UPDATE: This report was modified at 2:45 pm on March 9 removing an incorrect reference to a local bear shooting.

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With somewhere between 100 to 200 bear sightings in Newtown last year, and the fact that bears are now awakening hungry from their winter hibernation, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has released its latest “The State of the Bears: A Briefing on Bears in Connecticut."

The report outlined how DEEP works to educate the public about black bears along with revealing findings from the agency’s state-wide research. DEEP’s Wildlife Division has been collecting data on bear sightings since the 1980s.

In 2022, the group found that bears were reported to have been seen in 158 out of 169 towns and cities in Connecticut.

“Today, reports are used as a gauge of the population’s distribution as well as a broad index of where bears are seen more often. Reports from the public can have a high degree of variability, particularly given the human population density and how novel bear sightings are to an area,” DEEP stated.

The map it provided detailed that Newtown reported “101 to 200” bear sightings in 2022. Some areas in Connecticut had zero sightings while half a dozen towns had “401 to 800” sightings.

As for reports of “sow with offspring” in Newtown last year, it fell in the low “1 to 10” category.

“Reports of sows (female bears) with offspring provide a better representation of where the breeding population of bears are in the state … relatively few reports of sows with offspring come from outside the Northwestern quarter of the state,” DEEP noted.

DEEP’s report does note that bear populations in Connecticut have grown overall compared to its data from 2015, despite a three-year average of 66 bears being hit by cars each year.

“This is in part because of the abundance of suitable habitat and excessive human-related food across their range,” DEEP acknowledged.

With bears seeking food for survival — whether it be from a bird feeder, an unsecured garbage can, or backyard chickens — they are unknowingly venturing into residential areas.

“Incidences of bears entering or breaking into homes occurred in 22 different municipalities statewide,” DEEP said. In Newtown, there was one home entry instance in 2022.

These instances appear to mostly occur when a bear enters through opened or screen windows or doors to follow alluring scents from a kitchen.

‘Be Bear Aware’

DEEP advocates for people to coexist with wildlife and “Be Bear Aware.”

In that regard, the first two pieces of advice they give are food-related: “Manage your food, garbage, and other attractants with bears in mind,” and “Remove all traces of bird food, including hummingbird feeders, except for during winter months.”

Management can involve cleaning grills after use, keeping trash and recyclables securely inside until they are ready to be picked up, and not leaving food out by open windows where the scent can waft out.

Other recommendations that DEEP gives is to leave bears alone if you see them and allow space for the bear to have an escape route.

“Don’t get closer trying to get a better look or take a photo,” DEEP warned.

Also, keeping dogs leashed can avoid potential conflict with a bear seeing the canine as a threat, being scared, and attacking.

“Do your best to prevent troubling bear behavior before it starts,” DEEP advised.

Hunting Laws

DEEP concluded its report with the fact that it is illegal to hunt bears in Connecticut.

However, the timing of this report happened to coincide with the state’s Environment Committee hearing on Senate Bill 1148 set for Friday, March 10. The bill would establish a lottery to hunt and kill black bears for recreation.

The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) sent out a newsletter on Tuesday, March 7, with information on non-legal solutions for reducing bear conflicts, as well as how to submit comments to the Environment Committee before the vote is taken.

“Non-lethal solutions are effective. Our state needs to invest in these solutions and ensure we are taking all the steps necessary to properly manage this important wild species,” CTLCV stated.

“Black bears are crucial to the forest ecosystem,” the article continues. “They help regulate insect populations, disperse seeds, open canopies, and amend soils. They are slow to reproduce, and their numbers are not large enough to survive a sustained hunt. Studies have shown time and again that it is food availability, not bear population numbers, that cause most negative human-bear interactions.”

The organization also touched upon the fact that, “Hunting bears will also orphan many cubs. DEEP’s misguided policies on bear cubs can lead to unnecessary suffering of animals too young to be on their own.”

Learn more about bears by reading The Newtown Bee’s recent features: “Animal Sanctuary Panel Reveals How To Live Harmoniously With Wildlife” and “Coexisting In Harmony With Wildlife: Bears.”

The full “State of the Bears” report can be accessed on the DEEP website. Visit portal.ct.gov and scroll down to Current Topics (or search for The State of the Bears) for the full report.

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Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.