If You Live In Idaho, It’s Time To Hide Your Trash Can

Old Man Winter is about to round the corner and before we know it, it'll be time to bust out the snow shovels and salts.

Before that happens though, we'll need to be vigilant about one particular thing.

Hide your trash cans...

It sounds silly unless you're familiar with the danger you could be inviting to your home by leaving your trash can out. We're not saying to do this because of thieves or anything either, but because bears are on the prowl and looking for a meal.

Now, if you live near the more developed areas, you probably don't have too much to worry about but with the recent wildfires forcing wildlife to find new habitats, you never know.

The bears are gearing up for winter

As we inch closer to winter, bears are preparing to hibernate. This means they can consume anywhere between 15,000 to 20,000 calories a day according to Idaho Fish & Game.

And here's a fascinating fact for you, Idaho Fish & Game says that bears have a sense of smell that is better and stronger than a bloodhound's.

How much better? Idaho Fish & Game says about seven times better and that a bear's sense of smell is measured in miles. As you can imagine if you leave your trash can out for an extended period of time, you could potentially be ringing the dinner bell for a bear.

Then there are birdfeeders which experts say are great for bears because they can pack a lot more calories for their fat storage.

Make sure to secure those trash cans before Old Man Winter arrives!