So far in 2024, bear-human conflicts, largely the result of the bruins getting into unsecured backyard chicken coops

So far in 2024, bear-human conflicts, largely the result of the bruins getting into unsecured backyard chicken coops, loose garbage and bird feeders, have been lower in the North Country than they have in many past years. “We’ve been lucky,” said Daniel Bailey, the state’s new bear project leader with New Hampshire Fish and Game. On Tuesday, Bailey cited the primary reason for low conflicts and spoke of the state’s effort to reduce the overall bear population to what biologists say would be the more ideal number. This year’s reduced number of conflicts largely owes to last year’s weather, which brought some healthy rains. Some springs can be a tough time of year for bears that wake up and find little food on the landscape.