Hungry Bears Are Entering Western Homes in Record Numbers—And Peak Feeding Season Is Just Starting

A bear in the hallway sounds like the opening of a wilderness thriller. For residents across the American West this summer, it has become an increasingly real—and increasingly costly—possibility.

Colorado has recorded more than 7,000 bear sightings in 2026, already surpassing its previous full-year record from 2019, according to state data reported by Reuters on August 29. Bears have entered homes, shops and even a fire station as drought and an exceptionally dry winter have reduced the grasses, berries, fruits and nuts that normally make up most of their diet.

The timing raises the stakes. Bears are moving into their most intense feeding period before hibernation, meaning the pressure on neighborhoods, campgrounds and businesses may grow through September and October.

A multi-state record is taking shape

The figures stretch far beyond a few viral encounters:

• Colorado: More than 7,000 sightings in 2026, with at least six reported attacks. State authorities estimate Colorado has 17,000 to 20,000 black bears.
• New Mexico: Officials and landowners have killed 187 bears this year—the highest total since 2011—while wildlife staff have relocated 35 adults and 16 cubs.
• Utah: Authorities have euthanized 39 bears, already a full-year record.
• Montana: Wildlife officials say sightings are too numerous to count in some areas, while grizzlies have moved into places where they had not been seen for decades.

Those numbers describe both a public-safety problem and an animal-welfare crisis. In Colorado, roughly 1.5% to 2% of reported sightings end with a bear being euthanized, Reuters reported. The outcome is most likely when an animal attacks someone, enters a home or becomes dangerously accustomed to people and human food.

Why bears are moving into towns

More than 90% of a black bear’s natural diet consists of plants, including grasses, berries, fruits and nuts. A severely dry season can erase much of that food at the same time that bears’ caloric needs are accelerating.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says bears enter a period called hyperphagia in the fall, feeding as long as 22 hours a day and seeking about 20,000 calories daily to build the reserves needed for hibernation. Their sense of smell can detect food from miles away, and their memory makes a successful raid especially consequential: once a bear finds an easy meal near a house, vehicle or campground, it is likely to return.

Drought is only part of the equation. Housing and development have expanded into traditional foraging areas, while bear populations have recovered in parts of the West. The result is a growing overlap between hungry animals and human attractants—garbage, pet food, birdseed, grills, coolers and food left inside unlocked vehicles.

The most effective response starts before a bear arrives

Wildlife agencies emphasize prevention because a food-conditioned bear can quickly lose its natural caution around people. Colorado officials trace most conflicts to accessible food or trash and warn that habituated bears often must be killed.

Residents in bear country can lower the risk by:

• Using bear-resistant trash containers and fully engaging every latch.
• Keeping garbage indoors overnight and putting it out only on collection morning where local rules advise it.
• Removing bird feeders and securing pet food, livestock feed and compost.
• Cleaning grills and locking vehicle doors and windows, even when no food is visible.
• Reporting concerning bear behavior early, before repeated visits become an entrenched pattern.

For hikers and campers, the National Park Service’s bear-safety guidance recommends learning the rules for the specific park, keeping food and scented items secured, maintaining distance and never running from a bear. Appropriate responses differ between black bears and grizzlies and depend on whether the animal is surprised, defensive or pursuing food, so local guidance matters.

Rare attacks, rising consequences

Fatal bear attacks remain rare. But the surge in encounters increases the number of opportunities for people to be injured and for bears to die. New Mexico recorded its first fatal bear attack in 25 years this month, according to Reuters. Bears have also been killed by vehicles, firearms and other hazards after moving into populated areas.

The core problem is not that bears have suddenly become urban predators. It is that natural food has become scarce while human food remains abundant, concentrated and easy to smell. A secured dumpster or locked vehicle may look like a small precaution. In a record year, it can be the difference between a bear returning to the forest and a conflict that ends badly for everyone.

Featured image is an original illustrative scene. It does not depict a real resident, wildlife officer or documented encounter.