20-05-2025
Bears spotted in Castle Rock neighborhood
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — Every morning, Tom Carnahan gets up and checks his cameras to see what kinds of wildlife have come by in the night.
He says he is used to seeing things like deer, but was surprised to see bears on the sidewalk just feet from his front door.
'It's kind of creepy because you don't really know where they are or where they're going. I hate to run into them in the middle of the night,' Carnahan said.
For the last 11 years, Carnahan has lived in his home in Castle Rock. Only for the last three years has he had cameras outside his home.
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'It's quite exciting to watch and see what goes on at night. You never realize until you go look on the camera the next day and you see all the different animals that have come through,' Carnahan said.
Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife says seeing bears in your neighborhood should be concerning.
'We don't want bears to become habituated and start to equate people with food because when they do that, they become more comfortable around us, they lose their natural fear of humans, and that's when we start to see conflicts,' Van Hoose said.
Van Hoose added that bears can be aggressive, especially around their cubs, so it is best to be aware and stay vigilant at all times. Something Carnahan says he will be doing going forward.
'I was shocked because I hadn't seen a bear in eight months or so, and to see them just in the front yard, yeah, it's a little scary,' Carnahan said.
Van Hoose says to prepare for bears, keep your trash locked up, bring bird feeders inside and if you see a bear, do your best to make a lot of noise by shouting or using pots and pans to scare it away.
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