Full Notification

Winhall Residents Please Be Aware:

Last evening there was a report of a bear attack on a Winhall Resident in the area of Middle Ridge Road.  In brief, a mother bear with cub(s) was in the area.  When the homeowner walked out of their residence to walk their dog, the bear became aggressive and attacked, most likely because of the presence of the cub(s).

The victim was treated at the scene and transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.  The dog was later found scared but unharmed. 

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Game Wardens were called to the scene and have been investigating the incident.

Please be aware of your surroundings and make sure to remove any food sources from around your residence. 

Advice from Vermont Fish and Wildlife regarding co-existing with Bears:

Bears and people are at risk when bears spend time in human-dominated landscapes... but many of these situations can be prevented with some easy, proactive coexistence steps to help stop bears from learning to associate people and food! Here's what you can do to help keep Vermont's bears wild:

Bird feeders are a big problem, take them down till December! You can attract birds by planting bird friendly native plants instead—check out Audubon’s Native Plants for Birds Program: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

Make your garbage inaccessible. Store garbage in a secure structure and a bear proof container. Learn how to make your garbage can bear proof here: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/.../bear-resistant-retrofit...

Dispose of garbage frequently. If you have pick-up services, wait until the morning to put your garbage out.

Demand bear proof dumpsters for your community.

Follow steps for composting in bear country. Compost needs to be 3 parts brown materials to 1 part kitchen scraps, turned frequently, and kept in a sturdy tumbler or bin: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/260
Use electric fencing to keep chickens and bees safe. Fences need to be 4,000-6,000 volts, tested regularly and baited: https://vtfishandwildlife.com/node/1996

Clean your grill after every use.

Make bears feel uncomfortable in your yard. Yell, bang pots and pans, or use other noise devices from inside your home. Never shoot a bear to scare it. Even BBs can seriously injure bears.

Please report your bear encounters to Vermont Fish & Wildlife. These reports allow us to help you prevent future bear incidents. They also give us information to help all Vermonters better coexist with bears: https://anrweb.vt.gov/FWD/FW/WildlifeBearReport.aspx

Following these steps for coexistence can save bears' lives, and help protect you, your neighbors, and your property. Please do your part to be a good neighbor and help keep Vermont's bears wild! If you have questions, reach out to [email protected] or call us at 802 828 1000.