Advertisement New Hampshire's 5,000 bears are hungry Low blackberry crop means potential conflicts with humans Share Shares Copy Link Copy

New Hampshire is home to about 5,000 bears and it seems they are always hungry.Bear complaints are running above average this year and are up considerably from 2015, officials said.In part, it is due to the lack of rain, according to bear biologist Andrew Timmins.The United States Forest Service and state wildlife officials are urging campers and homeowners to consider themselves in bear country and act accordingly.The peak period of conflicts between bears and humans is typically June and July.Timmins, who is the state's bear project leader, said that bear activity in and around human-occupied areas can continue through August and September.This, he said, is particularly true during years of low food abundance, and this has been the case in New Hampshire this summer.“Soft mast crops, particularly blueberries and raspberries, have had poor yields this past summer, producing below average crops. This lack of natural foods causes bears to search out high-quality, readily available foods provided by humans," he said.Examples of high-quality foods for bears include bird feeders, garbage and unsecured coolers.This time period coincides with the peak tourist season and a time when a lot of residents and visitors are recreating outside in bear habitat. “Campgrounds are full, restaurant dumpsters are overflowing, and human-related food attractants are highly abundant across the landscape,” Timmins said.Complaints during 2015 were at their lowest level in 20 years because of highly abundant natural bear foods in that year.The primary cause of the poor fruit production by several species this summer appears mostly related to the semi-drought conditions across the state, according to Timmins.“Due to limited rainfall, even the blackberry crop, which had an incredible amount of blossoms this spring, is starting to suffer. Although blackberry tends not to ripen until mid-August, the fruit load is tremendous. Unfortunately, dry conditions are starting to cause the berries to become desiccated. Blackberries are an important late summer and early fall food source for bears, and losing this crop would likely cause bear-human conflicts to linger into early fall,” he said.Birdfeeder conflict represents approximately 60 percent of the state's annual bear-human conflicts.In addition to household attractants, there has been recent activity at some campgrounds, particularly those on the White Mountain National Forest.When camping, it is critical that all food be stored so that bears cannot gain access.Foods left on picnic tables and in coolers at the campsite are easy targets.Campers and hikers can avoid conflicts with bears by maintaining a clean campsite and storing food, garbage and aromatic items, like toothpaste and other toiletries, out of reach of bears.Do not store food in tents.If car camping, keep all food and coolers in a building or vehicle with the windows closed.If camping at a remote site, bring rope to properly hang these items or use a bear-resistant canisters, available for rent at no charge at all White Mountain National Forest Ranger Districts offices.“We want to emphasize the importance of proper food storage, so that not only you - but future campers to the campground - will have a positive experience,” said Marianne Leberman, White Mountain National Forest recreation program leader.“Be considerate of future campers and wildlife, since it only takes one food reward to encourage bears to return to the source,” she said.Visit www.wildnh.com/wildlife/somethings-bruin.html for more information.Get the WMUR app