Once again, we are emerging from a wild winter in Idaho, and that means the return of wildlife. Idaho, like many western states, has many animals in the wild or, for that matter, in our cities. One lady told us that she saw both deer and elk on her recent trip to McCall. It's the time of year when we'll see deer, perhaps mountain lions, and bears, depending on where you live. 

According to a release from Idaho Fish and Game, Idaho's black bears are back and hungry. Bears are giant, fast, and powerful creatures that consume so many calories they can sleep for the entire winter. Fish and Game shares with us just how much food a bear consumes.

During their hibernation, male black bears usually lose 15-30% of their body weight, while females with cubs can lose up to 40%. Upon emerging from their winter slumber, black bears embark on a mission to consume between 15,000 – 20,000 calories a day to replenish their fat reserves. 

Bears have a great sense of smell which means they'll target your trash or break into your homes. We do hear stories every year about bears breaking into homes ravaging the interior looking for their next big meal.

How To Stay Safe from Bears in Idaho

Fish and Game have shared tips on how to avoid getting into a confrontation with a bear in Idaho.

• Where possible, use a bear resistant garbage container.
• Don’t put your garbage out until the morning of pickup, and until then, keep your garbage in a secure location, like a garage.
• Birds don’t need bird feeders to survive during the summer months because of an abundance of natural food sources, and residents are encouraged to take them down during this time. Bears can get a tremendous amount of calories from bird feeders, such as a 2,500-calorie reward from one pound of black oil sunflower seed, or 3,200 calorie reward from 32 ounces of hummingbird food.
• Don’t leave pet or livestock food outside where a bear can find it.
• Put an electric fence wire around chicken coops and bee hives.