SHERIDAN — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has euthanized a significant number of bears each year due to a variety of camping situations, Bighorn National Forest supervisor Andrew Johnson said.

“Over the last several years, we have had an ever increasing number of issues with bears getting into improperly stored food and garbage that results in the [Wyoming] Game and Fish [Department] having to euthanize what seems to be more bears every year in the forest,” Johnson said. “Our employees see a lot of dispersed campsites where bears have gotten into their garbage and we are left to clean up that mess.”

Since 2018, 10 bears were lethally removed due to conflicts with humans in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Sheridan Region Public Information Specialist Christina Schmidt said.

“In addition, there have been more than two dozen other reports of conflicts that resulted in wildlife managers trapping and relocating or unsuccessfully attempting trap bears,” Schmidt said.

Once bears receive a food reward from a campsite, they will continue to return to the area. Bears have color vision, acute hearing and a keen sense of smell. They learn very quickly where the food is located, remembering feeding locations for years. Bears can swim, climb trees, bend open car doors and pry out windshields, so food and garbage must be stored properly.

Not doing so puts people at risk and creates a large mess, Johnson said.

“It has gotten to the point where we need to act,” he said.

This summer, proper storage of food and trash is required of everyone. When a campsite is unoccupied, garbage must be in a hard-sided vehicle or in the back of a truck in a bear-resistant container.

“There are lots of products out there,” Johnson said. “The easiest method is to put it in your vehicle. It is not the hardest thing to do.”

The USFS aims to educate the public this summer, stopping by campsites when they spot improperly stored garbage and food. They also placed a variety of informational signs around the mountains, mainly in designated campsites.

The service will also work with the various resorts and campgrounds in the Bighorn Mountains.

“It is going to take a bit of time but by next summer we are going to start to actively enforce this requirement,” Johnson said.

Human conflicts with bears are not limited to campers in the forest.

“We have many additional conflicts in areas on or adjacent to the forest involving local residences and businesses choosing not to secure attractants that then create conflict situations,” Schmidt said.

In addition to keeping attractants in a secure location, residents should also remove bird feeders during months that bears are active. Schmidt also recommends restraining from feeding pets outside.

“This year in particular, we have had several reports of bears accessing or attempting to access small livestock such as chickens, goats, rabbits and beehives that are being raised in rural residential settings,” Schmidt said. “These situations can be addressed by building and maintaining secure electric fences.”

The WGFD and the USFS will continue to educate the community through a variety of sources from media to door hangers to prevent dangerous encounters with bears, Schmidt said.