Utah is bear country and northeastern Utah has many of these amazing animals. The Division of Wildlife Resources wants all Utahns to know what to do to decrease the chance of a bear encounter. Black bears are the only bears native to Utah and they happen to have an excellent sense of smell and will be attracted to the food people eat, drawing them to campsites. “Even though they’re incredibly strong and surprisingly fast, black bears will typically do everything they can to avoid people,” shares Darren DeBloois, DWR mammals coordinator. “When a bear finds food, though, that all changes. Once it finds food, a bear will often become aggressive toward anything it perceives as threatening the area where it found the food. That includes people.” Simple tips to keep both you and bears safe while recreating outdoors include the following: Store food, snacks, and scented items like toothpaste in an area where the bear can’t get to them like a locked trailer. Keep your cooking grill clean, thoroughly clean all utensils and anything else used to prepare food. Keep your campsite clean and NEVER feed a bear. That may seem like common sense but is still emphasized by wildlife officials.
