Seeing a black bear in your yard is startling. If you live in Prospect Park or anywhere in North Jersey, it helps to know why bears wander onto residential properties and what you can do about it. EcoFusion doesn't handle bears. That's a job for wildlife officials. What you control is your yard: the trash, bird seed, grills and pet food that draw bears, raccoons and other animals in. This guide covers what attracts bears, how to remove those attractants and how to stay safe if you see one. If smaller animals are getting into your trash or under your deck, our wildlife removal team can help with that side of the problem.
What Black Bears Are Looking For
The American black bear is the only bear species in New Jersey. Black bears spend much of the year looking for food, and they have an excellent sense of smell. Their natural diet is mostly plants, nuts, berries and insects, but they'll take an easy meal wherever they find one.
A bear that finds food near a house once is likely to come back. Over time, bears that keep getting rewarded around homes can lose their natural wariness of people. That's when they become a real problem, for you and for the bear.
What Draws Bears To Your Yard
Almost every bear visit to a home comes back to food or food smells. The usual attractants are:
- Trash. Garbage cans left outside overnight, especially with food scraps or greasy packaging.
- Bird feeders. Seed and suet are high-calorie and easy to reach. Spilled seed on the ground draws other animals too.
- Grills. Grease and food residue on grates and in drip trays carry a strong smell.
- Pet food. Bowls and bags left on porches, decks or in unlocked sheds.
- Compost. Meat, fish, dairy and fruit scraps in an open pile or bin.
Are Black Bears Dangerous?
Black bears are generally shy and usually avoid people. Most will leave if they notice you. Still, a bear is a large, strong wild animal, and any bear can be dangerous if it feels cornered, is surprised at close range or is protecting cubs or food. Signs a bear is stressed include huffing, snapping its jaws and swatting the ground. Give it more space right away.
The bigger day-to-day issue is property damage. Bears can knock over or tear open trash cans, pull down feeders, damage grills and break into sheds or garages where food is stored.
How To Remove Attractants
You can't control where a bear walks, but you can make sure your yard has nothing worth stopping for.
- Secure your trash. Keep cans in a garage or sturdy shed, or use bear-resistant containers. Put trash out the morning of pickup, not the night before. Rinse cans to cut down on odors.
- Take down bird feeders. Bring them in when bears are active, and clean up spilled seed under them.
- Clean the grill. Burn off residue after cooking, empty the grease trap and store the grill in a garage or shed if you can.
- Feed pets indoors. Don't leave bowls or bags of pet food outside.
- Manage compost. Keep meat, fish and dairy out of it, and use a closed bin.
- Never feed a bear. Not on purpose and not by accident. A fed bear is likely to return and become bolder.
The same steps also cut down on raccoons, rats and other animals that raid trash and feeders. Our guides on rats and bird feeders and keeping raccoons away go into more detail.
What To Do If You See A Bear
Stay calm. Never approach a bear, and never try to get closer for a photo.
- From inside: Stay in, keep pets and kids in, and let the bear move on.
- Outside, at a distance: Make noise. Speak firmly, clap or bang a pot so the bear knows you're there.
- Closer encounter: Make yourself look big, back away slowly and give the bear a clear escape route. Don't run.
If a bear is acting aggressively, keeps coming back or is causing damage, report it to NJ Fish & Wildlife. In an emergency, call 911.
When To Call A Professional
For a bear, the right call is NJ Fish & Wildlife, not a pest control company. EcoFusion can help with the problems that often come with the same attractants: raccoons in the trash, rodents around feeders and animals nesting under decks or in sheds. We find the entry points, seal them and help you make your yard less inviting to wildlife.
Bears go where the food is. Lock up the trash, take in the feeders, clean the grill and keep pet food indoors, and your Prospect Park yard gives a passing bear no reason to stay. If raccoons or rodents are still raiding your yard after that, EcoFusion Pest Control can help.