What should you do? Bear tussles with garbage can outside Sammamish home

Black bears are common in Western Washington, but residents seldom see them outside their front door.

Sammamish resident Jon Stickney sent KIRO Newsradio a video he took on Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. of a bear trying to open his garbage can in his driveway. At the end of the video, Stickney yells at the bear to leave, but the animal stares back unphased.

He also sent a second video he took in June at 8 a.m., saying he believes it’s the same bear.

You can watch the video compilation below, with the Nov. 13 video playing first.

Stickney sees more bears than most as he told MyNorthwest Monday he lives near the woods.

“I wish this were a random event, unfortunately, it’s happened fairly regularly as our home backs up to a pretty massive green belt area,” he said.

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Stickney even designed his own “bearbuckles” for his garbage cans which he hoped would be enough to deter the animals.

“They make a horrible mess when they tear into the garbage!” he added. “Before I get too proud about my design/engineering expertise, two nights later, a bear was successful in ripping off one of the straps and making a mess while he/she enjoyed the smorgasbord.”

What is the best thing to do in that situation?

“If you see a black bear on your property, stay at a safe distance and make as much noise as possible to try to deter it away,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Communications Manager Jennifer Sepulveda told MyNorthwest Monday.

Sepulveda said black bears are common throughout much of Washington and may seek food in human-occupied areas when natural food is scarce.

“It is not unusual to see a black bear in our state, even in suburban areas or in greenbelts around cities and towns,” Sepulveda said. “WDFW responds to a variety of situations involving black bears every year and most are due to human-provided attractants leading to preventable encounters near someone’s home.”

She noted bears seek food in late fall as they prepare for hibernation and in early spring before natural foods become available.

Sepulveda added that black bears depend on high-calorie intakes to survive, especially when preparing for hibernation. For example, a pound of birdseed provides 1,700 calories, compared to 600 calories for a pound of blueberries.

“Imagine how many calories are in a garbage can!” Sepulveda explained. “Removing human-provided food sources, which provide black bears with a high amount of calories for little effort, is the best way to encourage bears to move along and to prevent potential human-wildlife conflict.”

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According to WDFW, feeding or negligently attracting black bears or other large carnivores is illegal in Washington. The department provided tips to keep bears away from homes such as always keeping garbage cans in a garage or a sturdy building until collection day, taking down seed, suet and hummingbird feeders and cleaning up fallen fruit or other possible attractants.

Also, it’s advised to remove pet food from areas where wildlife could get to it, and thoroughly clean barbeque grills after each use and store them in a secure building, use a cage and/or electric fence for livestock and avoid storing food in the car.

To learn more about black bears, visit WDFW’s website.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.