Keep Bears Out
Use Bear-Resistant Containers
Switch to Bear-Resistant Containers (BRCs)
Regular trash cans and dumpsters may look sturdy, but special reinforcement is necessary to withstand a determined bear. The upfront investment in bear-resistant products is well worth it when you consider the cost of continually replacing ruined garbage containers and spending time picking up scattered trash. Switching to bear-resistant products will help keep people and property safe and bears wild.
If your waste service provider does not provide bear-resistant containers, you can purchase your own. Before buying or modifying, ask if they are able to service it, and if containers must be unlatched before pick up.
What makes a dumpster bear-resistant? An all-metal dumpster must have clips / locks so it can be latched securely. Plastic-lid dumpsters need a lock bar on top AND metal reinforcement underneath the plastic lid. Photo: A plastic dumpster lid without metal reinforcement was no match for this bear.
Where to Find “Bear-Resistant” Products
Many companies manufacture trash containers, dumpsters, canisters, coolers and other products designed to be bear-resistant. Manufacturers who want to make sure their products are truly bear-resistant can submit them to one of two official testing programs in the US that use captive bears that do their best to defeat products designed to keep them out.
For lists of products that have passed testing protocols and been approved as bear-resistant, visit the websites of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) and Wildlife Management Institute (WMI runs the testing program developed by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies).
Download our free bulletin: Stash, Latch, Secure Your Trash
How to Modify a Trash Container
Some containers can be made black bear-resistant with materials purchased from local hardware stores. These flyers offer several do-it-yourself methods.
Modify your trash can to resist black bears
How to modify a dumpster to make it more bear-resistant
Before modifying, ask your waste service provider if they will service it and if it must be unlatched before pick up.
To modify a regular trash can, use 4 nylon straps with buckles (not stretchy rubber straps) or metal hasps. Also secure cans so bears can’t knock them over and “work” them.
Safely Store Trash & Other Attractants
Inside a Sturdy Locked Building or Secure Enclosure
Open doors are an open invitation to bears. Keep trash out of sight, smell and reach. Always close and lock doors and windows.
When building your own or buying a trash enclosure, choose durable construction and multiple latches or an auto-locking mechanism.
Power Up to Protect
Electric Fences & Mats Are Safe, effective,
long-term solutions for protecting your stuff from bears
Garbage, Compost | Chickens, Small Livestock | Beehives | Fruit Trees, Edible Gardens | Buildings, Cabins, RVs
How an Electric Fence Works
When a bear touches an electric fence wire, electricity instantly travels from the wire through the bear, into the earth to the grounding rod, and then back to the energizer, completing the circuit. The bear gets a shocking lesson and quickly learns to leave your fence (and whatever is inside it) alone.
The cost of electric fencing materials adds up to far less than the cost of replacing your flock and coop.
Watch an inquisitive bear step on an electric unwelcome mat.
Electric Unwelcome Mats
Using an electric mat is a great way to deter bears. When a bear steps on the mat it gets a shocking, life-saving lesson it won’t forget. An encounter with an electric mat may hurt, but doesn’t harm people or animals.
Use electric mats under windows, in front of doors, by outdoor stairs or anywhere a bear might go exploring. There are many options for controlling mats so they’re not on 24/7, including automatic timers and on/off wall switches.
People wearing shoes, including sandals and flip flops, won’t even feel a buzz, but you’ll get a wake-up call if you step on an electric mat barefoot.
Resources for Electric Mats:
Build Your Own Electric Mat PDF
In-depth information from a bear biologist with years of hands-on experience deterring Nevada’s very resourceful bears.
Other Bear Deterrents
Guard Animals
To keep livestock safe from bears, consider adding guard animals as part of your overall risk management strategy. A dog, donkey, or llama may protect livestock in large pastures from bears, coyotes and other potential predators.
Guard animals are most effective as deterrents, not as attackers of bears. Livestock guardian dogs only need to be formidable enough for black bears to leave your property to find an easier meal. If you’re interested in purchasing livestock guard dogs, certain breeds may be better for preventing bear predation. Please research breeds and suitability before committing to a guard animal.
Learn more:
- Take a look at the APHIS report: Innovative Solutions to Human-Wildlife Conflicts National Wildlife Research Center: Accomplishments, 2016.” The report includes reviews of recent research about guard animals and livestock predators.
- The video “Livestock Guardian Dogs: Working on Common Ground” tells a success story about how one rancher uses guard dogs to protect his sheep.
Word of caution: Just as a house alarm can’t guarantee there won’t be break-ins, a livestock guard animals can’t guarantee there won’t be animal losses. No one deterrent, including livestock guardian dogs, is 100% effective. To lower risk of livestock predation, apply several methods in combination with a guard animal. Examples include electric fencing, carcass removal and penning during birthing season.
Scare Devices
Scare devices can frighten wary bears from livestock corrals, and orchards. Those devices include night lights, strobe lights, loud music, pyrotechnics, exploder canons, and scarecrows. However, the positions should be changed frequently or bears will overcome their fear and ignore them to get their desired food.
