Here are a few tips from Fish and Wildlife officers on living in harmony with black bears and other wildlife.

• Do not hang bird feeders, whether seed or hummingbird feeders, from March to June, when bears are out looking for food, but haven’t yet been able to find enough vegetation, berries and other food to satisfy them.

• Do not put garbage cans out the night before pick-up. If you know you live in an area where bears have gone after garbage, secure your cans. After the cans are emptied, put them away before dark and clean up the area where the cans sat. Also keep cans in the garage or an outbuilding and keep the area clean.

“All a bear is trying to do is make it to next winter. They need to build a layer of fat,” Fish and Wildlife Officer Bruce Richards said. “They’re not coming in the garbage because they like your garbage. They’re coming in your garbage because they’re hungry.”

Officer Chris Moszeter agreed.

“A lot of people don’t realize that a bear is one big nose,” Moszeter said. “Their life revolves around finding food, foraging for food. People need to realize that potential sources of food need to be cleaned up.”

• Keep barbecues clean.

• If you do encounter a bear, do not run. Don’t make eye contact, back away slowly, make yourself look big and yell at the bear so that it knows you’re there. Bears have an exceptional sense of smell, but poor eyesight. When they do stand up on their rear legs, it is nearly always to try to get a better view of what’s going on.

“For the most part, the North American black bear is a pretty docile animal,” Moszeter said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, that bear is going to turn tail and run.”

On the Web

• For more information about bears, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/bears.htm. For general Fish and Wildlife information, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/.

• To learn more about Karelian bear dogs and the Wind River Bear Institute, visit www.beardogs.org.