Vermont biologists estimate that there are anywhere from 4500-6000 Black Bears in the state and that this is the social carrying capacity that they deem sustainable..........Annual hunter kills of bruins in the Green Mountain State by decade---1960's: 304,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1970's:231,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1980's 270,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1990's: 369,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and 536 bears from 2000-2013,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,In the most recent 2014 hunt, the kill tally was in line with the new millenium averages coming in at 567 bears killed in the Vermont woodlands----some 10 to 13% of the projected total population.................If population estimates are correct, a sustainable hunt has been at play in Vermont even if a biological services aspect of how Bears positively impact the ecology of the state has taken a back seat to hunter and resident satisfaction and comfort............Take note of the following statement from VERMONT FISH AND WILDLIFE that reinforces my statements on how Bears are managed-----------"During 2013, bear management activities continued to generate the information required to ensure that the population is managed at a sustainable level consistent with public desires".................... "The current management program is based primarily on biological data collected from the mandatory bear harvest registration, through population and habitat indexes, as well as from occasional surveys of public desires derived through a detailed public input process undertaken every ten years"

http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/e9ff87b1832742208675958ad04b5670/VT
--Bear-Hunt/

Vermont Fish and Wildlife says Hunters

 took 567 bears in 2014 seasons

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS   First Posted: January 12, 2015 - 11:06 am Last Updated: January 12, 2015 - 11:12 am

MONTPELIER, Vermont — The Vermont
 Department of Fish and Wildlife
 says hunters took 567 bears during the
state's 2014 hunting seasons.
The state says the final bear harvest was
 nearly identical to the 2013
harvest, with 10 additional bears being
taken in 2014.

Vermont bear biologist Forrest Hammond
 says the hunt total is
 consistent with the goal of stabilizing the
 bear population at between
 4,500 and 6,000 animals.

Hammond says that while the 2014 bear
 numbers were nearly identical
 to 2013, hunters were much more successful
 during the early days of
 the hunt with 263 bears taken in September,
nearly double last year's
September total.

Hammond also says that nearly 2,000 more
 hunters than last year paid
 an extra $5 for an early season bear tag,
 bringing the total to 12,390.