, the Town of Estes Park, the League of Women Voters of Estes Park, and the Community Recycling Committee partnered to purchase and install 24 bear-resistant trash/recycling containers in downtown Estes. The Estes Valley Recreation and Parks District installed 15 bear-resistant trash containers, and Waste Management provided bear-resistant lids for commercial dumpsters. 

These efforts inspired individuals, organizations, and businesses to donate bear-resistant trash containers elsewhere in town. Each receptacle has a plaque stating the donor’s name. 

In 2016, Mayor Bill Pinkham and the Town Board of Trustees proclaimed April “Estes Cares About Bears” month, and Jerri Paulson of Moosely T’s and Sports designed the “Estes Cares About Bears – Stash Your Trash” t-shirt with help from the Bear Education Task Force. The proceeds were donated for bear-resistant trash-recycling containers.

The community, including business owners, residents, and tourists, came together to “keep bears wild and people,” said Wolf. She hopes the community can rally again to step up an education campaign to encourage people not to feed birds with seed or sugar water when bears are out of hibernation. 

“Our wildlife ordinance clearly states that if bird feeders are put up, they must be inaccessible to bears. Bears can smell food from miles away. It is an attractant along with trash that allows bears into our neighborhoods and commercial establishments,” she said.

She also hopes that the Town Board does not take any action to weaken the Town’s wildlife ordinance. She wants to see the ordinance enforced and for violators to be fined. “This has to be a community-wide effort. It takes all of us to save the life of a bear and to keep people safe.”

Tips from CPW for bearproofing your home

  • Keep garbage in a well-secured location.
  • Only put out garbage on the morning of pickup.
  • Clean garbage cans regularly to keep them free of food odors: ammonia is effective.
  • Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
  • Don’t leave pet food or stock feed outside.
  • Bird feeders are a significant source of bear/human conflicts. Attract birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Do not hang bird feeders from April 15 to November 15.
  • Do not attract other wildlife by feeding them, such as deer, turkeys, or small mammals.
  • Don’t allow bears to become comfortable around your house. If you see one, yell at it, throw things at it, and make noise to scare it off.
  • Secure compost piles. Bears are attracted to the scent of rotting food.
  • Clean the grill after each use.
  • Clean up thoroughly after picnics in the yard or on the deck.
  • If you have fruit trees, don’t allow the fruit to rot on the ground.
  • If you keep small livestock, keep them in a fully covered enclosure. If possible, construct electric fencing. Don’t store livestock food outside. Keep enclosures clean to minimize odors. Hang rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol around the enclosure.
  • If you have beehives, install electric fencing where allowed.
  • Talk to your neighbors and kids about being bear aware.
  • Keep garage doors closed.

Cars, traveling, and campsites:

  • Lock your doors when you’re away from home and at night.
  • Keep the bottom floor windows of your house closed when you’re not at home.
  • Do not keep food in your vehicle; roll up windows and lock the doors of your vehicles.
  • When car-camping, secure all food and coolers in a locked vehicle.
  • Keep a clean camp, whether you’re in a campground or in the backcountry.
  • When camping in the backcountry, hang food 100 feet or more from the campsite
  • Don’t bring any food into your tent.
  • Cook food well away from your tent and wash dishes thoroughly.


Click here for more information about living with bears in Colorado. In the Estes Valley, if you have questions or need to report bear problems, call the Fort Collins office of CPW, 970-472-4300.