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NJDEP ADVISES TO BE AWARE OF BLACK BEARS AND TAKE STEPS TO REDUCE ENCOUNTERS AS BEARS LEAVE DENS

March 26, 2025 - (25/P13) TRENTON – With black bears emerging from winter dens and foraging for food, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection advises residents and outdoor enthusiasts to reduce the potential for black bear encounters by removing access to unnatural food sources, such as unsecured trash, that can attract and cause unwanted encounters with bears.

“Bears are actively searching for food in early spring as they leave their dens and have an extremely keen sense of smell that allows them to identify food sources over long distances,” said NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden. “It’s important to secure your garbage and other potential food sources as the smell can draw them into neighborhoods looking for an easy meal. The risk of an unwanted encounter rises if bears associate you or your property with food.”

It is essential to remove and properly secure trash, pet food, bird seed, and even small livestock. Bears that have access to these food sources will learn to associate food with people and their homes. This can lead bears to regularly forage in neighborhoods and approach humans, potentially resulting in property damage or unwanted encounters with people. The use of bear-resistant trash receptacles can help deter bears. Last year, the DEP purchased and distributed approximately 2,900 bear-resistant trash cans to residents of Hampton, Jefferson, Sparta, Rockaway, West Milford and Sparta as part of a pilot demonstration project.

It is also critically important to never feed black bears. Intentionally feeding bears is illegal in New Jersey and carries a fine of up to $1,000. It is extremely unsafe and may result in bears becoming aggressive.

Bears and the Search for Food

Most of New Jersey’s black bears live in the northwest portion of the state, particularly Morris, Sussex, Warren and northern Passaic counties, in addition to portions of Hunterdon, Somerset and Bergen counties. However, black bears have been sighted in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

Black bears are not true hibernators. During the winter, they enter a state of winter dormancy called torpor. Over the winter, they den in ground nests, excavation sites, brush piles, hollow trees, rock cavities and sometimes beneath houses and other buildings. They may leave dens periodically to forage during warmer periods of the winter.

However, they mostly live off their body fat, which is metabolized to produce the calories and water that they need to survive. They generally lose about 20 percent of their body fat while denning. When they emerge in the early spring, black bears must regain their body weight.

Black bears are omnivorous and as opportunistic feeders they will consume whatever food is available. About 75 percent of a black bear’s diet is comprised of plants. They will naturally consume berries, fruit, nuts, insects, bird eggs, small mammals and carrion. When black bears emerge from their winter dens, they will primarily eat newly emergent skunk cabbage, grasses, forbs, tubers, bulbs and insects. They may also feed on carrion, such as white-tailed deer carcasses.

Black bears have a remarkable sense of smell and are able to detect scents at more than two miles away from a food source. Their excellent sense of smell is what sometimes leads them on a search for food in residential neighborhoods and campgrounds. Carefully controlling these sources of food and associated odors can help prevent black bears from being attracted to people’s property and teaching them to associate people with food.

Know the Bear Facts

NJDEP Fish & Wildlife continues to use its Know the Bear Facts outreach campaign to raise awareness of bears and bear safety. The yearly campaign includes public service announcements on social media, streaming services, radio broadcasts and more during periods of peak bear activity in the spring, summer and fall.

Additionally, Know the Bear Facts includes an educational program that is available free of charge to schools, summer camps, campgrounds, nature centers, scouts, hiking clubs, and municipalities. The program includes an interactive presentation on coexisting with bears and bear safety publications for distribution. Request a presentation, safety literature, or staffed black bear education exhibit.

Safety Tips

It is extremely important to be familiar with ways to avoid encounters and how to safely react should an encounter occur. The DEP offers the following tips for property owners to minimize conflicts:

Secure trash and eliminate obvious sources of food such as pet food bowls, easy-to- reach bird feeders, and food residue left on barbecue grills.
Use certified bear-resistant garbage containers if possible. Otherwise, store all garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and place them along the inside walls of your garage, in the basement, a sturdy shed, or other secure area.
Wash garbage containers frequently with a disinfectant solution to remove odors. Put out garbage on collection day, not the night before.
Avoid feeding birds when bears are active. If you choose to feed birds, do so only from Dec. 1 to April 1 during daylight hours and bring feeders indoors at night. Suspend bird feeders from a free-hanging wire, making sure they are at least 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet away from any object a bear could climb, such as a tree. Clean up spilled seeds and shells daily.
Immediately remove all uneaten food and food bowls used by pets fed outdoors. Walk dogs on a leash if you live in bear country and keep them indoors or in a secure kennel at night. More tips on safety with pets.
Clean outdoor grills and utensils to remove food and grease residue. Store grills securely.
Do not place meat, dairy, or sweet foods in compost piles.
Remove fruit or nuts that fall from trees in your yard.
Properly install electric fencing as an effective way to protect crops, beehives, and livestock.
If you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or while hiking or camping, follow these safety tips:

Remain calm. Never run from a bear as this may trigger its predatory instinct. Instead, slowly back away. Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Make sure the bear has an escape route.
To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, using a whistle, banging pots and pans or blowing an air horn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.
Make bears aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands or making other noises. If hiking through bear country, always make your presence known through loud talking or clapping of hands. Hike in a group whenever possible.
If a bear utters a series of huffs, makes popping sounds by snapping its jaws or swats the ground, these are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away and avoid direct eye contact. Do not run.
If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. This is usually non-threatening behavior.
Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, slowly back away and do not run.
If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area such as a vehicle or a building.
Families who live in areas frequented by black bears should have a “Bear Plan” in place for children, with an escape route and planned use of whistles and air horns.
Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear attacks, fight back.
Report black bear damage or aggressive bears to your local police department or to NJDEP Fish & Wildlife by calling 1-(877) WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337).

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