Colorado bear encounters dropped in 2023. Here's why.

The number of conflicts between people and bears reported in Colorado dropped by 15% in 2023 thanks to sufficient natural food sources, state wildlife officials said Monday.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 3,526 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears in 2023, down from 4,147 reports in 2022, the agency said in a news release.

Wildlife officers relocated 33 bears and euthanized 63 bears last year, the lowest number of euthanasias in at least eight years, according to previous reporting.

Colorado is home to an estimated 17,000 — 20,000 bears, and the biggest cause of conflict with humans is still bears trying to access human food and trash.

Approximately 51% of bear encounters reported in Colorado last year resulted in property damage to a shed, garage, home, vehicle or fence, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Of those reports, 92% were linked to some kind of “attractant” like trash, livestock, chickens, beehives, bird seed, pet food, grills, coolers or refrigerators, agency officials said.

“These conflicts could all easily be reduced if the public takes some simple steps around their homes and properties to prevent bears from accessing them,” state officials said in a news release Monday.

Nature also plays a role in the amount of bear activity Coloradans see every year, with drought and late freezes impacting natural food sources and driving them to seek food in more urban areas.

While a late freeze and drought impacted food sources in some areas of the state in 2022, most of the state saw warm enough temperatures and enough precipitation this year to produce enough natural forage for bears.

The northwest region saw the largest decline in bear conflicts, but wildlife officials noted “an unreasonable number” of bears were still reported entering homes, according to the agency.

Reporting bear activity helps wildlife officers intervene early to haze bears and educate the community, which can prevent bears from needing to be euthanized, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a news release.

Colorado counties with the biggest share of bear encounters include Pitkin County with 429 reports, El Paso County with 272 reports, Boulder County with 270 reports and Jefferson County with 200 reports.