Almost as if in response to the slew of recent posts about bear sightings on The Valley’s Front Porch Forum, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department issued a press release about keeping compost and trash from the furry predators.
Right now, “Bears in Vermont are already thinking about winter and are currently in search of easy calories to fatten up,” the press release said. “Residential trash bins, bird feeders, pet food and beehives can become bear attractants if not properly secured,” as well as compost bins.
With the passage of the Universal Recycling Law, “more Vermonters are choosing to compost, and we want to help them prevent any potential problems with bears,” bear biologist Forrest Hammond said in the press release.
Hammond recommends that residents maintain a compost bin that is as scent-free as possible, which can be done by adding three parts carbon-rich brown materials like dry leaves, straw or ripped-up paper to the pile for every one part food scraps or green materials. Additionally, turning the pile every couple of weeks and burying fresh food scraps down in the pile helps reduce their attractiveness.
For residents who live in areas where bears are already common, Hammond recommends burying food scraps deep in a garden, taking them to a local drop-off facility or feeding them to a home solar digester.
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife press release also recommended that residents remove bird feeders between April 1 and November 30 and secure beehives and chicken coops with electric fencing. Because bears make a habit of feeding on human food sources once they find them, Hammond said that residents should carefully manage and secure all trash.
“It is extremely difficult to relocate a nuisance bear,” Hammond said. “Sadly, these bears sometimes need to be put down in order to protect human health. In Vermont we treasure our wildlife and we want to ensure our children have a chance to enjoy experiencing these animals well into the future. It’s up to people to avoid attracting bears before a bear becomes an issue.”
Also last week, Vermont Fish & Wildlife issued a press release about bear hunting season, which starts September 1.
“Twenty-five years ago, Vermont had less than 3,000 bears and they were found mostly in the mountains and in the northeastern quarter of the state,” Hammond said. Today, the state’s bear population is estimated around 6,000.
“Although we have successfully increased bear numbers, the human population has also risen, resulting in more encounters between humans and bears,” Hammond said. “Carefully regulated hunting helps control the growth of the black bear population and allows for their sustainable use, while decreasing interactions with humans.”
Vermont has two bear hunting seasons. The early bear hunting season, which requires a special bear tag, starts September 1 and continues through November 14. The late bear season begins November 15 and continues through November 23. A hunter may only take one bear a year.
Last year, hunters took a total of 562 bears in Vermont, with the largest number in the town of Rockingham, where 12 were harvested by licensed hunters. A report listing the number of bears taken in each town during the 2014 bear season is available on Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s website, vtfishandwildlife.com.
