FLORENCE, Ore. - Investigators on the coast are busy with the worst year ever in memory for aggressive bears. To date, 12 bears this season have already been killed because they were aggressive, and experts believe it boils down to some hungry bears.

Thrashed garbage, a garage door shredded, those are signs that some problem bears are lurking around the Florence and Yachats area. 

"Seriously they have never been as aggressive or consistent as they are this year," says Florence resident Kim Holden.

Holden says the bears visit her home. 

"I opened the door, and he was right here this morning," shows Holden. 

WHAT IF: You Encounter a Bear | DON'T: Feed the Bears

“A poor or perhaps just late berry crop this year is sending bears into residential areas looking for food,” District Wildlife Biologist Doug Cottam said. “In times like these, it’s even more important to not teach bears bad habits that endanger them and your neighbors."

Four of the bears were public safety risks due to their behavior. The other two bears killed tried to break into the same goat pen where a goat was killed last week.

ABOVE: An aggressive bear broke into this attached garage north of Yachats looking for food. Wildlife officials are attempting to catch the bear.

All of the bears had been repeatedly seen in the daytime and did not show wariness of people, indications that they had come to associate people with food and were now habituated, according to ODFW.

"No one wants to see more bears put down or a person attacked. Please don’t feed the bears,” Cottam said. 

The bears killed are young males likely competing with dominant, older males for food. “The younger hungry males are wandering back into residential areas for food, and they are finding it at places like birdfeeders,” said Cottam. “Remember the right thing to do is to leave bears wild. They must learn to rely on natural food sources."

While attacks are rare, bears habituated to finding food where humans live are often the ones involved in attacks on people.

WHAT IF: You Encounter a Bear | DON'T: Feed the Bears

But Holden says recently the bears a're getting pushy when it comes to finding food. 

"He's been aggressive and he growls, which is why I'm scared, so I keep calling Trooper Salisbury," says Holden.

Investigators are reaching record levels of bear complaints this season.  

"It's just been awful, it's just been a terrible year so far it's only July," says Doug Cottam with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In the last week, six bears were shot, four by homeowners. Cottam says the bears were a safety risk because they broke into homes, even charged and growled at people.

One of the reasons Cottam believes bears are coming out often in the daylight to neighborhoods, is because there's a shortage of bear food this year, especially berries.  "The normal berry crops that have produced by this time of year are either late or they're not going to happen," explains Cottam.

So Cottam thinks the bears are returning to neighborhoods where they know they can find food.  All of the bears killed have been males, likely competing with older males for food.

ODFW is extremely concerned about public safety in the mid-coast area and offers the following guidelines on what to do if you encounter a bear:

• Give any bear you see a way to escape. Step off the trail or road and slowly walk away.
  
• If you see bear cubs, steer clear and leave the area.
  
• If you encounter a bear, stay calm. Do not run or make sudden movements. Back away slowly as you face the bear.
  
• Avoid direct eye contact with the bear.
  
• If you are attacked, fight back. Shout, be aggressive, use rocks, sticks and hands to fend off an attack.
  

ODFW reminds residents to take the following precautions to avoid inadvertent feeding of bears.

• Remove all food attractants. Don't leave food unattended. Bears are creatures of habit and will return to spots where they have previously found food.
  
• Take in all birdfeeders, including hummingbird feeders, and sweep up any seed on the ground. (Generally it is not necessary to feed birds during the summer as they can rely on natural food sources.) 
  
• Keep all garbage inside your house or closed garage, and only place it outside just before garbage pick-up. If you do not have garbage service, contact your provider to begin scheduled pick-up.
  
• Use bear-resistant garbage cans.
  
• If bears have previously ransacked garbage cans, clean cans with hot water and bleach or ammonia to remove odors.
  
• Double bag all garbage. Use of ammonia-soaked rags in and around the cans may repel bears.
  
• Keep all pet food and livestock feed inside the house or garage.
  
• Use three strands of low-cost electric fencing as an easy way to deter bears from fruit trees, compost piles, beehives and garbage cans.
  
• Clean up barbecue grills and store them inside.