We're seeing quite a few more bears in the city limits and it's mostly because of the dry year we've had.
The black mama bear and her cubs were caught two nights ago, after they were seen roaming around a neighborhood, eating from fruit trees.
"Right now, bears are in a phase called hyperphagia. They're trying to eat as much as they possibly can, in this late fall period to put on that fat layer for the winter hibernation."
Bears like these are coming down into the urban areas because there aren't enough berries and pine nuts up in the mountains.
"Using their logic, their point of view, there's a lot more food down there than there is up here," says Lackey.
Murphy adds, "They're going to come down and eat the fruit trees. Just don't bother them. They're not going to hurt you. They're not really aggressive. They're just doing their thing."
If you run across a bear, officials say to call NDOW or 911 and the authorities will do the rest.
"These bears are not a threat but with that said, it only takes one time to ruin your day and black bears have the potential to seriously injure or kill people," says Lackey.
Officials say these are wild bears -- not garbage bears -- meaning it is living off natural food.
The mom captured weighs 125-pounds compared to a female garbage bear that usually over eats and weighs around 300.
"The best thing you can do is deter the bears away by putting your trash inside, locking stuff up that might be edible or might attract the bears, like oats for livestock," says Murphy.
It's also a good idea to pick your fruit trees to keep bears out of your yard. Also, beware if you have a koi pond.
You can expect this kind of bear activity for a while because bears don't normally hibernate until December.
Written by Paul Nelson
Courtesy: Nevada Department of Wildlife
