Without snow cover, and now as colder temperatures arrive, be aware that bears are looking for places to den this time of year. You can take steps to keep bears from denning around your home or cabin.

Crawl spaces and underneath decks and porches can be very appealing to a bear. But bears can unintentionally rip out wiring, pull down insulation and do a lot of damage to floor joists while making themselves a nice winter “nest.” So make sure your crawl space is closed up tight for the winter, and securely block off any small openings that might attract a bear. As a bonus, you’ll also keep out other critters looking for winter homes, including mice, raccoons and skunks.

Keep in mind that using straw bales around cabins or homes, or out around waterlines and sewer systems, provides lots of denning material for bears. Leaf bags also are something to avoid putting around a crawl space, and they attract mice and other rodents to overwinter around the perimeter of a cabin or house. Instead, consider using pink foam on the inside for insulation. Learn more about keeping bears from denning at your place from BearWise and the DNR website.