Winter is almost here, and local bears are nearing the deadline for their long nap. It is "crunch time" (pun intended) for the bears to put on some weight and stock up for winter. When scavenging for food in the forest isn’t enough, bears usually look for an easier source of chow. Bear sightings are showing up on people's social media pages all over the state. With each one having a common denominator.... Bears love scrounging in trash.

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In fact, just recently we heard news of Colorado wildlife officials being forced to euthanize a bear after discovering it had a stomach full of trash.

According to Newsweek

"The bear could not digest food and was very sick," Colorado Park and Wildlife (CPW) area manager Rachel Sralla said in a statement. "It all comes back to trash, which we talk about too often when it comes to bear conflicts in Colorado. The reason we had to put this bear down was to end its suffering that was caused by eating indigestible trash."

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Now, there are plenty of ways to keep bears out of your trash. In fact, Montana disposal companies are now offering bear-proof cans for people who live in areas known to be have frequent bear activity. Luckily, something as simple as a Halloween decoration can keep bears out of your trash. Turns out, I am not the only one who is afraid of creepy clowns.

With Halloween almost here, why not put your decorations to work for you and use them to help ward off bears?

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LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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