Watch out hikers – bears are fattening up for winter

With warm weather ongoing and Labor Day still weeks away, you might not be thinking about incoming fall yet – but your local bears are.

Wildlife officials in Montana have issued a warning to campers and hikers to expect increased bear activity now through November as the state's bruins ready themselves for winter torpor . The announcement, detailed in the Great Falls Tribune , comes days after a bear attacked a three-year-old child in a tent when food was left unsupervised at a campsite.

Bears across North America start fattening up for winter – a process known as hyperphagia – as early as mid-August. Colorado Parks and Wildlife explains that this feeding frenzy sees bears spending up to 20 hours a day trying to eat more than 20,000 calories to gain as much weight as possible before their main food sources are buried in snow and they enter a state of rest.

This time period typically sees the biggest increase in human-bear conflicts, with bears active for longer periods throughout the day and conditions ideal for hiking and camping. The problem is intensified by habituation , which is when bears start to associate humans with food and lose their fear.

Staying safe in bear country

If you're recreating or residing in bear country, now is a good time for a refresher in bear safety – use the following advice to avoid unwanted encounters this fall:

• Stay diligent when hiking and camping in bear country.
• Know what to do if you meet a bear .
• Secure all food when camping in bear lockers or bring your own bear canister .
• If you are backpacking in bear country , know how to hang a bear bag .
• Never leave food or trash unattended in your campsite, and never keep food inside your tent .
• Do not feed bears.

• Best hiking boots: hit the trails