CANAAN — Wildlife authorities are trying to trap a black bear after it attacked a Canaan man in his driveway, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
The encounter happened around 9 p.m. Friday, as the man was unloading an air conditioner from his truck, which was parked outside his home on Route 4 in Canaan, according to Andrew Timmins, bear project leader for the Fish and Game Department.
The man felt a push on his back and turned around to find a black bear behind him, Timmins said.
The man, who authorities did not identify, yelled and chased the bear into the road, said Lt. James Kneeland, of Fish and Game. He had “deep scratches” on his back but didn’t need stitches, Kneeland said.
Timmins said that the bear has regularly visited the man’s house and neighboring homes in the past few weeks in order to dig through trash cans for food scraps. Given the presence of food sources the bear was accustomed to, Timmins said he regards the incident as an “encounter” rather than an unprovoked attack.
He added that bear sightings have increased in recent weeks, largely because food sources for bears are scarce in June. Many foods — including berries — are not in season, and the dry weather in the Upper Valley has killed a lot of vegetation recently, making the animals desperate.
“We’ve had a spike in bear issues over the past few weeks,” Timmins said, adding that those reports include bears getting into bird feeders and going through trash cans, as well as general bear sightings.
Nevertheless, Timmins said, an incident like Friday night’s is very rare.
The Fish and Game department set up a trap on a trail outside the man’s house, using doughnuts and vanilla as bait to catch the bear in a piece of culvert pipe.
If the bear is captured it will be killed, Timmins said.
No one answered the door of the house where the attack happened Monday, but some trash was seen lying in the yard and the culvert trap — with warning signs attached — sat on a trailer in a more wooded area of the property.
Canaan Town Administrator Mike Samson said the town has experienced a spike in bear sightings recently, though he added he was surprised that a bear attacked a man.
“We’ve had a lot of sightings … but no bear attacks in the last five years,” he said.
Canaan is not alone in its recent bear activity; Lyme has also seen more bears in residential areas lately.
On Monday, Steve Small, recreation director for Lyme, wrote on the town’s listserv that he’s seen a bear on his back porch several times, going through his empty trash barrels.
Another resident, Sarah Glass, wrote on the same listserv that she’s frequently seen two bears around her home over the past few weeks, including one that is comfortable sitting close to her house and driveway.
One state over, the problem is the same.
Forrest Hammond, black bear project leader for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, said his office has been working to prevent a similar encounter in Vermont.
“We’ve got lots of bears that are coming into people’s backyards. Lots of close proximity,” Hammond said in a phone message Monday. He said that the department has tried to “give the bears a scare” to prevent them from getting comfortable coming near humans or up to homes.
Timmins said residents should try to prevent bears coming to their property for food scraps by keeping trash bags tied tightly and in garbage containers that are secured. He added that people should bring out their trash the morning it gets hauled away, rather than the night before.
Both states also regularly recommend that residents only use bird feeders from December through March, taking them down as bears are coming out of hibernation.
“It’s a lot easier to avoid getting bears in the first place,” rather than try to get rid of a bear that regularly visits your home, Timmins said.
He added that anyone who comes in contact with a bear should make as much noise as possible in order to scare it away.
Valley News photographer Jennifer Hauck contributed to this report. Anna Merri man can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603- 727-3216.
Update
This story has been updated to better reflect Timmins’ assessment of a Canaan man’s encounter with a black bear, including the following: Timmins said that the bear has regularly visited the man’s house and neighboring homes in the past few weeks in order to dig through trash cans for food scraps. Given the presence of food sources the bear was accustomed to, Timmins said he regards the incident as an “encounter” rather than an unprovoked attack.