CONTACT:
Dan Bailey: (603) 271-1126
New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife Division: (603) 271- 2461
March 24, 2026
Concord, NH – The Granite State’s black bears are emerging from their winter dens and beginning to actively search for any available food sources. Because of the limited menu of options during this time of the year, bears will be easily enticed by a wide variety of human-produced food sources, especially bird feeders, backyard poultry, and unsecured garbage.
Because of the fluctuating temperatures associated with spring, officials are asking the public to be both proactive and responsible by taking down bird feeders no later than April 1 in all areas of the state, or earlier if bears are already present in your region. Backyard farmers should protect poultry, livestock, and bees with electric fencing, being sure to also remember these fencing needs when picking up new chicks this spring. Additionally, residents can help prevent the attraction of bears by securing dumpsters and garbage cans, and storing grills, pet food, and animal feed indoors. The easiest way to solve bear–human conflicts is to prevent them in the first place—please do your part to help protect New Hampshire’s bears.
“Bears denned rather late last fall due to an abundance of natural foods and then remained inactive throughout the cold winter months,” said Dan Bailey, Bear Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “However, with the loss of snowpack over the past few weeks, bears are becoming active throughout the state. This is a common sign of spring in New Hampshire and should not be a cause for concern to residents and visitors. It simply means that it is time to prepare for foraging bears and remove or secure all outdoor food sources.”
“Increased human responsibility, a proactive attitude, and increased tolerance are the most effective tools for coexisting with bears.” said Bailey. “Bears have an extremely acute sense of smell, long memories, and high intelligence. We really need the help of residents to inhibit emerging bears from returning to locations where they have been previously successful in finding backyard food sources. People can largely control bear behavior and activity in residential areas by controlling food attractants around their homes. If bears are not rewarded with food in communities, they do not continue to frequent those locations.”
Despite continued pleas asking homeowners not to feed birds during the non-winter months, bird feeders are typically the direct cause of 20% of annual human–bear conflicts There is abundant food for birds in the spring and summer, so consider a bird bath or flowering plants that attract birds instead. In addition to bird feeders, other primary bear attractants include unprotected chickens and other poultry (27%) and unsecured garbage cans and dumpsters (35%).
“If the public would be willing to address these three common attractants, we could quickly reduce annual human–bear conflicts by more than 80%, which would benefit both people and bears,” said Bailey.
Help build respectful relationships with bears:
- Stop feeding wild birds by April 1. If you live south of the White Mountains consider removing bird feeders by March 15 or at the onset of spring-like weather conditions, whichever comes first since conditions fluctuate throughout the state.
- Clean up any spilled birdseed and dispose of it in a secured trash container.
- Secure all garbage in airtight containers inside a garage or adequate storage area, and put garbage out on the morning of pickup, not the night before. If using a dumpster, inform your dumpster company that you need one with metal locking tops and doors that are inaccessible to bears and other wildlife.
- Never put meat scraps in your compost pile.
- Don’t leave pet food dishes outside overnight.
- Clean and store outdoor grills after each use.
- Never deliberately feed bears. You will be encouraging these animals to rely on human-related foods which will affect their wild behavior and reduce their chance of survival.
If you have questions regarding bear-related issues, you can get advice by calling a toll-free number coordinated jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: 1-888-749-2327 (1-888-SHY-BEAR).
