Bear Deterrents

There are many things you can do to deter a bear from approaching or hanging around your property. When properly used, deterrents can teach bears to avoid people and human-inhabited areas.

The first step to deterring bears is to remove and secure attractants. If you skip this step, bears will continue coming to your property. Even if one bear is removed—either relocated or lethally removed by wildlife officials—another bear will take its place. Learn more about bear attractants on our Securing Household Attractants page.

Some of the deterrents listed below, like electric fencing and unwelcome mats, can help secure attractants long-term. Others, like scare devices, are better used as temporary or immediate solutions to get a bear out of an area, giving you time to better secure or remove remaining attractants.

No matter which tools you choose to use, always ensure the bear has a clear and safe avenue of escape with no people or obstacles in its way. If it has no way to escape, it may interpret your efforts to scare it away as an attack and stand its ground in self-defense.

For further guidance, look to your local wildlife management agency, and contact them if you’re unsure of what to do in a situation where a bear is hanging around.

To learn more about conflict prevention tools that secure attractants and deter bears in situations beyond your home, explore the Recreate and Work sections of this website.

  • Electric fencing is one of the most effective ways to secure bear attractants that cannot be removed or otherwise contained. Electric fencing deters bears by giving them a shock when they touch the charged wires. While the electric shock is unpleasant, it is not harmful. Still, it creates a negative enough experience that bears learn to stay away.

    Electric fencing can be easily adapted to a number of situations, like enclosing gardens, fruit trees, and chicken coops, or protecting outbuildings that a bear is interested in. Depending on what is being protected, fences can be installed permanently or temporarily.

    It’s important to make sure your fence is designed with bears in mind. If it’s enclosing something, bears shouldn’t be able to climb over, go through, or squeeze under it. And it needs to provide a big enough shock to deter a bear.

    Head to our electric fencing page to learn more about using this tool.

  • “Unwelcome” mats are specialized doormats that deter bears. They can be placed in front of doors, windows, stairs, and other access points into houses, sheds, and other buildings. They are especially useful for cabins or vacation homes where people will be away for extended periods of time.

    Electrified unwelcome mats are an effective option that give a bear a shock when they step on it. It does not harm the bear (or other animals) but creates a negative experience so the bear won’t come back. It’s also safe to have around people; if you step on a mat with shoes, you won’t even know it’s on. You can build your own mat, or buy a mat from companies like Bear-ier Solutions or Bear Busters.

    Non-electrified versions of unwelcome mats exist, too, but require some extra considerations. They’re made of plywood boards with nails sticking out of them. Keep in mind that these types of unwelcome mats are not ideal for areas with a lot of foot traffic, especially if children or pets are around.

    You can easily find instructions on how to build your own unwelcome mat (electrified and non-electrified) online, like these instructions from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

  • Scare devices are audible or visual deterrents that can scare bears away from an attractant. Some scare devices, like radios, mimic human presence, making a bear think someone is in the area, encouraging them to move along. They can be useful to keep bears away from chicken coops, doors, outbuildings, fruit trees, and more.

    Scare devices are best used short-term as you work to find a long-term solution to secure or remove attractants. After a while, a bear will learn that the device poses no actual risk, and they’ll ignore it. Devices that have more randomizations built in and are less predictable can be effective for longer periods of time, but again, are not permanent solutions.

    Here are a few types of scare devices that can deter bears:

    Note: Some auditory scare devices are very loud—great for deterring bears, but maybe not so great for crowded neighborhoods. If a scare device is motion- or infrared-activated, other passing animals or people can set it off, too.

  • If a bear comes around when you’re home, scare it away using some basic techniques.

    Whatever method you choose, make sure you are in a safe spot, like near a doorway or car so you have somewhere safe to go, and make sure the bear has a safe escape route away from busy roads and other people.

    Try yelling, banging on pots and pans, honking a car horn, or using an air horn or wildlife deterrent horn (like this Kodiak wildlife deterrent horn or Margo Blaster Siren). Throw rocks at the bear’s rump; rocks should be no bigger than a golf ball. Spray it with water from a long-range, high-pressure nozzle. Yell in combination with whatever method you choose so the bear associates the experience with human presence.

    Varying your technique each time a bear returns to your yard can work better than always using the same method. Bears can get used to a noise and ignore it.

    The US Fish and Wildlife Service offers these hazing techniques for grizzly bears.

    If you’re unsure of what to do when a bear is in your yard, contact your local wildlife agency.

  • Bear spray is an effective way to deter a charging or aggressive bear. Learn more about using bear spray here.

    Bear spray is a deterrent, not a repellent; do not pre-spray objects, as this can attract bears and other wildlife.