State Issues Bear Advisory

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Monday was reminding residents to "take steps to reduce encounters and potential conflicts" with black bears.

Connecticut’s bear population has continued to grow and expand and bear activity increases in early spring, DEEP officials said.

In 2016, approximately 6,700 bear sightings from 134 of Connecticut’s 169 towns were reported to the DEEP Wildlife Division.

“If you genuinely care about bears, you should never feed them – either intentionally or unintentionally,” DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen said. “Bears become habituated, losing their fear of humans, when attracted to homes by easily-accessible food sources. Such bears spend more time in neighborhoods and near people, increasing public safety fears, and the likelihood that the bears may be hit and killed by cars or meet with some other misfortune.”

Connecticut residents should take the following simple steps to avoid problems with black bears:

1. NEVER feed bears.

2. Take down, clean, and put away birdfeeders by late March. Store the feeders until late fall. Clean up spilled seed from the ground.

3. Store garbage in secure, airtight containers inside a garage or storage area. Double bagging and adding ammonia to cans and bags will reduce odors that attract bears. Periodically clean garbage cans with ammonia to reduce residual odor. Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before.

4. Protect beehives, livestock (including chickens), and berry bushes from bears with electric fencing.

5. Supervise dogs at all times when outside. Keep dogs on a leash when walking and hiking. A roaming dog might be perceived as a threat to a bear or its cubs.

6. Do not leave pet food outdoors.

7. Keep barbecue grills clean. Store grills inside a garage or shed.

8. Avoid placing meat scraps or sweet foods in compost piles.

DEEP officials said anyone who might encounter a bear while hiking should make his or her presence known by yelling or making other loud noises.

Never attempt to get closer to a bear to take a photo or video, DEEP Officials said. .

If a bear does not retreat, slowly leave the area and find an alternate hiking route. If the bear persistently approaches, be offensive towards the bear – make loud noises, wave your arms, and throw sticks or rocks, accordingto DSEEP officials.

Never run, environmental officials saod.

While camping, keep a clean campsite, and make sure food and garbage are inaccessible (for example, keep food in a cooler stored in the trunk of a car and never have food in your tent).

In the rare instance when a bear appears to be aggressive toward people, residents should immediately contact the DEEP’s 24-hour dispatch line at 860-424-3333.

Bear sightings reported by the public provide valuable information to assist the DEEP Wildlife Division in monitoring the black bear population, officials said.

Anyone who observes a black bear in Connecticut is encouraged to report the sighting on the DEEP’s website at www.ct.gov/deep/wildlife or call the Wildlife Division at 860-424-3011.

Information on the presence or absence of ear tags, including tag color and numbers, is particularly valuable, officials said.

A common misconception is that a tagged bear is a problem bear, and a bear with two ear tags was caught on two different occasions because it was causing problems. Actually, every bear receives two ear tags (one in each ear) the first time it is handled by DEEP. Most tagged bears have not been caught as problem bears, but rather as part of a project researching the state’s population, officials said.

To obtain fact sheets and other information about black bears, visit the DEEP’s website at www.ct.gov/deep/blackbear or contact the Wildlife Division.

Avon and Farmington continue to lead the pack in terms of black bear sightings on Connecticut, according to the latest statistics released by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

They have held onto the top two spots for some time.

But what about the other towns in Connecticut? Some towns have a lot of reported sightings, some just a few. Some municipalities do not have any recorded sightings.

DEEP officials have released an updated bear sightings chart. The new statistics are through March 6. Check out the DEEP's chart on bear sightings by town:

Black Bear Sightings in Connecticut

Town-by-Town Sightings from April 25, 2016 to April 18, 2017:

• Andover 2
• Ashford 11
• Avon 562
• Barkhamsted 155
• Beacon Falls 4
• Berlin 86
• Bethany 2
• Bethel 17
• Bethlehem 23
• Bloomfield 111
• Bolton 4
• Branford 49
• Bridgewater 18
• Bristol 88
• Brookfield 71
• Brooklyn 3
• Burlington 253
• Canaan 41
• Canterbury 1
• Canton 246
• Chaplin 5
• Cheshire 5
• Clinton 2
• Colchester 9
• Colebrook 16
• Columbia 1
• Cornwall 47
• Coventry 5
• Danbury 48
• Derby 3
• Durham 1
• East Granby 51
• East Haddam 2
• East Hampton 1
• East Hartford 1
• East Haven 12
• East Windsor 4
• Eastford 2
• Easton 20
• Ellington 36
• Enfield 24
• Fairfield 4
• Farmington 462
• Glastonbury 27
• Goshen 66
• Granby 126
• Griswold 2
• Guilford 51
• Haddam 1
• Hamden 6
• Hartford 8
• Hartland 25
• Harwinton 47
• Hebron 16
• Kent 62
• Killingly 1
• Killingworth 1
• Lebanon 1
• Lisbon 1
• Litchfield 75
• Madison 1
• Manchester 20
• Marlborough 25
• Meriden 17
• Middlebury 114
• Middlefield 2
• Middletown 2
• Milford 1
• Monroe 33
• Montville 1
• Morris 13
• Naugatuck 22
• New Britain 15
• New Canaan 1
• New Fairfield 56
• New Hartford 89
• New Haven 9
• New Milford 231
• Newington 1
• Newtown 103
• Norfolk 45
• North Branford 4
• North Canaan 14
• North Haven 1
• Norwalk 4
• Old Lyme 1
• Oxford 114
• Plainfield 1
• Plainville 34
• Plymouth 30
• Pomfret 4
• Portland 1
• Preston 2
• Prospect 2
• Putnam 1
• Redding 58
• Ridgefield 8
• Roxbury 74
• Salisbury 82
• Seymour 22
• Sharon 42
• Sherman 60
• Simsbury 261
• Somers 24
• Southbury 283
• Southington 96
• Stafford 67
• Stamford 9
• Stratford 1
• Suffield 44
• Thomaston 39
• Thompson 6
• Tolland 87
• Torrington 175
• Trumbull 2
• Union 9
• Vernon 40
• Wallingford 11
• Warren 31
• Washington 64
• Waterbury 22
• Watertown 48
• West Hartford 236
• Westbrook 1
• Weston 10
• Willington 34
• Wilton 29
• Winchester 119
• Windsor 101
• Windsor Locks 11
• Wolcott 35
• Woodbridge 1
• Woodbury 145
• Woodstock 9

Click Photo Credit: Paul Fusco/CT DEEP