It may not look like it, but it’s that time of year when bears are emerging from their dens and you need to take down your birdfeeders, says the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

“Do not wait to take down your birdfeeders and bearproof your yard until a bear comes to visit,” said Jaclyn Comeau, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s bear biologist, in a press release. “You need to act now to head off bear conflicts over the spring and summer, even if you have never had a bear visit your property before.”

Unfortunately, bear “incidents” have been on the rise over the past several years. Officials believe this trend is a result of a healthy black bear population in Vermont learning to associate people with food over multiple generations.

Vermont’s bear population has been stable over the past two decades and shows signs of growth over the past five years, even with increasing numbers of bears being taken by hunters. There was a record “harvest” of bears in 2024, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Shorter winters are also playing a role in the increase of human/bear conflicts, with bears leaving their dens earlier in the spring, as early as mid-March in recent years. This is roughly two weeks earlier than what is traditionally considered the start of bear season in northern New England.

“Preventing bears from having access to human-related foods is key to successful coexistence with these long-lived and intelligent animals,” Comeau said. “Bears can be found in every corner of Vermont other than the Champlain Islands. Put bluntly, most Vermonters live in bear country.”

Take these steps to coexist with bears

Fish and Wildlife asks you to take the following steps to coexist peacefully with bears:

• Take down birdfeeders between mid-March and December.
• Store garbage in bear-resistant containers or structures; trash cans alone are not enough.

Taking these precautions will also help reduce the chance of attracting other wildlife, such as raccoons, skunks and rodents. Fish and Wildlife is also asking you to submit reports of bears targeting birdfeeders and garbage, feeding on crops or livestock or investigating campgrounds. You can submit a report on the department’s Living with Black Bears web page.

“At the end of the day, purposely feeding a bear is not just bad for the bear,” Comeau said. “It is also dangerous for you, it causes problems for your neighbors and it is illegal. If bears are finding food on your property, it is your responsibility to remove that attraction and report a problem before the situation gets worse.”

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.