DURANGO, Colo. – When District Wildlife Manager Luke Clancy checked a bear trap in Hermosa just north of Durango, he found a mature male with scars that told a story. He was happy to find the bear didn’t have ear tags indicating previous conflict. But when he used an electronic reader to check for a PIT tag, he heard a beep that took Colorado Parks and Wildlife down a path of discovery.
When the scan for a PIT tag revealed the bear had previously been handled by CPW and tagged, he immediately sought answers about the agency’s previous handling of the bear. After working with his area managers, the bear’s tag number was sent to Mark Vieira, CPW’s Carnivore and Furbearer Program Manager who has a database of CPW’s PIT-tagged bears. Despite preparing and traveling across the state from Denver to Ignacio for a Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting, Vieira came through with a quick and surprising response.
The bear had previously been part of the Durango bear study conducted between 2010-16 by researcher Heather Johnson. More than 600 bears had been handled by the CPW research team during that study, including the old male inside the trap in Hermosa.
“When I picked up the bear trap, I looked inside to make sure the bear was in good condition before I transported it to our Durango office,” Clancy said. “I shined my flashlight into the dark trap and immediately saw a large boar with a distinctive scar cutting through the bear’s nose from top to bottom. The scar was clearly very old and was accompanied by many others, indicating a long life in the wild. When I scanned the bear for a PIT tag and it came back with a positive reading, I assumed the worst. Many times this indicates that the bear had been relocated because it had become a nuisance at some point in the past.
“However, when I entered the number into our short-term database, I was happy to see that there was no record of the bear being a nuisance in the past. It was great to find out that the bear had been part of the research project conducted back in 2012, and to think back to all of the years this bear spent around the Durango area without coming into conflict with humans. This was a good bear that has only resorted to looking to human-provided food sources on the worst of natural food failure years. I am relieved and encouraged to know that this bear will get another chance to stay wild far away from Durango.”
CPW had not handled the bear since 2012, nearly 14 years to the same date of when it was trapped again in Hermosa on July 14. Back in 2012, it was not tagged for being involved in conflict, but was eartagged and PIT tagged to indicate it had been handled as part of the research study. After the researchers collected data on the bear’s age, body condition and weight, it was released. CPW never saw it again until last week, when it was trapped and relocated away from the area in which it was suddenly repeatedly getting into trash.
The ear tag was missing, as the bear’s ears had been ripped off from fights with other bears, but the PIT tag gave CPW the information needed.
“So cool that even these males can live so long in a hunted population,” Johnson said when CPW reached out with news of the bear. “I’ve heard that it will be a bad bear year with the natural food scarcity, so I would expect lots of bears that generally behave well – and don’t get caught for nuisance behavior in 14 years – to get into trouble this year. Glad this one is getting a chance to keep behaving well in a different place.”
When the bear was first handled in 2012, it was estimated at roughly 6 years old and at 240 pounds. Today, that would make the bear roughly 20 years old, and wildlife officers estimated it at 350 pounds, a healthy weight for a mature male black bear that doesn’t make human-provided food sources a staple of its diet.
The age of the bear was impressive. While surviving in a hunted population and on the edge of a mountain town known for high levels of human-bear conflict, the bear had surpassed the average lifespan of 18 for a wild black bear.
Later that day, the bear was relocated to quality bear habitat east of Durango. District Wildlife Manager Nate Martinez released it and watched the healthy bear briskly disappear into the forest. Martinez noted the multiple scars, ripped apart ears and damage the bear has incurred and survived during his past 20+ years in the wild.
“He had numerous battle scars with a very deep old wound that split his nose cartilage in half,” Martinez said. “Hopefully he’ll get a couple more good years around his new home, but he may need to find some natural smoothies once his last few remaining teeth fall out.”
Wildlife officers from Area 15 – covered by the Durango area office – have strong success in relocating bears and never seeing them return through human-bear conflict, roadkill or hunter harvest. That has come from decades of institutional knowledge and a rich tradition of passing that down to the next generation.
Clancy, who was born and raised in Durango and previously served as Durango’s bear education intern among other previous roles with CPW, said 2026 is the worst year of human-bear conflict he has observed. The summer of 2025 produced spotty natural food conditions for bears, at best. That was coupled with a winter of historic low snowpack across the state and especially low snow levels in southwest Colorado.
Because of the unseasonably warm February and March, trees and bushes started to develop buds and leaves early in 2026. Trees at higher elevations still experienced colder temperatures and did not bud as early. But everything below 7,500 feet suffered the effects of the freeze. That has left trees, bushes and the entire landscape surrounding Durango barren.
“Usually when chokecherries or service berries don’t come in, you still get acorns. Or when the acorns don’t come in, you still see hawthorns or chokecherries out there,” Clancy said. “This year, not only do we have an extreme drought, but we also had a late freeze in May that has led to a total food failure below 8,000 feet.”
Johnson’s research showed that many black bears that inhabit forested areas on the outskirts of Durango never venture into developed human spaces during good food years. But during food failures, the same bears will venture to lower elevations and into town to access human-provided food sources, including trash, bird seed, hobby livestock, pet and livestock feed, fruit trees, apiaries and any other food humans all too often make available in bear country.
“From our study, we learned that bears often use human-provided food as a source of subsidy when natural foods are not available,” said Johnson, now the Boone and Crockett Chair of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Montana.
The CPW office in Durango had already received more than 300 reports of bears in La Plata County alone by July 15, and more than 200 for food-related property damage. Six bears had been relocated out of the county, with seven euthanized for gaining access into occupied homes. Multiple orphaned cubs have also been taken to CPW’s Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility.
The numbers are alarming, as the majority of bear calls come to CPW in the months of August, September and October as bears enter hyperphagia and try to consume as many as 20,000 calories a day and stay awake as many as 20 hours a day in pursuit of food before torpor and denning.
“We really need people to do their part this year,” Clancy said. “If people are ever going to listen to us on securing trash, taking down bird feeders, securing livestock with electric materials and doing all the right things that we know help reduce conflict, we need it to be this year. It’s already been a really hard year, and it’s going to be a long couple of months if humans don’t help do their part.”
Home entries by bears are happening at an alarming rate to go with bears breaking into garages and sheds, campers and the usual unsecured trash.
CPW asks the public for early reporting in an attempt to get ahead of conflict before a trap ever needs to be set. Fewer than 2% of calls to CPW have led to bears being trapped and relocated or euthanized, yet the public is still reluctant to call CPW based on management myths.
The sooner CPW is informed of conflict, the more likely the agency will be able to intervene and address the human side of human-bear conflict and potentially utilize hazing methods to alter bear behavior and encourage them to avoid human-occupied spaces.
“This bear is a prime example of the unfortunate reality we face this year,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta. “Even older, mature bears that have not been involved in any conflict and have stayed away for years are showing up. And when we are dealing with conflict in specific areas, it’s often not just one or two bears involved, there are several of them all in the same area. Our best chance at addressing conflict in a way that is beneficial for both bears and people is to get early reports. When we get calls only after a bear has entered a home or multiple homes, our management options become limited. When we get sighting reports or early notice of bears accessing trash or other attractants, it gives us more time to implement a wider range of tools in our toolbox and collaboratively work with our partners in the city and county to properly respond to the community-wide challenge.”
Live BearWise®. Keep bears wild.
As a member of BearWise®, CPW encourages everyone to share BearWise® information with their neighbors and communities to help prevent conflicts with bears. CPW asks all residents and visitors to help save Colorado’s bears by being actively bear prepared throughout the year. Human-bear conflicts are most often traced back to human behavior. Living BearWise® is the most effective way to prevent human-caused conflicts with bears.
Six At-Home BearWise® Basics
- Never Feed or Approach Bears – Intentionally feeding bears or allowing them to find anything that smells or tastes like food teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more. Bears will defend themselves if a person gets too close, so don’t risk your safety and theirs!
- Secure Food, Garbage and Recycling – Food and food odors attract bears, so don’t reward them with easily available food, liquids or garbage.
- Remove Bird Feeders When Bears Are Active – Birdseed and grains have lots of calories, so they’re very attractive to bears. Removing feeders is the best way to avoid creating conflicts with bears.
- Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors – Feed pets indoors when possible. If you must feed pets outside, feed in single portions and remove food and bowls after feeding. Store pet food where bears can’t see or smell it.
- Clean & Store Grills – Clean grills after each use and make sure that all grease, fat and food particles are removed. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out.
- Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity – See bears in the area or evidence of bear activity? Tell your neighbors and share information on how to prevent conflicts with bears. Bears have adapted to living near people; now it’s up to us to adapt to living near bears.
Six Outdoor BearWise® Basics
- Stay Alert & Stay Together – Pay attention to your surroundings and stay together. Walk, hike, jog, or cycle with others when possible. Keep kids within sight and close by. Leave earbuds at home and make noise periodically so bears can avoid you.
- Leave No Trash or Food Scraps – Double bag your food when hiking and pack out all food and trash. Don’t burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill. Leaving scraps, wrappers, or even “harmless” items like apple cores teaches bears to associate trails and campsites with food.
- Keep Dogs Leashed – Letting dogs chase or bark at bears is asking for trouble; don’t force a bear to defend itself. Keep your dogs leashed at all times or leave them at home.
- Camp Safely – Set up camp away from dense cover and natural food sources. Cook as far from your tent as possible. Do not store food, trash, clothes worn when cooking, or toiletries in your tent. Store in approved bear-resistant containers OR out of sight in locked vehicle OR suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from any part of the tree. Local regulations vary.
- Know What To Do If You See a Black Bear – If you see a bear before it notices you, don’t approach. Stand still, enjoy, then quietly move away. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Never run; running may trigger a chase response. If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell “Hey Bear” until it leaves. Stay with your group. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray. If a black bear makes contact with you, do NOT play dead; fight back aggressively.
- Carry Bear Spray & Know How To Use It – Bear spray is proven to be the easiest and most effective way to deter a bear that threatens you. It doesn’t work like bug repellent, so never spray your tent, campsite or belongings.
For more information on bears in Colorado, visit cpw.state.co.us/living-bears. If you have questions or need to report bear problems, call your nearest CPW office.
Written by John Livingston. John is the Southwest region public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
