Bear Filmed Outside Avon Pizzeria as Colorado Bear Reports Run Nearly Double Last Year
A bear was recorded outside the Domino's in Avon shortly after midnight on Oct. 10, and state wildlife officials say a dry year has pushed bears toward human food, with pumpkins the latest draw.
A bear was recorded walking past the Domino's restaurant in Avon shortly after midnight on Oct. 10, in video credited to Geovaunie Graham. Epic Colorado Life, which published the recording on Oct. 12 and featured it again in its Oct. 17 weekly roundup of Eagle County news, said the recording details were supplied to the outlet.
The sighting is one small part of a much larger statewide pattern. Colorado Parks and Wildlife recorded 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13 this year, compared with 3,115 reports in the same period in 2025. Those figures count reports, not individual bears or attacks, and they cover the entire state; they do not show that sightings doubled in Avon or anywhere else in Eagle County. CPW has described this year's drought conditions and reduced natural food availability as factors in the activity, and Colorado Public Radio reported in August that a late freeze in May damaged vegetation bears rely on. Nearly half of Colorado's reported bear incidents in 2025 came during August, September and October.
Why bears are still out
In late summer and fall, black bears enter hyperphagia, a period of intensive feeding in which they can consume as many as 20,000 calories a day and stay active for 20 or more hours a day, according to CPW. The agency says most Colorado bears remain active into early November, so an October appearance in a commercial district fits the season, and the food a bear finds now can decide whether it becomes a repeat visitor.
Bears are still around and haven't gone to bed yet.
Adrian Archuleta, Colorado Parks and Wildlife area wildlife manager, Durango
The pumpkin problem
On Oct. 2, CPW warned that during a year in which human and bear conflicts have hit historic levels, pumpkins left outside can attract bears, deer, raccoons and other wildlife, and that pumpkins should not be left outside overnight, even before they are carved. The agency said it has seen bears devouring pumpkins in front yards and in front of grocery stores, and that pumpkins are a high calorie food loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins. Its guidance is to bring pumpkins inside and display them in a window, and to bring any pumpkins placed outside back inside before going to bed and keep them inside during the day.
The same fall routine applies more broadly: never feed or approach bears, secure food, garbage and recycling, remove bird feeders while bears are active, never leave pet food outdoors, and keep dogs leashed. Feeding big game animals is illegal in Colorado, and knowingly luring bears with food or other attractants is also a crime. CPW also notes that deer drawn to pumpkins can in turn attract mountain lions, and that deer, elk and moose can become entangled in seasonal decorations, which it recommends placing higher than six feet or attaching tightly to a building or tree.
If you meet one
CPW's encounter guidance, as summarized in the Avon coverage, is to never approach a bear. If it has not noticed you, move away quietly. If it sees you, back away slowly and never run. If it approaches, stand your ground, wave your arms and yell, and stay with your group. If it keeps approaching, use bear spray, and if a black bear attacks, fight back rather than playing dead. The only bear species found in Colorado is the American black bear, whose coat can be black, brown, cinnamon or blond, and there are no known grizzlies in the state.
