The DEEP is warning residents of bear incidents, saying 25 of them entered people's homes in separate occasions this year alone.

It says if you don't want an uninvited house guest, you need to make sure you're not rolling out the welcome mat unwittingly. One resident said they had left a bag of birdseed on the porch, which the DEEP Wildlife Division says bears can smell.

Jenny Dickson, the director of the Wildlife Division, says the problem comes when bears get too used to finding food on people's property.

Officials say to avoid storing pet food outside and to keep trash bags secured until the morning they're collected.

The state's black bear population has been on the rise for several years, and Dickson says that's a good thing. Dickson says just to keep distance, and so will the bear.

Unsecured screen doors are a favorite entry point for curious bears. The DEEP says if you do see a bear to reach out.

The DEEP reported that 17 bears entered people's homes in 2019. This year, the state hit that mark over the month of June alone.