Connecticut is home to roughly 1,000 to 1,200 black bears — a fraction of the populations living in neighboring Massachusetts and New York. Yet the state consistently records more human-bear conflicts per bear than either of those states, according to a March 2026 report from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The 2026 State of the Bears report shows that bear activity, breeding range, and conflict counts are all trending upward statewide. Wildlife officials say the primary driver is not the bears themselves — it is human behavior.
“We need to be more vigilant about what we do that puts bears in bad situations,” Jenny Dixon, director of Wildlife at CT DEEP, told NBC Connecticut.
Connecticut’s conflict rate outpaces the region
The numbers make the gap concrete. Massachusetts has an estimated 4,500 black bears and recorded approximately 912 human-bear conflicts in 2023. New York, with an estimated 6,000 or more bears, logged roughly 1,227 conflicts that same year. Both figures come from the CT DEEP report, which drew on data compiled by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Connecticut, with fewer than 1,200 bears, recorded 3,093 conflicts in 2023 — more than triple New York’s total and more than three times Massachusetts’ figure, despite having a far smaller bear population.
The disparity is sharpest when it comes to bears entering homes. Massachusetts and New York each average fewer than one home entry per 100 bears each year. Over the past six years, Connecticut has averaged four home entries per 100 bears annually, according to the DEEP report. Since 2020, DEEP staff have investigated and verified 265 confirmed home-entry incidents across 38 municipalities. In 2025 alone, bears entered homes in 18 different towns, and the state recorded three bear attacks on people.
What keeps drawing bears in
The report identifies the same attractants year after year: unsecured trash, bird feeders, and backyard livestock. More than 85 percent of livestock conflicts in recent years have involved backyard chickens, according to DEEP data compiled over the past six years.
Bird feeders are a particular flashpoint. CT DEEP conflict data shows birdfeeder-related incidents spike consistently from spring through fall — even when feeders are empty or mounted out of easy reach. Bears have large home ranges that regularly span several towns, meaning one backyard attractant can pull a bear repeatedly into neighborhoods it might otherwise pass through.
What you should do now
Wildlife officials recommend three core steps: store trash in bear-resistant containers, take down bird feeders from spring through fall, and install electric fencing around chicken coops, beehives, and gardens.
Connecticut law, updated in 2023, prohibits intentionally feeding bears. A number of municipalities — including Manchester, Simsbury, and Farmington — have also passed local ordinances restricting bird feeders during warmer months. DEEP held electric fence installation workshops in 2025 and has announced additional sessions for 2026.
What to watch for this year
CT DEEP’s current population estimate is based on collaborative research with UConn conducted more than a decade ago. The agency is conducting a new population survey in 2026 to produce an updated count, with results expected later this year. The breeding range continues to spread: sows with offspring were reported in 79 towns in 2025, and in 138 different municipalities over the past three years — a sign that Connecticut’s bear country is still growing.
SOURCES & LINKS
- Source 1: CT DEEP, 2026 State of the Bears, March 2026 — https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/2026-state-of-the-bears.pdf
- Source 2: NBC Connecticut / Kevin Gaiss, broadcast segment on the 2026 State of the Bears report, 2026 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN9Fq90OS-A
