A Vermont Dumpster Diver | S. Chambers, Vermont Fish and Wildlife.
The black bear population in Vermont is beginning to balloon out of control and well past the state’s own management objective. As conflicts increase and officials inevitably put down dozens of ‘problem bears’ each year, this particular northeastern wildlife agency is approaching the situation as if it is a real problem instead of an opportunity for more press releases about “coexistence.”
As it currently stands in the Green Mountain State, official estimates put the state’s black bear population somewhere between 6,800 and 8,000 animals. The official objective in the state’s Big Game Management Plan is 3,500 to 5,500, meaning Vermont is carrying roughly double the number of bears it has decided is sustainable from both a biological and social standpoint. Predictably, Vermont is now seeing record or near-record numbers of human-bear incidents, more bears entering homes and vehicles, and a steady increase in the number of problem animals that have to be put down.
While the numbers seem pretty straightforward, some residents are choosing to complicate matters further. As officials are learning, many residents are reluctant to report early or minor bear activity because they fear the animal will be killed. Officials say this hesitation often allows situations to escalate until the bear is so food-conditioned that non-lethal options are no longer realistic, or what Fish & Wildlife has called “the worst possible catch-22 for the bears.”
Unlike certain other states that have spent the last decade pretending higher bear numbers are an unalloyed good (read: New Jersey and Connecticut), Vermont Fish & Wildlife is thankfully acknowledging the obvious. Biologists and the Fish and Wildlife Board are now proposing concrete changes aimed at increasing hunter harvest this fall and beyond with key proposals heading to public comment this month.
The main proposals would collapse the current early and late seasons into one continuous season, effectively extending opportunity into mid-December during the muzzleloader season. They would also allow hunters to purchase a second bear tag in specific Wildlife Management Units designated each year by the Board. Outside of that, secondary changes include a prohibition on the intentional take of a sow accompanied by cubs and some clarification of the bear-dog permit rules.
In what is looking like a rare (but great) example of a northeastern state refusing to let public sentiment and social media dictate management, the newly proposed rules look as though they would put additional pressure where it’s needed most without swinging the pendulum too far the other way.
Public hearings are scheduled for August 24 in St. Johnsbury (hybrid option available) and August 27 in Bennington.
