This commentary is by Rod Coronado, the Wildlife Programs Director for Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary and the state director of Vermont Wildlife Patrol. Like many Vermonters, I live in forested mountainous terrain that black bears love. Every spring, I enjoy walking through our beech fore st stands to spy the shriveled leaf nests made high up in the trees by bears the previous year. Their claw marks adorn many of these trees.  About this time of year, we’ve all learned to bring in those bird feeders and secure compost piles as our bear neighbors begin to emerge from their winter dens hungry. As both our human and black bear populations continue to grow, we have a responsibility to practice coexistence with the wild animals that call Vermont home. It’s part of why we all love the Green Mountain State, because there is enough space for everyone if we learn to be good neighbors.  Last year, there were hundreds of bear conflict calls received by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, as our human population continues to grow in habitat also shared by bears. Without properly bear-proofing trash, compost, and even chicken coops, more conflicts are being reported. We’ve learned that bears that become accustomed to being fed by humans pose the greatest risk for conflict as they begin to associate humans with a food source. The National Park Service says “a fed bear is a dead bear” because once this kind of habituation begins, the potential for human conflicts can become too high, and lethal measures must be taken to kill so-called problem bears.  In February 2026, the Vermont Bowhunters Association petitioned the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board, asking for the practice of bear baiting to be allowed for hunting, as it is currently in New Hampshire and Maine, two of 12 states where bear baiting is legal. For those unfamiliar with the practice, bear baiting usually involves using a barrel or hollow log as a receptacle for a variety of human foods — such as expired candy, cereal, granola, syrups and other high-calorie foods — which can be refilled daily. Bears return repeatedly to the same spot, allowing a predictable hunting opportunity.  Before moving to Vermont, I spent eight years in Wisconsin investigating the ongoing conflict between bear hunters who bait and federally protected gray wolves. Every year, over a dozen bear hunting hounds are killed by wolves, who have become accustomed to hunting near bear bait piles. When the dogs are released to chase the bears that have fed on the bait, the wolves defend their feeding territory by killing the hounds. In summer, I would witness bear hunters arriving on any given Friday to load the dozens of baits they used to attract bears closer to dirt roads where their hounds could catch their scent.  Since the intentional feeding of bears can also attract not just wolves, but other animals to bait piles, another threat bear baiting poses to wildlife is disease transmission. Another concern is that artificially feeding bears can lead to larger litter sizes, not the objective of our state’s efforts to manage the growing bear population.  At this past February’s Fish and Wildlife Board meeting, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s bear biologist Jaclyn Comeau reviewed the department’s proposed bear rule changes, which includes lengthening the season, increasing the bag limit in some areas, and possible restrictions for non-resident hound hunters. The department did not recommend allowing bear baiting, and when Comeau was asked by board members about the practice, she expressed concerns with introducing artificial food sources to our bears and because sarcoptic mange — a highly contagious skin disease caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin — has recently been documented in Vermont’s bear population.  READ MORE Sarcoptic mange has become a growing threat to eastern black bears, and in states like Pennsylvania and Virginia, it’s been recognized that the intentional feeding of wildlife is a main contributor to the spread of mange, which can be transmitted via saliva.  I am not against ethical and legal bear hunting. The successful recovery of our black bear population is a conservation success story thanks in large part to hunters, who continue to play an important role in conservation efforts. Feeding bears has long been recognized as a danger to both bears and humans, yet our Fish and Wildlife Board is considering it as a viable option to increase hunting opportunities at a time when license sales have been in continual decline.  If the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board votes this spring to allow bear baiting, why should they stop there? Deer hunting organizations won’t be far behind in asking why they shouldn’t be allowed to bait as well. Chronic Wasting Disease is another problem in other states’ deer herds, but not yet in Vermont, though, like sarcoptic mange, the disease can also be transmitted via saliva at bait piles.  I hope the Fish and Wildlife Board does not force the department, which it oversees, to reverse course from the current spring messaging, which tells us not to contribute to growing bear conflicts by feeding the bears. Let’s keep Vermont’s bears wild! Read the story on VTDigger here: Rod Coronado: A fed bear is a dead bear. Vermont’s hunting lobby didn’t get the memo.. ...read more read less