Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reporting a handful of rare black bear sightings in the heart of winter. Warm weather in January and February got a few bears up and moving, and looking for food.
Perry Will is the Area Wildlife Manager for the region that includes the Roaring Fork Valley. He estimates his office took six bear reports in January and February. During hibernation, bears typically leave their dens and move around in the vicinity. But, these bears are already searching for food. Will says one bear tried to break into a home. A few others attempted to get into trash cans.
"We’ve had multiple bears out, sightings, etc. We’ve had the activity from January on, but even more specifically in February and that’s almost unheard of in a normal winter," Will says.
The reports are coming from Aspen and near Redstone. Most years, bears hibernate from November to April.