WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Wildlife Officials Eye Expanded Bear Hunt

Wildlife Officials Eye Expanded Bear Hunt

Burlington, Vermont - November 1, 2009

To control Vermont's black bear population, officials are looking at expanding the hunting season.

It's estimated there are about 57-hundred bears in Vermont. That's almost a 30-percent increase from ten years ago. About 400 bears are killed each hunting season, but several years ago the Fish & Wildlife Department shortened the bear season so it didn't overlap with rifle deer season. Now officials say the population is getting too big and there are more backyard bear complaints.

"We will probably get to a point where we are going to want to increase the harvest to control the total number of bear. We start having more nuisance complaints - and bears entering houses - and causing property damage when you have too many -- there will be a certain point where we may want to extend the opportunity back into deer season and just stabilize the number of bears," said Vt. Fish & Wildlife Commissioner, Wayne Laroche.

Fish & Wildlife officials say to avoid bears in your backyard, remove bird feeders, keep pet food inside and clean up after barbecues. Under Vermont law it is illegal to shoot a bear that has been attracted by food.