Bear sightings are being reported along the foothills between Carson City and Caughlin Ranch. Officials with the Nevada Department of Wildlife say the biggest reason is because bears are looking for food to add a layer of fat before they hibernate for the winter.
"This time of the year, all along the Carson Range, we're going to be getting these calls," Ashley Sanchez, Public Information Officer for NDOW said. "That's not abnormal. That happens this time of year."
While there have been multiple sightings in areas like Caughlin Ranch, South Reno and Carson City, Sanchez says it was likely the same one or two bears. Bears normally eat 3,000-5,000 calories per day, but they hike that up to about 25,000 calories during the fall months.
"They need more calories because mid-November is when they start to den," Sanchez said.
Julie Sanders has lived in the Thomas Creek area for 14 years. She knows first-hand that bears occasionally show up in her neighborhood, but mostly when the temperatures start to drop.
"In the fall, they come down for the fruit,' Sanders said. "They come down the ditch and sometimes they wander out into areas that they shouldn't be in."
Sanders had a close encounter with a black bear about five years ago when it wandered into her yard looking for food.
"I saw the bear jumping over the back fence," Sanders said. "He had been in the garbage, eating watermelon and salmon."
Sanders says that is the only time her garbage can became a source of food, saying they normally come down for the fruit trees. She has not seen any bears this year, but she knows at least one has made its way into the neighborhood.
"Down the street, there was a large pile of scat in the street, so I know that a bear had been in the neighborhood," Sanders said.
Anyone living on the edge of town, near the wilderness is encouraged to take precautions to keep bears away. That could mean securing your trash, cleaning up fruit trees, putting away bird feeders and keeping small livestock like chickens in a safe area.
"Anything any other animal can eat, bears can eat, too," Sanchez said. "If you see a bear, yell. The big thing you want to do is make sure they don't feel welcome because that keeps them away."
Sanders says she does her part to keep bears away from her home by picking the apples from her trees, but she does like the idea of bears living nearby.
"We enjoy living out here and this is one of the reasons was because we enjoy the wildlife," Sanders said.
