Fall brings heightened bear activity around western Nevada and Sierra

Fall is the time of year for increased bear foraging activity and more human and bear encounters are possible, according to wildlife officials in Nevada and California.

Bears are typically active and foraging between April and mid-fall, but in fall, black bears experience changes in metabolism that drives the need to consume as many rich calories as possible. Motivated by signals from nature known as zeitgebers, the bears increase their daily caloric intake from 3,000 calories per day to upwards of 25,000 calories per day, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Areas most at risk of attracting bears by granting access to garbage and other attractants are the Tahoe Basin, west Carson City and the foothill areas of Douglas and Washoe counties.

This metabolic spike is an important signal to the bear to bulk up and gain the fat that will sustain the animal through hibernation and periods of lean food sources. Scientists estimate that black bears may forage as many as 20 hours a day at this time.

During this transition, residents in bear country are asked to diligently manage food, garbage and other attractants around the home and yard in order to avoid attracting bears. Residents leaving cabins for the season should remove all attractants from the cabins, and seal and lock all doors and windows. Crawl spaces under houses or porches should be sealed in order to prevent them from becoming denning sites.

Here are things to know:
— Bears have a sense of smell seven times stronger than a bloodhound and eyesight as good as a human's
— Any scent, especially one of odorous foods like fish or other meats, may attract a bear to your home and yard
— Remove bird feeders completely until later in the year
— Remove fallen fruit off the ground promptly
— Use bear-resistant garbage cans and wait to set trash out until the day of pick up
— Store pet food inside
— Do not leave food or other scented items in your car
— Bears fed intentionally or unintentionally by people may become bold and aggressive-they may be killed if they become a threat to public safety or cause property damage

In the rare event a bear breaks into your home, move to a safe location and contact local authorities. Wildlife experts caution against directly confronting the bear or blocking the bear's escape route.

Visitors to bear country should act responsibly and be mindful of their safety while in bear habitat. Camping season is ending in many areas, but with the cooler temperatures, fall hiking is very popular in the mountains and foothills and visitors often flock to salmon spawning sites in hopes of getting a glimpse of a bear. Wildlife experts offer these important tips:

— Be alert on trails (avoid wearing headphones)
— Keep a respectful and safe distance from bears at all times
— Do not attempt to take "selfies" with bears or other wildlife
— Never feed a bear: It is unlawful and dangerous to people and may result in the needless death of a bear.

Go here for information about being, bear aware while visiting national forests.

Whether you are living or recreating in bears country you should know how to act in a bear encounter. Keep in mind that bears exhibit stress behaviors which indicate their anxiety and preference to avoid conflict with you. These are not necessarily signs of an aggressive bear, according to NDOW.

— Moaning and woofing while avoiding direct eye contact with you.
— Clacking of their teeth and smacking of their jaws.
— Stomping on their front feet and false charges which stop short of making contact with you.

In most cases these behaviors are the bears way of telling you that you are too close. Back up and leave the area. Although black bears very rarely attack people, those attacks have increased in number over the last 20-30 years. Knowing how to behave in an encounter will help keep you and your loved ones safe.

Never approach or feed a bear. Give them respect by keeping your distance and observing them from a safe area.
Give a bear plenty of room to pass by and it usually will.

Keep a close watch on children while they are outdoors and teach them what to do if they see a bear. Tell them to stay together, back away from the bear and find an adult.

If a bear approaches you, speak in a loud, firm voice "get away bear!" Raise your arms to make yourself appear bigger and back away to a safe area. You cannot outrun a black bear as they are capable of bursts of speed up to 35 miles per hour!

In the rare event of a bear attack people have succeeded in driving away the bear by hitting it with stout sticks, rocks and punching it in the nose.

Carry bear spray and know how to use it. NDOW does not endorse any product but our bear biologist and game wardens use Counter Assault for close bear encounters.

Keep a clean camp. Never store food in your tent.

Do not cook in the same cloths you sleep in and always cook away from your sleeping area.