{"id":15589,"date":"2025-11-21T23:10:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/bear-sightings-drop-in-colorados-montezuma-county-one-still-active-in-dolores\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:49:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:49:18","slug":"bear-sightings-drop-in-colorados-montezuma-county-one-still-active-in-dolores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/bear-sightings-drop-in-colorados-montezuma-county-one-still-active-in-dolores\/","title":{"rendered":"Bear sightings drop in Colorado\u2019s Montezuma County; one still active in Dolores"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black
Black bear hangs out in a tree. According to BearWise, bear attacks are very rare, occurring when a bear senses a threat or feels surprised, not because it\u2019s a predatory behavior. (Photo Courtesy of Parks and Wildlife)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Bear activity across Montezuma County has dropped significantly in recent weeks, shifting from the high-conflict period this fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said calls about black bears have declined since mid-October, when state wildlife officials warned that drought, poor food supplies and the hyperphagia feeding period combined to push bears into neighborhoods. Those areas included Dolores, Mancos, Cortez and San Juan National Forest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it has decreased, across the entire county,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n

The timing relates to denning, although male and female bears enter dens at different times, typically between mid-September and late November.<\/p>\n

One bear is still foraging in Dolores trash cans, and Nowlin said he received a call about it Monday evening. No calls or sightings were reported Tuesday or Wednesday morning. He added none of the bears this season have been aggressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like, hurry up and go to bed, will you?\u201d he said. \u201cI am hoping the weather and colder temperatures have nudged this bear to hibernation, but only time will tell. She was just trying to get into a dumpster that was chained.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A black bear is pictured near a Dolores preschool in early November, shown in a Facebook post. Bears enter dens starting mid-September and through late November, per information from Bear Smart Durango, with females and cubs denning before adult males. (Facebook)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

No recent reports have involved livestock, pets, fruit trees or break-ins at homes, he said. The slowdown is noticeable and widespread \u2013 an improvement from earlier in the fall, when deputies were handling several bear calls a week.<\/p>\n

At that same time in mid-October, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported the greatest spike in human-bear interaction since 2017 across Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n

Reports of bear-human incidents in the agency\u2019s coverage zone \u2013 Dolores, Montezuma, La Plata, San Juan and Archuleta counties \u2013 rose sharply. Since October, there has been a 199% increase compared with 2023, with 855 additional reports.<\/p>\n

Across Dolores and Montezuma counties this year through Oct. 17 \u2013 fall being peak bulking season for bears \u2013 the incidents totaled 113.<\/p>\n

Most incidents recorded by CPW \u2013 72 of 113 \u2013 involved food-related property damage, such as bears breaking into trash or sheds and eating from bird feeders or fruit trees on private land. From late summer into fall, bears need about 20,000 calories a day to store fat for winter.<\/p>\n

High-calorie food is needed during bears\u2019 hyperphagia phase, when they feed almost nonstop. Wildlife officials reported a lack of food sources, such as weaker production of chokecherries, berries and oak acorns. Other factors such as drought, fire and prescribed burns also contributed to food shortages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a dry summer and poor natural food production, which pushes bears into towns,\u201d said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson John Livingston in October. Bears are highly intelligent animals, develop skills for survival and have great memories.<\/p>\n

\"A
A black bear in spring 2024 pokes its head out of the dumpster. Per Bear Smart Durango, bears emerge from their dens in spring and forage in areas of lower elevation, seeking fresh vegetation. Colorado Parks and Wildlife)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In Dolores, residents must adhere to a town ordinance requiring bear locks on all residential and commercial containers. However, unsecured trash remains the main driver of human-bear contact. Nowlin says recent improvements to trash practices have helped reduce those contacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it has been better, and that helps a lot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A mountain lion has been spotted roaming the Dolores canyons and rock cliffs. Nowlin said several are following deer herds as they migrate to lower elevations. This helps reduce deer-related crashes somewhat.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur drivers are the ones reducing deer populations because of daily crashes with these animals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Nowlin said, if you are out driving, jogging, hiking or biking, be aware of your surroundings.<\/p>\n

\n

Tips to stay safe <\/h4>\n

CPW encourages people to call the agency if they spot a bear. After 5 p.m., emergencies are routed to county dispatch. If a bear gets into your home, immediately dial 911. If you encounter a bear, don\u2019t approach. Stop, give it space, make yourself look big, shouting \u201cHey, bear!\u201d \u2013 but ensure it has an escape route. If the animal lingers, toss pine cones or small rocks to haze it away without harm. Around homes and schools, use loud noises \u2013 clapping, banging pots or air horns \u2013 to keep bears from getting comfortable. Learn warning signs: grunts, jaw-popping or teeth-clicking may mean you\u2019re too close and need to back off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sheriff says activities have reduced as most bears enter dens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15589"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19737,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15589\/revisions\/19737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15589"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}