The bears have woken up from hibernation and that means you will need to be vigilante in order to avoid having a surprise guest in your yard .
Northern Bear Awareness Society President, Nicole Botten told MyPGNow.com any attractants that could lead to an unwanted visit or mess should be put away.
“It is time for people to start thinking about if they haven’t already, securing away garbage and putting away bird feeders after feeding birds over the winter.”
“The best thing to do is not put any garbage outside and possibly refrain from putting garbage in your can and it is possible if you are recycling lots. One of our favourites is to take chicken bones and other meats and out them in a Ziploc bag and into a freezer and then putting it out on garbage day puts down the odours a lot.”
Botten added for those storing their garbage, having something that is “near bear-proof” will help immensely.
“Having a good ratchet strap (on your garbage bin) does the trick – its not bear proof or bear resistant but it will deter them to some extinct if there is something more interesting around. However, really, if bears are determined they will certainly get into it and you might find your garbage can down the road aways.”
She also mentioned it has taken a couple years for natural food sources to be replenished due to wildfires and other related events.
“While we did have a high amount of extreme bear activity in 2023 followed by a big drop in 2024, for various reasons, part of which was that 80 bears were killed in Prince George in 2023. There were fewer around but last year there was much more available food for them.”
Additional tips include putting away bird feeders and any other attractants that might lure a bear into your yard.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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