At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Friday, July 4, 2025, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department received a report of a black bear on the North Sheridan Pathway near Canfield Street. Personnel responded but the bear could not be located.
On the afternoon of Saturday, July 5, Game and Fish wildlife managers received another report of a black bear, this time near 12th Street and Taylor Avenue in north Sheridan. The bear was reported in the backyard of a residence that housed a flock of chickens and in an adjoining yard.
Responding personnel located and immobilized the bear at approximately 5 p.m. The bear was found to be a sub-adult female in good health. It was likely the same bear reported the previous night. The bear was transported and released in a remote area of the Bighorn Mountains on the morning of Sunday, July 6.
“Because the bear was reported quickly by the homeowners and other members of the public and because there was no known history of the bear repeatedly receiving human-provided attractants, it was considered a candidate for relocation,” said Sheridan Wildlife Biologist Eric Maichak. “Relocation is a management option when a bear has not established a pattern of behavior seeking out or becoming comfortable around humans and human-provided food, so we appreciate the public reporting conflicts as soon as possible.”
Game and Fish personnel have also responded to multiple bear conflicts in the Big Horn and Story area in recent weeks where garbage and bird feeders have been left unsecured.
Homeowners and businesses can help prevent potential conflicts by making attractants such as pet food, livestock and poultry feed and barbecue grills unavailable to bears and other wildlife. Garbage should be stored in a hard-sided building until the morning of its pickup.
Additionally, attractants such as bird seed or hummingbird feeders should be hung out of the reach of bears – at least 10 feet off the ground and four feet from a tree trunk or pole.
Bear conflicts with small livestock kept in backyards, such as chickens, ducks and goats have increased in recent years. Electric fencing can be an effective way to protect these animals, as well as beehives, vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
Learn more about living and recreating in bear country at wgfd.wyo.gov/bear-wise-wyoming
Any sightings of a bear in residential or developed areas should be reported as soon as possible to the Game and Fish Regional Office at 307-672-7418 during regular business hours, to the Stop Poaching Hotline at 877-WGFD-TIP or to a local law enforcement agency.
