Bears want nothing to do with a low calorie diet; they prefer foods that are high in carbohydrates and fats.

The foods that backpackers typically eat and even much of the food scraps that we consider garbage are higher in calories than most natural bear foods. Similarly, the garbage that we leave outside and the birdseed that we provide in feeders can be a calorie bonanza for a bear; birdseed is a particularly strong attractant. 

When we store our food and garbage poorly it is much easier for a bear to obtain than the natural foods they must forage for.

However, wild, non-habituated bears will not normally show an interest in our food unless they are first introduced to it through our careless behavior. Bears learn about new food sources by association. If they cannot easily get to our food they will look elsewhere.

When bears start to associate humans with food their normal tendency to avoid humans begins to change. They begin to approach campsites and dwellings where they are more prone to encounters with humans. They often cause considerable property damage in their search for human foods, from torn or damaged camping equipment, to broken windows or doors on cabins and cottages. They are also more likely to be struck by vehicles as they cross roadways near houses, campgrounds and restaurants, and also to be killed illegally by landowners worried about safety or property damage. 

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