Deer find landscaped yards to be like cafeterias, he said. "There's a lot more to eat here, and we fertilize it so the grass is growing, the plants are healthy."

Deer happen to be a main food of mountain lions.

Meanwhile, people are heading into remote areas for recreation.

Bears have learned that campgrounds and cabin sites are good places to find food, he said. They wander around looking for chow.

"Sometimes that's going to result in somebody being injured, just because these are big and dangerous predators," he said.

Tips to reduce wildlife conflict:

• Steer clear of large animals. One reason attacks are increasing is because wild animals are losing the fear of humans and people are losing their fear of animals. "Oftentimes people don't have a healthy respect for a bear or a mountain lion or a bison," he said.

• Watch carefully for animals while driving. Collisions are a main cause of human deaths in conflicts with animals. Deer almost always travel in groups, he said. If a driver notices a deer beside the road and then speeds up, thinking the deer is out of the way, it could set up a disaster. Another deer, maybe a fawn, may dash across the road to join the first deer, causing an accident.

"Slow way down, where you can stop on a dime."

---

E-mail: bau@desnews.com