CARRABASSETT VALLEY — It is that time a year when black bears come out of hibernation.

Police were called to the Baxter Street area Wednesday for a report of a black bear on a porch, Police Chief Mark Lopez said.

The homeowner took a photo of the bear, which the Police Department posted on its Facebook page. Baxter Street is at the lower end of the Access Road to Sugarloaf, he said.

About a month ago skiers reported seeing a bear on a trail. A sighting of a bear cub was also reported.

The Maine Warden Service and biologists responded.

As a reminder, Lopez advised people not to get between a mother bear and a cub or agitate a bear.

Maine is home to the largest population of black bears in the lower 48 states. Maine bears are most active between April 1 and Nov. 1, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website: www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/wildlife-human-issues/living-with-wildlife/bears.html

“When natural foods are scarce, especially in the spring or dry summers, bears will venture into backyards and fields in search of easily accessible food such as bird feeders, garbage, grills and pet foods,” according to the department.

The department advises removing items that attract bears, raccoons and skunks.

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