VERMONT OFFICIAL STATE WEBSITE
Bear Incident / Encounter Public Reporting Form

Coexisting with Vermont’s thriving black bear population means taking steps to help keep bears from becoming comfortable around people. To do this, Vermont Fish & Wildlife needs your help gathering information about how bears and people are interacting—especially when those interactions are unsafe for bears and people.

This form lets you report incidents when you encounter a bear somewhere that puts the bear—or people—at risk. This information will help us:

  • Understand where people are experiencing conflicts with bears.
  • Understand what types of human foods are attracting bears into backyards and communities.
  • Share relevant information to help resolve existing conflicts and prevent future conflicts.

We all play a role in improving coexistence between people and bears. We are happy to share information about human-bear incidents in your community. Please contact us to request the information you need to help your community take steps to be good neighbors with Vermont's bears.

Helpful definitions when filling out a bear encounter report:

  • Bear incidents are interactions with a bear that take place somewhere with a high risk of conflict between the bear and people. This includes watching a bear raid your garbage can, capturing a picture of a bear walking through your yard at night on a remote camera, or noticing a bear hanging around a shelter on the Long Trail.
  • Human-caused foods are any human-made items put out by people that a bear may try to eat – they do not necessarily need to be items people would eat. Common examples are birdseed, garbage, compost, animal feed, a backyard grill, beehives, and cultivated fruit trees/shrubs.
  • Attractant is anything that draws a bear into an area. This could include natural foods such as berries or nuts, human-caused foods, or even non-edible things that give off smells that are enticing to curious bears.
  • Human-bear conflict is an encounter that creates a real or perceived threat to property, human safety and/or the safety of the bear.

If you need immediate assistance dealing with an unsafe bear situation, please contact your local game warden.

Have any questions? Please visit our website for more information at VT Fish&Wildlife's Citizen Reporting information page or feel free to contact VFWD Wildlife at fwinformation@vermont.gov or (802) 828-1000.
Required fields are marked with a *

ENCOUNTER CONTEXT  my_location
In which type of setting did your bear incident occur?  *
HUMAN-CAUSED FOODS AND OTHER ATTRACTANTS  psychiatry
Did the bear access human-caused foods?  *
Please select the human-caused foods  *











Other human-caused food: Please describe (100 chars max)
RESIDENTIAL  housedirections_car
Were any chickens killed?  
Were any livestock killed?  
CAMPING / PICNIC  camping
Where were you camping?  *
Please select the State Park
Name of the Private Campground (100 chars max)
Please provide the name of the Green Mountain National Forest camping area (100 chars max)
Please select the shelter
Please provide the name or a description of your camp location (1000 chars max)
RECREATION TRAIL  hiking
What is the name of the trail?  *
ENTRY  login
Did the bear enter a structure or vehicle?  *
Please select all entry types  *




Other bear entry: Please describe (100 chars max)
DAMAGE  destruction
Did the bear cause damage to the property?  *
Please select the property items damaged  *








Other damage: Please describe (100 chars max)
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BEAR  
Tell us about the bear *
Has this, or something similar, happened before?  *
Did you contact Fish & Wildlife or a Game Warden at that time?
INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOCATION AND/OR TIME OF THE INCIDENT  map
Where did your bear incident occur?  *
Please choose the town where the incident occurred. This will scroll the map to an approximate location.
Map Location *
After selecting a town in the question above, please click on the map below to provide the general location where the incident occurred.*
What date did the bear incident occur?  *
Approximate Time  
Please describe your bear incident. Include any information you feel is important to help us understand the bear's behavior, the nature of the incident and your impression of the experience. (2000 chars max)
YOU  person
First Name 
Last Name 
Phone
 
Email Address 
 
Are you a  *
SEND TO FISH & WILDLIFE  send