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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — It’s that time of year again! Bears are coming out of hibernation. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said bear activity has been spotted at Roxborough State Park.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

So, what do you need to do to be “Bear Aware”?

Here are some tips from CPW:

  • Keep garages, windows and cars locked at night. Install extra sturdy doors if you have a refrigerator, pet food, bird seed or other attractants in your garage.
  • Don’t leave trash out overnight unless you have bear-proof receptacles. Bears have an extremely strong sense of smell (they can follow scents from up to five miles away) and will easily get into trash if they are able to.
  • Teach bears they are not welcome. If a bear approaches your home or yard, yell, clap your hands, bang pots or pans or use an airhorn to scare it away (from a safe distance of course).
  • CPW recommends only using bird feeders when bears aren’t active. However, if you would like to use bird feeders year-round, CPW recommends keeping them at least 10 feet in the air and at least 10 feet away from anything that a bear could climb to reach it.