THE HUNT
When/Where
Hunting is only permitted in the areas shown on the map (to view: hunting consultant --> map).
Early bear season: September 1-November 15
Late bear season: November 16-December 1
Hunting is permitted from sunrise to half an hour after sunset.Current limit: shooting one bear per calendar year. If a hunter harvests a bear during any part of the year, that hunter is done bear hunting for the year.
Weapons
Bears can be killed with a gun or a crossbow, and these can only be used if the appropriate permits are possessed. They may also be taken with the help of hounds, provided the person in charge of the dogs has a bear-dog permit, no more than six dogs can be used.
Tagging
Bear must be tagged immediately when taken. The tag must be placed on the carcass open to view and remain there until the carcass is cut up for consumption.
Reporting a bear
A person taking bear shall within 48 hours report the taking and exhibit the carcass to the nearest game warden, official Fish & Wildlife Department Reporting Station, or to a person designated by the commission to receive the reports. No bear carcass can be transported out of state without first being reported.
Tooth Collection
Hunters are required to collect a small premolar tooth from each harvested bear. Removing the bear’s pre-molar tooth is easy and does not affect the mounting quality of the bear. Tooth collection allows the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to track the age of the bears that are harvested by hunters. This is an important part of Vermont's scientific bear management program.
Strategies
The key to stalking bears is finding concentrated natural food sources in or near prime bear habitat. Early in the season, preferred foods include late-ripening berries, black cherries, and standing corn. As the season progresses, wild apples, beechnuts, and acorns become more important. Stalking bears in a stand of nut-rich beech trees half way up a mountain on a crisp October afternoon is one of hunting's most exciting challenges. The reward in terms of the meat it produces is also great. When properly prepared, bear meat compares favorable to pork.
Prohibitions
When/Where
Hunting is only permitted in the areas shown on the map (to view: hunting consultant --> map).
Early bear season: September 1-November 15
Late bear season: November 16-December 1
Hunting is permitted from sunrise to half an hour after sunset.Current limit: shooting one bear per calendar year. If a hunter harvests a bear during any part of the year, that hunter is done bear hunting for the year.
Weapons
Bears can be killed with a gun or a crossbow, and these can only be used if the appropriate permits are possessed. They may also be taken with the help of hounds, provided the person in charge of the dogs has a bear-dog permit, no more than six dogs can be used.
Tagging
Bear must be tagged immediately when taken. The tag must be placed on the carcass open to view and remain there until the carcass is cut up for consumption.
Reporting a bear
A person taking bear shall within 48 hours report the taking and exhibit the carcass to the nearest game warden, official Fish & Wildlife Department Reporting Station, or to a person designated by the commission to receive the reports. No bear carcass can be transported out of state without first being reported.
Tooth Collection
Hunters are required to collect a small premolar tooth from each harvested bear. Removing the bear’s pre-molar tooth is easy and does not affect the mounting quality of the bear. Tooth collection allows the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to track the age of the bears that are harvested by hunters. This is an important part of Vermont's scientific bear management program.
Strategies
The key to stalking bears is finding concentrated natural food sources in or near prime bear habitat. Early in the season, preferred foods include late-ripening berries, black cherries, and standing corn. As the season progresses, wild apples, beechnuts, and acorns become more important. Stalking bears in a stand of nut-rich beech trees half way up a mountain on a crisp October afternoon is one of hunting's most exciting challenges. The reward in terms of the meat it produces is also great. When properly prepared, bear meat compares favorable to pork.
Prohibitions
- Hunting bears with the use of bait is prohibited.
- Bears may not be taken alive.
- Bears may not be trapped.
- Hunters may not use bait or a baited area to take a bear. A “baited area” is defined as an area where meat, carrion, honey, or any other substances capable of luring or attracting bear has been placed or deposited.
- It is illegal to shoot a bear that is visiting a bird feeder. It is illegal to feed bears.