Living with Black Bears

Whether we like it or not, we share our little part of nature with Black Bears. Here in the Southern Appalachians, bear encounters are becoming increasingly common as people and wildlife share more of the same habitat.

The good news? With a few simple changes, we can continue enjoying our backyard birds while helping keep bears and people safe.

Why Are We Seeing More Bears?

Black Bear populations have rebounded across much of North America, while development continues to expand into traditionally forested areas. As homes, roads and businesses move farther into bear habitat, encounters naturally become more common.

Bears are intelligent, curious animals with an exceptional sense of smell, and they quickly remember where they've found an easy meal. Bird seed, suet, pet food, garbage, compost and even a dirty barbecue can all attract a hungry bear.

Bear-Smart Bird Feeding

🌶️ Consider hot pepper bird foods.
Try hot pepper suet, seed, cylinders or dough, including Fiery Feast and SunFire Chips. Birds aren't affected by capsaicin — the compound that makes peppers hot — but mammals are. Hot pepper foods may help discourage bears and other mammals from visiting feeders.

🌙 Bring feeders in at night.
Take feeders down before dusk and put them back out after dawn. Setting a daily reminder on your phone can make this much easier to remember.

🥜 Don't put out more food than birds can eat in a day.
Less leftover food means less opportunity for bears to discover an easy food source.

🐾 Never leave pet food outdoors.
Pet food can be just as tempting to a bear as bird seed.

🔥 Keep grills and barbecues clean.
Grease and food residue can attract bears from surprisingly long distances.

🍂 Manage compost carefully.
Avoid adding meat, bones, grease or other animal products, and maintain your compost properly to minimize odors.

🐻 If a bear discovers your feeders, take a break.
Remove feeders and all bird food for several days or longer if the bear continues returning. Bears often revisit places where they've successfully found food, so removing the reward can encourage them to move along.

Remember: A Fed Bear Is a Returning Bear
The goal isn't to fear bears, it's to avoid teaching them that our yards are reliable places to find food. By making a few adjustments to our feeding habits, we can enjoy the birds while being good neighbors to the wildlife that shares our community.

Here at Wild Birds Unlimited, we are committed to safe bird feeding as well as being bear aware in all aspects of our living and bird and wildlife watching activities.