Bears, Break-Ins and Less-Lethal: What Works in Steamboat, and What’s Legal
A record bear year in Routt County. Bear spray for bears, Byrna and less-lethal 12 gauge for the house, and what Colorado law and the City of Steamboat actually allow.
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2026 is a record bear year in Colorado, and Routt County has had more than its share. Here’s what works on a bear, what works on a break-in, and what Colorado law and the City of Steamboat actually allow.
This Year in Routt County
Drought left the natural food short, and bears are in the fall feeding push before they den. They’re getting into houses, garages and cars across the county.
- August 18, Steamboat. A bear came through a sliding glass door at 1 a.m. and struck a woman in the face when she tried to scare it off. Steamboat Radio
- September 3, Steamboat. A bear scraped a man napping on his patio. A neighbor stopped it with bear spray. Colorado Springs Gazette
- Garages and vehicles. A Steamboat bear was euthanized after breaking into garages and cars. Aspen Times
- Thirteen bears had been killed or euthanized in Routt County by early September. Steamboat Radio
Fall is when bears eat around the clock. Most of this year’s run-ins started with food: trash, bird feeders, a garage left open.
For Bears: Bear Spray
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s advice is simple. Carry bear spray, and use it when the bear is about 40 feet away. CPW calls it “more effective than firearms at deterring bears.”
The numbers
A study of 83 bear-spray incidents in Alaska (Smith, Herrero and others, Journal of Wildlife Management, 2008) found spray stopped the bear in 92% of brown-bear cases and 90% of black-bear cases. 98% of the people carrying it were not hurt. The study
- Carry it where you can reach it. On the belt or chest, not in the pack.
- Around the house: yell, bang pots, use a car horn or an air horn, and give the bear a way out. CPW’s words: “never approach a bear” and “don’t corner the bear.”
- If a black bear attacks: “don’t play dead. Fight back.” CPW: Living with bears
What the Law Says About Bears
C.R.S. 33-6-128
“Unless permitted by the division,” it is unlawful to “harass any wildlife.” There is no self-defense exception in that section. Statute
Shooting rubber rounds at a bear to run it off is hazing. CPW officers do it, trained and permitted, and CPW tells the public not to copy them. It goes wrong even for professionals: in August a bear cub in Granby died from a beanbag round fired during a police hazing that CPW supported. Denver7
C.R.S. 33-3-106(3)
You may kill a bear without a permit when it’s necessary to prevent it from causing death or injury to a person, or damage to livestock, real property or a motor vehicle. It “shall be reported to the division within five days,” and the bear stays the state’s. Statute
A bear in the trash is a call to CPW, not a shot. A bear coming through the door at you is self-defense.
For the House: Less-Lethal Options
Less-lethal is for the other kind of break-in, and for people who want something between a phone and a firearm. Two routes: a Byrna launcher, or less-lethal rounds in a pump shotgun.
Byrna launchers
CO2-powered launchers that fire .68 or .61 caliber balls: solid kinetic rounds, or pepper rounds that burst into an irritant cloud. Byrna says its launchers are “not classified as a firearm,” so no background check; you must be 18 to buy one. More on Byrna
| Model | Caliber | Rounds | Velocity | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD | .68 | 5 | 280 fps | 60 ft |
| CL | .61 | 5 | 400 fps | 60 ft |
| CL-XL | .61 | 7 | 410 fps | 60 ft |
| LE | .68 | 5 | 330 fps | 60 ft |
| TCR (rifle) | .68 | 7 or 12 | 300+ fps | up to 125 ft |
Byrna’s published figures (byrna.com).
Byrna itself recommends bear spray, not its launchers, for bears.
Less-lethal 12 gauge
A pump shotgun you already trust, loaded with rubber. We carry Lightfield’s wildlife-control rounds:
- Rubber Ball: two .73 caliber rubber balls at 700 fps, 15 to 40 yards. In stock
- Extended Range Rubber Slug (the blue one): 130 grains at 650 fps, 30 yards and out. In stock
Read the box
- Choke: Lightfield’s slugs are for Cylinder or Improved Cylinder bores only.
- Aim low: abdomen and below. Lightfield warns head, neck, chest and spine hits can cause serious injury or death.
- Less-lethal is not non-lethal. Treat it like any other round.
Specs from Lightfield.
No shotgun yet? A used pump is the cheapest way in. See what’s in the used shotgun rack, and ask us to check the choke before you load rubber slugs.
Lightfield Rubber Ball
12 ga · 5 rounds
Lightfield Rubber Slug
Extended range · 5 rounds
Byrna SD Kit
.68 cal · kinetic
Used Shotguns
Pumps in the rack now
Inside Steamboat City Limits
Steamboat Springs Municipal Code 10-166
“No person shall discharge any projectile from a firearm or gas or mechanically operated gun.” The exceptions are peace officers and a person acting “in lawful defense of person or property.” Code
That wording covers rubber rounds from a shotgun, and very likely a CO2 launcher too. In town, less-lethal is for defending yourself, not for moving wildlife along.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the current statute and code, or ask a Colorado attorney about your situation.
Come Look
Bear spray, Lightfield rounds and used pumps are at the counter at 1320 Dream Island Plaza. Byrna ships to your door or comes in for pickup. Questions? Call (970) 879-7565.
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