This story, originally published in March of 2024, has been updated.
For years, the state would advise Vermonters to remove bird feeders and other food sources that might attract a bear to their property by April 1. Recently though, that hasn’t been a reliable end of the hibernating season.
“We have been seeing that creep earlier and earlier into mid-March,” Jaclyn Comeau, the bear biologist for Vermont Fish and Wildlife, told Vermont Public last year.
As of March of this year, bears have been reported destroying bird feeders, killing livestock and getting into garbage cans across the state, including in Putney, Hinesburg and Dorset.
A black bear visited a Vermont bird feeder earlier this season. Credit: D. Field / Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
While female bears with new cubs will hibernate until April, other bears will emerge from their dens once enough snow recedes and temperatures warm.
So state biologists are asking Vermonters to take precautions against bears now, including taking down bird feeders.
“There’s not a lot of other food on the landscape, so it makes your bird feeder, your garbage, your backyard livestock much more appealing to these animals,” Comeau said.
She said to put up an electric fence if you have bees, chickens or other livestock. Store garbage in a secure structure, and consider attaching a rag or sponge soaked in ammonia to minimize odors. And if you see a bear, report it to the state and to your neighbors.
That’s to prevent bears from learning to associate food with people’s homes.
"These are like, smart, persistent animals," Comeau said.
"If they cruise through your backyard or your neighborhood and don’t find any foods, it’s less likely they are going to keep coming back to that spot."
Being proactive is vital for the animal’s safety — the state and private residents kill upwards of 40 bears a year whose behavior presents a danger to the public, like breaking into cars, killing livestock or causing extensive property damage.
“So many people see these bear incidents as just being seemingly benign,” Comeau said.
“In a lot of cases, it is just a nuisance. It's an annoyance. But these things can escalate.”
