LOS ANGELES — Fall is the time of year when bears really begin to think with their stomachs.

Some will double their weight to prepare for wintertime hibernation, often scavenging for calories for up to 20 hours per day. This feeding frenzy, called hyperphagia, drives them farther from their usual range and into neighborhood dumpsters in search of easy meals.

That instinct led one hungry black bear to a South Lake Tahoe home across the Nevada border, surprising an 87-year-old man who had stepped into his garage for firewood before dawn Wednesday.

“The man retreated back into his house, and as he did that, the bear swiped at him and scratched his hand. Then the bear followed him into the home,” said Ashley Zeme, a spokesperson for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Moments later, the con

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