Vermont has two black bear hunting seasons for 2025; the first one runs from September 1 to November 14, and then the late bear hunting season runs from November 15 to November 23.
According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, hunters are only permitted to kill one bear per year, require a special bear tag for the early season and must report the bear’s killing at an authorized station. A pre-molar tooth must be collected. In addition, it is illegal to use bait to hunt bears.
Hunters are told to refrain from shooting a sow (mother bear) with cubs.
black bear cubs are dependent on their mothers through the following spring. it is important to maintain these family groups.
In a heartbreaking post on Wednesday, featuring the photos of bear cubs alone in Stowe who had just lost their mother to a hunter. Protect Our Wildlife Vermont is asking authorities to act on a case of a hunter’s zest just to kill a black bear without caring that her cubs had not been far behind.
A local resident reported having seen the mother bear just 15 minutes before hearing two gunshots nearby. Shortly, after the shots had been fired, she spotted a camouflage dressed hunter drive away in a yellow pick-up truck followed by a construction truck.
And with the saddest of sightings, that same resident spotted three cubs in a tree near the spot where their mother was killed. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife has confirmed there had been a bear shot on that date and that it was a female. How is it that residents had repeatedly seen the sow with her cubs and even photographed them, however no official has even spoken up in their defense?
Despite pleas, including a petition, from the public to make killing mother bears with cubs illegal Vermont Fish & Wildlife still allows this practice.
This bear was killed on unposted land. You can prevent this from happening on your land by posting your property.
Learn more here: https://www.protectourwildlifevt.org/protecting-your…
The following tips for recognizing mother bears and their cubs:
Tips for Identifying Sows with Cubs
It is important that hunters take precautions to avoid killing sows accompanied by cubs. Follow these steps to increase the likelihood that you will correctly identify bear family groups:
- Be observant. Most adult female bears in Vermont weigh between 120 to 180 lbs. Cub sizes can vary widely by their first fall depending on food availability throughout the year, the fitness of the sow, and the number of cubs in a litter. Larger cubs can weigh over 50 lbs. and may appear almost as large as the sow while smaller cubs can be as little as 20 lbs. Be diligent to observe bears of this size class to determine if they are alone before harvesting.
- Be patient. Family groups may not always be within sight of each other, but members will be nearby. Take time to observe a bear to determine it is alone before killing. Select a shooting location that offers views of the surrounding area to increase the chance of observing potential cubs.
- When in doubt, don’t shoot.
If you live in Vermont or anywhere else and want to protect our wildlife, please find more information here and how you can help:
HAVE A HEART!
Protect Our Wildlife ©2025
PO Box 3024
Stowe, VT 05672
802-253-1592
POW is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.
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