French door handles, locked or unlocked, are so easy for black bears to open that they’re known as “bear handles” and are prohibited by local building code. But people like them, and do-it-yourselfers either don’t know or don’t care about the finer points of building code, and Kurtis sees them everywhere. Hollow doorknobs are likewise prohibited; bears crush and grip them in their teeth and easily turn them. (Some businesses make things even easier. Automatic doors open for bears, too.)
