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Prince George, B.C. – It’s that time of year again.

Reports of bear sightings has the Northern Bear Awareness Society asking residents to be bear aware.

President Dave Bakker says social media reports suggest there’s been sightings of what he figures is just one bear prowling around the Tyner/Ospika area.

“Given weather conditions and current environmental factors we’re really not all that surprised,” he says. “Our April to November, what we call bear season has now become March to November for the last two years.”

Bakker says the lack of natural food sources means bears will be searching for grub wherever they can find it.

“A bear is going to go to the last place that it found food and in the late winter months that is going to be a residential neighourhood – garbage and bird feeders.”

He says you can help preempt a potential human/bear conflict by taking a couple of steps.

“Start putting your garbage away, storing it properly. Start cleaning up around your bird feeder. I know it’s still really early and we don’t predict a lot of activity for probably another three weeks at least, but it’s hard to say, the only thing predictable about wildlife is the unpredictability.”