Colorado is on pace for its highest-ever year of bear-related reports, with wildlife officials pointing to drought, wildfires and low mountain snowpack as the primary drivers pushing black bears closer to communities across the state — including El Paso County.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts from Jan. 1 through Aug. 13, nearly double the 3,115 reports recorded during the same period last year. That figure has already surpassed the 5,299 reports recorded during all of 2025, and CPW says this year is on pace to be the busiest for bear reports since the agency launched its statewide digital reporting system in 2019.
"Everything's above average this year, to say the least. We have seen statewide a 28% increase in calls on August 13th of this year compared to the same date last year. We are already at more than 6,000 total reports to CPW offices around the state this year," said CPW Public Information Officer John Livingston.
CPW attributes part of the surge to hyperphagia, a period in late summer and fall when bears can spend up to 20 hours a day searching for food as they build fat reserves needed to survive winter. Low mountain snowpack, wildfires and drought have reduced natural food sources — including berries, fruits, nuts, plants and grasses — in parts of Colorado. Bears that cannot find enough natural food may travel farther and take greater risks in search of calories, bringing them into neighborhoods where unsecured trash, bird feeders, pet food and dirty grills can provide an easy meal.
"We know trash continues to be the number one attractant that leads to property damage or human-bear conflict in the state, but we also see things all the time, like bird feeders or pet food that's left outside, things like that, also contributing to a lot of conflict. But certainly trash around the state continues to be the leading attractant," Livingston said.
A new Colorado law that strengthens enforcement against people who knowingly leave food or edible waste where it can lure bears took effect Aug. 12. House Bill 26-1342 changes the legal standard from "intentionally" luring bears to "knowingly" placing food or edible waste in the open when there is a reasonable probability it will attract a bear. The law also eliminates the requirement that first-time offenders receive a warning; officers can now issue either a warning or a violation when someone knowingly leaves food or edible waste in circumstances likely to attract a bear. For a third or subsequent offense, the maximum fine increases from $2,000 to $5,000.
Livingston noted that any peace officer in the state of Colorado can enforce the law, and CPW has been working with sheriff's offices around the state. The law does not apply to agricultural activities, and its definition of food or edible waste does not include live animals or food growing in the open before harvest.
CPW notes that nearly half of all bear incidents reported in Colorado in 2025 occurred during August, September and October, making this a particularly important period for residents and visitors to remain bear aware. "Human-bear conflicts are most often traced back to human behavior," CPW said, encouraging residents to follow BearWise practices to help keep bears wild.
CPW has not indicated when it expects to release updated conflict totals for El Paso County specifically, and officials have not said whether any citations have yet been issued under the new law.