When Bears Wake Up: How to Help Protect Your Home This Spring
By Ring on March 13, 2026
Spring arrives with longer days, warmer weather, and something most home and business owners don't think about until it's too late: hungry bears waking up after months of hibernation.
For shop owner, Ronnie Bohanan1 he thought he’d finally won his battle with a bear after it broke into his Gatlinburg candy shop three times since Christmas, according to WVLT. He boarded up the kitchen with heavy-duty materials, “You would’ve thought a car couldn’t come through it,” he told WVLT.
The bear came back anyway and this time, it devoured 45 pounds of marshmallow cream, 80 pralines—bag and all. The bear left thousands in damage and lost inventory, and the cleanup took six hours. But Bohanan wasn’t alone. Business owners across Gatlinburg have been scrambling for solutions as bears emerge from hibernation with one mission: find food, fast.
Understanding Bear Hibernation and Spring Emergence
It's not just a Gatlinburg problem. It's not even just a business problem. Bear break-ins are happening nationwide and the numbers prove it. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been tracking bear-human interactions since 2019, and the 2025 data2 tells a stark story: 5,299 reported interactions, a 50.2% increase from 2023. Nearly half (46%), resulted in property damage and trash was behind 57% of those cases.
According to the National Park Service, during hibernation, bears sometimes wake up and leave their dens, but they generally don't eat or drink during this time.3 Instead, they live off fat they've built up beforehand. Bears can lose approximately 15–30% of their body weight while hibernating. When spring rolls around and they emerge, they're hungry and that's when conflicts with humans spike.
The good news? Understanding bear behavior and taking proactive steps can help protect your property, your family, and even the bears themselves.
Protecting Bears While Protecting Your Home
Helping protect your home from bears also helps protect bears. When bears learn that human neighborhoods offer easy food, they become habituated, leading to increased conflicts and property damage. By securing attractants and maintaining awareness, you're not just protecting your property. You're helping bears stay wild and safe in their natural habitat. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends the following tips to help protect yourself and your home from bear break-ins4:
Secure Your Trash and Recycling
Keep Grills and Outdoor Cooking Areas Clean
Feed Pets Indoors
Stay Aware with Smart Home Security
Beyond securing attractants, staying aware of bear activity around your property can help you respond quickly and adjust your prevention strategies. Here's how Ring devices can help:
When Bears Come Knocking
Bears don't knock and they definitely don't wait for permission. When they decide your property has something worth investigating, they'll find a way in, whether it's through a cracked window, an unlocked car, or your trash can. Ring customers across the country have captured some pretty remarkable moments of these determined visitors, and their stories show why staying aware matters. Here's what happened when three families discovered bears who knew exactly what they were looking for.
20 Minutes, One Open Window, and a Frozen Lasagna Worth the Trip
Helena was at work when she got a Ring alert that a bear had pushed open a cracked window and let himself into her home. For 20 minutes, he made himself comfortable, helping himself to frozen lasagna from Helena's freezer, while her dogs were in the laundry room. The bear didn't break anything, but he did leave dog food scattered everywhere before making his exit.
This Bear Had One Goal and He Wasn't Leaving Empty-Handed
Alexis was inside while her mom relaxed on their back porch, while a bear hopped their fence to look for food in their garbage can. We were definitely shocked," Alexis said when looking back at the footage capture via her Ring Stick Up Cam. Now, with bears repeatedly visiting (and damaging their fence and bird feeder), Alexis relies on her Ring device to stay aware of what's happening around her property.
A Mama Bear on a Mission
Bears are a common sight at Richard's cabin in the Smoky Mountains, so when he found footage of a mama bear and three cubs on his property, he thought nothing of it. But as the video continued, he was shocked: the mama bear had broken the window of a car belonging to an overnight tenant, leaving glass and debris all over the driveway. "I'm sure there was something she found interesting in the car," Richard said. Thanks to his Ring device, he knows exactly what happened while everyone slept.
Bears emerging from hibernation is a natural part of spring—but that doesn't mean your home has to be vulnerable. By understanding bear behavior, how to secure attractants, and maintaining awareness of your property, you can help protect what matters most while respecting the wildlife that shares our communities.
Ring devices don't just capture remarkable moments. They give you the information you need to make safer decisions for your family. The best defense against bear break-ins isn't just strong locks or bear-resistant trash cans. It's also knowing what's happening around your home before it becomes a problem.
Spring is here, the bears are awake, and with the right preparation, you can enjoy the season without worry. If you’re ready to boost your home awareness this spring, explore which device is best for your home to help you stay informed about everything happening around your property—from package deliveries to wildlife visitors.
If you have stories or videos you’d like to share with us, please send them to stories@ring.com.