Vermont’s bear hunting season starts September 1, and hunters can improve their chances if they scout ahead of time to find fall foods such as wild apples, beechnuts, acorns, and berries -- where bears will be feeding.
This year, hunters are reminded a new regulation now requires them to submit a bear tooth so wildlife managers can collect important information on Vermont’s bear population.
“Fall foods for bears are more abundant than they were last year,” said bear biologist Forrest Hammond. “Bears will be feeding along power lines and in forest openings and old fields where berries and apples can be found as well as in forested beech and oak stands. They also are likely to be feeding on standing corn.”
Teeth submitted by hunters are used to determine the ages of bears. Wildlife biologists use age and sex data to estimate the number of bears in the state and to determine the status and health of the bear population. Envelopes for submitting teeth are available at all big game check stations.
“Successful bear hunters will be helping in our management of this magnificent big game animal,” Hammond explained. “The premolar tooth we’re asking hunters to extract is small and easy to loosen with a knife. Directions for removing the tooth are on the back of the envelope provided by the check station, and a short video showing tooth removal is linked on our website.”
Vermont has two bear hunting seasons. The early bear hunting season, which requires a special bear tag, starts September 1 and continues through November 10. The late bear season begins November 11 and continues through November 19. The limit for bears remains one per calendar year.
Hammond says Vermont’s regulated bear hunting seasons help in managing the state’s population of about 5,400 bears. Hunters took 697 bears last year in 193 Vermont towns.
“Twenty-five years ago, Vermont had less than 3,000 bears, and they were found mostly in the mountains and northeastern quarter of the state,” he said. “Although we have successfully increased bear numbers, the human population has also risen, resulting in more encounters between humans and bears. Carefully regulated hunting helps control the growth of the black bear population and allows for their sustainable use, while decreasing interactions with humans.”
Hammond asks hunters in southern Vermont to avoid shooting bears with yellow ear tags and GPS collars because they are valuable animals in the Deerfield Wind bear study.
A video showing how to remove the tooth is available on the Fish & Wildlife website and YouTube channel.
A Guide to Bear Hunting in 2017 is available on the Fish & Wildlife website.