Do Bears Have Favorite Foods — or Do They Just Eat What’s Available?

When bears start breaking into dumpsters, campsites, or commercial trash areas, people often ask the same question: do bears actually prefer human food, or are they just eating whatever they can find?

The answer matters — because understanding how bears choose food sources is the key to preventing dangerous human–bear encounters. For businesses, parks, and facilities operating in bear country, it also explains why animal-proof trash and food storage isn’t optional — it’s essential.

Bears Are Opportunistic Feeders, Not Picky Eaters

Bears are what wildlife biologists call opportunistic omnivores. That means they don’t rely on one specific food source. Instead, they eat what provides the most calories for the least effort, depending on the season and what’s available.

In the wild, a bear’s diet can include:

• Berries, nuts, roots, and grasses

• Insects and larvae

• Fish and small mammals

• Carrion (dead animals)

Bears spend up to 20 hours a day foraging, especially before hibernation, when they must gain tens of thousands of calories daily. Efficiency drives every feeding decision.

So while bears don’t have “favorite foods” in the human sense, they absolutely prioritize food sources that are easy, high-calorie, and reliable.

Why Human Food Almost Always Wins

Human food — and the trash that contains it — checks every box for a bear:

• High calorie density (fats, sugars, proteins)

• Strong odors that travel long distances

• Predictable locations (dumpsters, restaurants, camps, food lockers)

• Minimal effort once a container is compromised

A single dumpster can provide more calories than hours of natural foraging. Once a bear learns this, it will return again and again.

This is why wildlife agencies stress that human food conditioning is one of the leading causes of bear relocation and euthanasia. Bears aren’t becoming “aggressive” — they’re simply adapting to an easier food source.

How Bears Choose Their Targets

Bears don’t randomly attack trash areas. They test, learn, and remember.

They often:

• Investigate weak points like lids, doors, and latches

• Use strength, claws, and teeth to pry open containers

• Return to locations where they’ve succeeded before

• Teach cubs the same behaviors

If a bear defeats a trash can once, that site is now part of its regular feeding route.

This is why standard commercial dumpsters, plastic bins, and light-gauge metal enclosures fail in bear country — and why true bear-resistant engineering matters.

The Real Solution: Remove the Reward

Since you can’t change a bear’s instincts, the only effective strategy is to eliminate access to human food altogether.

When bears encounter a container they cannot open, they quickly move on. Over time, consistent use of bear-resistant storage retrains bears to rely on natural food sources instead.

That’s where BearSaver comes in.

Why BearSaver Food Storage Lockers Work

The BearSaver Large Food Storage Locker (FS30) is purpose-built for commercial and public environments where food waste, supplies, or attractants must be secured.

Key advantages include:

• Heavy-duty steel construction designed to withstand repeated bear attacks

• Proven bear-resistant latch systems that defeat prying, biting, and brute force

• Large-capacity storage for commercial kitchens, campgrounds, lodges, and parks

• Clean, professional appearance suitable for public-facing facilities

• Long service life that reduces replacement and damage costs

Unlike improvised solutions or “bear-aware” containers, BearSaver lockers are engineered to remove the reward entirely — the one thing that consistently stops bear behavior.

Why Businesses Can’t Afford to Ignore Bear-Proofing

For commercial properties, unsecured food or trash creates serious risks:

• Property damage

• Liability exposure

• Regulatory violations

• Wildlife management interventions

• Negative public perception

Installing certified, animal-resistant storage isn’t just about protecting bears — it’s about protecting operations, guests, and long-term costs.

Bears Don’t Need Different Food — They Need Better Barriers

Bears don’t seek out human food because they love it. They choose it because it’s easier.

When human food is unavailable, bears return to natural foraging — exactly where wildlife managers want them.

That makes bear-resistant storage one of the most effective conservation tools available.

Talk to BearSaver

If your facility operates in bear country, preventing access is the only solution that works.

📞 Call: 800.851.3887
📧 Email: sales@bearsaver.com

BearSaver’s team can help you choose the right food storage locker or animal-proof solution for your site.