Bear

[Cory]

While having only seen 1 bear in my young 33 years of age. I checked my trail cam last week and having never seen an evidence of a bear at my cabin in the 26 years my dad has owned it to our surprise there was a bear on it 30 yards from the front door. While driving down rt 241 in catt country today doing some Amish shopping there in the middle of a field was a big black bear. Thats 2 in my lifetime glad my son was there with my to witness the bear who knows how long it'll be till he sees one again!!

[VT Outfitter]

I would say the chances are getting better every year. We have had a bear population explosion here in Vermont in the last five years. 10 years ago in Benson, the town I live in, a bear sighting was very rare. Two years ago there were 7 bears shot during season in the Benson area and I had trail camera photos of a big boar right behind my house. This year the town of Killington, the ski mountain area, bears are tearing into camps and vehicles looking for food, I would guess. You used to have to climb to the top of the mountains in Vermont to find bear sign, now in some towns you have to look before you walk out on the deck. Anyone heard reliable information about what has happened to see such a boom in the bear population?

[Red]

I didn't see my first bear until 2010 I was 29 yrs old I got that best then last year I seen 5 opening day of gun season I think we're going to start setting a lot more bear they are very fun to watch

[G-Man]

10 Years ago..lucky if you saw one..now get to see quite a few and trail ccan photos that were once a year are now every two weeks.. the population has really grown fast...to fast..becoming a nusence by me now.

[stubby68]

Just a few we have gotten on film over the last couple years

[VT Outfitter]

I didn't see my first bear until 2010 I was 29 yrs old I got that best then last year I seen 5 opening day of gun season I think we're going to start setting a lot more bear they are very fun to watch

It is amazing that such a big animal can move through the loudest piece of woods without making so much as a leaf crackle. Very cool critters to watch for sure.

I never saw this bear in the woods, but I was watching for him.

[Doc]

So has anyone ever explained why all of a sudden the bear population is growing and spreading across the state? Does it have something to do with the maturing of NYS habitat?

[stoneam2006]

I saw my first bear during the deer season before last...sow and 3 cubs 50 yards from me was quite a rush....now my neighbors and friends consistently have them on cams....also in bc catt co.

[Hock3y24]

I've seen 2 bears this year, never before this year

[Vince1]

seen plenty of bear tracks and sign last year... no bear

[G-Man]

I think the population originally spread as landfills and garbage dumps shut down..the easy food that concentrated them is gone,Now bears can have up to Five cubs. Mom keeps them around for.two years. The take no bear in a group law protected them. Now if these five have cubs say even two apiece for 3of the original 5 were sows.That's 13 new bear in 4 Years. I see the bear in a group has been dropped in new regs. i know i am sick of them, my 3-d targets have been chewed up, barn broke into, hotub damaged, bird feeders destroyed or carried off, and this spring an adult doe crossed the road on a full run with a good size bear right on her a$$. DEER are made for a quick sprint, bear can run for miles.. not sure what happened to her but i would say the outcome wasnt good. I hope they knock the population back a bit, as I now have Four different bear on camera on just my property.

[Doc]

I think the population originally spread as landfills and garbage dumps shut down..the easy food that concentrated them is gone,Now bears can have up to Five cubs. Mom keeps them around for.two years. The take no bear in a group law protected them. Now if these five have cubs say even two apiece for 3of the original 5 were sows.That's 13 new bear in 4 Years. I see the bear in a group has been dropped in new regs. i know i am sick of them, my 3-d targets have been chewed up, barn broke into, hotub damaged, bird feeders destroyed or carried off, and this spring an adult doe crossed the road on a full run with a good size bear right on her a$$. DEER are made for a quick sprint, bear can run for miles.. not sure what happened to her but i would say the outcome wasnt good. I hope they knock the population back a bit, as I now have Four different bear on camera on just my property.

I have read that bear predation on fawns can be significant as well. I also have experienced bear damage, and we aren't even in a heavily populated bear area. One that was passing through a few years ago ripped down bird feeders and dragged trash all through the woods out back. So we have taken precautions to avoid that kind of thing in the future, but it is still a pain. I'm not blaming the bears. They are just being bears, doing what they do. But when people complain about such things, I can sympathize. I also can see where the population could get completely out of control without a bit of heavy population management.

[BKhunter]

I hunt in 4y and have so for the 10 years I've been hunting. Never seen a bear or bear sign for that matter. I wouldn't mind the population spreading down our way. would love to get a chance to hunt a black bear.

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[Bow Addict]

So has anyone ever explained why all of a sudden the bear population is growing and spreading across the state? Does it have something to do with the maturing of NYS habitat?

See when momma bear meets daddy bear_ _ _ _

[ATbuckhunter]

Ive never seen a bear yet or hear of any in the area. I know eventually they will start showing up in the area. I know one was shot close to the property I hunt in 3J but still no sign on the property its self. 

[Elmo]

The one and only time I ever saw a bear was 2 years ago.  It was just sitting up along the side of a highway as I drove by in Orange County.  I slowed down to take a look as I passed by.  Pretty decent sized fellow.

[A Sportsman]

Where I hunt in 3A there is some of the higher bear populations in the state. Just based on my recollection of hunting there since the mid 90s, we seem to have a few bear sightings every year. I think we've probably seen an increase in sightings but it hasn't been a big increase. And there have been years where we saw none, so its been a hard thing to track. As info, when I say "we",there are 6 Hunters spending an average of 5 or 6 days per year in the woods. Last year I think we laid eyes on 3 individual Bears.

I think its nice That DEC is allowing for more bear hunting opportunities. Hoping to give the sept season a shot. We'll See.

[Doc]

I think that a lot of the newer areas where bears are showing up primarily still have some very thin populations. I'm guessing that without hounds and without baiting, the population is still so thin that no one is successfully going out specifically to hunt bears. So, all these new areas can open up to hunting, but the only additional bears taken because of it will be incidental harvests from deer hunters. I know a lot of people are hoping bears will spread into their area with visions of having another species to hunt. The problem is, unless you have some rare situation, a bear or two can have a huge range in which you can spend weeks out of your life hunting them and never even get a look at one. Bear hunting is now legal in our county, but other than some damage from a bear that was just passing through a few years back, I and no one that I know has seen one locally or even seen a track or scat or anything ..... and we have prime bear habitat. So likely I will not be using any of my time hunting them here.

[stoneam2006]

Ik last year with some snow on the ground I was hunting out toward Naples and walked in on a fresh bear track straight outta truck....never saw it but it's the second time in same place I've seen bear sign...first one was scat maybe few days old or so