Bear activity increasing; fruit trees an issue

Bear activity has taken a sharp increase in recent days as hungry black bears expand their search for food, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Areas near Yerington in Lyon County, the Topaz Ranch Estates and the Minden-Gardnerville area of Douglas County and the foothills of Reno have all seen bears Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We have four traps and they are all out and set,” said warden Lt. Mike McCusker of NDoW. “The goal is to trap these bears, perform aversive conditioning and release the bears, unharmed but chastened, back into the wild.”

The bears are targeting garbage, but ripened fruit from area trees is also a strong attractant this time of the year. Fruit on the ground should be picked up as soon as possible.