Bears have been hibernating during the winter months, but when spring and warmer weather come around, the bears start to emerge.

Bears hibernate every winter because there is no natural sustenance during the cold months, so naturally when spring comes around the bears are hungry.

For black bears, 85% of their diet is vegetation.

Becca Carniello, the Game Biologist for Nevada Department of Wildlife explains the bears anatomy during hibernation “Everything slows down, their heart rate, their breathing, so they’re not expending as many calories, so they save all those calories and then they come out ready for the spring.”

This is also when the female bears give birth, and because of this even more bears come out during the spring.

Black bears look for fresh grasses to graze on so even bears in the higher elevations will come down to the lower elevations for more vegetation to eat.

Bears are also a key piece to a thriving environment.

Carniello explains “Bears are going to clean up all the carcasses that have died over the winter, and they’re going to return those nutrients back to the soil faster than if they were just decomposing right out in the open. Bears also, when they’re searching for insects, are really great protein source for them.”

While bears may be enjoyable for residents and visitors to see, it is illegal to feed black bears in Nevada and California, so it's best to leave them be.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife says their population estimate for bears in Western Nevada is 600 to 700 bears which is a 5% increase from the past 28 years.

One of the first things you can do for the spring is secure your trash because bears will come for that first.

Carniello says “Really it’s people that are making those food sources easily accessible for bears, so bears are going to take advantage of those food sources. Bears really need a lot of calories throughout their day-to-day life.” 

You can call Waste Management customer service regarding bear containers at (775) 329-8822 or you can contact NDOW's bear hotline at (775) 688-BEAR (2327)