Hungry bears: Looking for that next meal, wherever it may be
With snow melting everywhere, bears are starting to emerge from their winter dens. When the snow is all gone, the bird feeders should go, too, wildlife officials say. (VTF&W Photo by Kris and Norm Senna)
Bears have long memories, and they may return to some old haunts (backyards) from 2020 if they can still get a bite to eat there.
That's even more likely now, as the bears' usual food sources in the woods are quite thin these days, turning these ursine wanderers toward bird seed, compost and trash.
That's why Vermont wildlife officials are spreading the word: Take down your bird feeders, and secure your outdoor trash areas. Bears are very smart, and they remember where that trash and compost were placed last year.
State wildlife biologist Forrest Hammond said it's best to remove bird feeders whenever the snow is gone, which usually comes ahead of April 1 these days.
"The message is, if the snow's disappeared from your lawn, then you probably should take down your bird feeder, because chances are, there's gonna be a bear checking things out," he said.
The bear sightings are starting to roll in for 2021. On Monday, Hammond got a call from a neighborhood in Quechee, where a bear has been enjoying bird feeders for the past week. A common question is whether taking down the feeder at night helps. But the bear can simply adjust his schedule to the daytime, and there's usually some seed spilled on the ground anyway.
"It really doesn't do any good," Hammond said.
Last year, Vermont bears discovered many new places for food during the height of the pandemic, when everyone was at home, and houses usually empty for part of the year were not. Hammond is hopeful that warmer weather will be consistent, and lush vegetation will flourish as a result, giving bears fewer reasons to drop by houses and yards.
“That'll help, because that's the mainstay for bears, the vegetation," he said.
As a rule, the entire month of April is "pretty bleak" for bear food in the woods, Hammond said. They'll go to beaver ponds to find some spouts by the water, or even climb some trees — like Aspens — which get their buds early. That's why you sometimes see scratch marks on Aspen trees early in the years, and racoons and squirrels do the same.
However, climbing is often a last resort.
"It takes a lot of energy for a bear that might weigh 150 pounds to climb up just to get a few buds," Hammond said.
As spring goes on, if you see a bear in your backyard, Hammond recommends making some noise, like yelling at the animal, to encourage it to back off. That may not only keep the bear from your yard, but also your neighbors' yards. Just as bears remember where they want to eat, they also remember negative experiences. The more a bear gets used to an uninterrupted food source, the harder it is to discourage them from it, Hammond said.
"Then they'll kind of adopt a neighborhood or a set of neighborhoods," he said.
Still, Hammond noted that last year, more Vermonters learned the importance of securing their trash areas and removing bird feeders. He encouraged people to keep educating their neighbors about taking those important steps.
"I've got high hopes that people in Vermont are learning how to live better with bears," Hammond said.
— Gareth Henderson
To report a bear sighting in Vermont, fill out this online form.
