Be bear aware: How to live with bears in your backyard

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Jacob Elliot was wondering what was making all of the noise outside of his Lumpkin County home about 1 a.m.

As his security camera later revealed, it was a large black bear, inspecting the front porch. This bear was not after the porch furniture though, he targeted the trash cans, just feet away.

“He was a large one for sure,” Elliot said as he reviewed the video with FOX 5 News.

Although there was a bit of a mess to clean up the next morning, the bear moved on without harming anyone or anything on the property.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said this type of occurrence is common, especially this time of year. FOX 5 News contacted agents that suggest securing trash and pet food, as well as removing bird feeders that may have been leftover from the winter.

Elliot said the sighting has changed the way he goes about his nighttime routine, especially with the family dog.

The Georgia DNR has several great resources to share with their BearWise program: https://georgiawildlife.com/bear-info