Have there been more bear encounters in Manitoba than in previous years?

A Manitoba man feels like he’s seeing more bears near his home this year than before.

Patrick Pushor, a resident of Seven Sisters Falls, captured on camera a black bear wandering onto his property and enjoying a snack from the fruit bushes.

“We have a little over eight acres here, gardens, but also a lot of fruit trees and a raspberry picking garden. So a lot of fruit for all the blueberries,” Pushor said.

Last year he did have a few bears, but he says that was mainly because he wasn’t composting properly.

“We are a lot smarter this year, but we still see more bears. What is noticeable is that the fruit was a little later this year.”

Other than being captured on camera, he has never met his family in person.

He noted that his neighbors had also seen bears and had even called animal control as a precaution.

“That’s one of the biggest concerns, right? Is that they get used to how we sound, or how we smell, and then they don’t go away.”

It’s not the only bear interaction CTV News Winnipeg has learned about. A viewer provided video of a mother black bear and two cubs running through Wasagaming Campground during the last weekend of July.

Although it is suspected that more bears will be found, statistics from the province indicate the opposite.

A provincial spokesman said 744 bear encounters were reported between Jan. 1 and July 30, according to figures from conservation officials.

Looking at the same time frame, going back to 2021, there were more encounters in both 2022 and 2021: 766 and 1,698 respectively.

In 2023, there were only 465 encounters and the province calls it a very quiet bear season.

The spokesperson said wildlife officials will respond to bear concerns depending on where the bear is seen and whether there is a potential for conflict.