In the days and weeks ahead, more Colorado bears will be waking from their winter slumbers and emerging from their dens. 

And they might very well realize what we’ve come to know all too well: It wasn’t much of a winter at all. 

What might the season’s record warmth and dryness around the state mean for bears and us people living nearby? 

“The years we tend to have the most human-bear conflicts are the years we have that late freeze and when it’s really dry,” said Joey Livingston, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife public information officer who tracks statewide bear activity. 

Yes, the meager snowpack “definitely increases drought conditions, which can reduce the natural forage, which can increase conflicts,” Livingston said. Yes, “drought plays a huge factor” in how bears behave, he said, because drought limits the growth of chokecherries, acorns and other nuts and berries that bears seek.

“And when they’re not seeing enough food, they’ll start moving more, and moving more into urban areas,” Livingston said — seeking trash and bird feeders perhaps.

But along with drought, that late freeze “can really, really have an impact,” he said. “A late freeze can kill a lot of natural food.” 

And despite the low snowpack, later rains can still boost natural food growth. Hence Livingston’s point: “It’s a little bit too early” to predict bear activity.

But by mid-March, he had a hint of what some of the earliest rising bears were seeing out of their dens — or lack thereof. 

Livingston had statewide sightings and reports that he said were “down about a third of what we usually have” for the time of year. 

Meaning bears weren’t seeing a whole lot of grass, aspen buds and other early foods growing and returning back to dens? 

“That would be a good determination to make; that’s most likely what’s happening,” Livingston said. 

But the warm, longer days will trigger their instinct to a get a move on, he said. Indeed, more bears will soon be emerging — whether their natural forage is ready or not. 

“It doesn’t mean there’s no food out there. There’s definitely food available, it just becomes harder for them to get,” Livingston said. 

Trash and bird feeders could be easier — two main sources of human-bear conflicts noted in Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s annual report released last month. 

In 2025, the agency logged 5,299 sightings and conflicts, up 15% from the previous six years. CPW tracked 2,448 instances resulting in damage to homes, garages, sheds, fences and vehicles. 

“Some regions, particularly those with poor acorn and berry production, reported increased bear activity in residential areas, leading to property damage and vehicle collisions,” CPW noted in a news release. 

That might be a fair warning to secure trash, bird feeders and other food.

“It’s always important people not provide food sources for bears, but especially in a year where we get a late freeze and/or it’s really dry,” Livingston said. “If there’s not natural food everywhere and they go to a house and get into trash, that can really influence their behavior for the rest of the year.”