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Problem Bears in Agriculture

Agriculture is an important component of the economy of Virginia. Many factors affect agricultural production: weather, markets, soils, insects and disease. Although many farmers readily accept some agricultural losses, wildlife damage to crops or livestock can reach levels that farmers are unable to accept. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) has documented agricultural damage by bears for over 60 years. Since 1980, agricultural damage by bears has increased substantially, and over the past decade, agricultural bear complaints requiring VDGIF response have increased 44%.

Types of agricultural bear damage vary by time of year. Apiary (beehive) damage is prevalent between April and June and to a lesser extent, October and November. Damage to fruit trees typically occurs from late June through the end of September, and damage to corn occurs during the "milk stage" which begins about mid-July. Other agricultural bear complaints include vineyards (ripening time through August), cereal grains (time of maturity), peanuts (September-November), and predation of sheep and lambs (spring).

The Department's Role

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' response to agricultural bear problems is determined by public concerns, public safety, type and extent of damage, black bear biology, animal welfare, and available control methods. The Department has established nuisance bear policies and protocols that promote public safety, protect property, and conserve bear populations.

Your Role

Report Damage Quickly. You can help manage the Commonwealth's black bear population by cooperating with the Department in solving bear damage problems. If a black bear damages your crops or livestock please notify our Department as quickly as possible. You can contact us by calling your county game warden or the regional offices listed on the back of this brochure. Your county Sheriff's office or city police department can relay a message to the game warden. A Department employee will discuss the problem with you. They also may visit your property to determine the extent of damage, discuss management options, and devise a practical solution.

Management Options

As most agricultural producers understand, the best way to control damage to crops is through an integrated management approach. An integrated management approach means that there is likely no single best solution to eliminate the cause of the damage and multiple techniques are used to achieve an acceptable level of damage. Often the best possible solution results from some combination of the following management options.

  • Habitat Management: To some extent crop damage is influenced by the availability of natural foods as crop damage increases when natural foods are limited. Maintaining diverse habitat conditions that provide a wide array of natural foods for bears may mitigate some crop damage. Additionally, eliminating protective cover near crops or planting crops away from protective cover can also reduce the likelihood of bear damage.
  • Encourage Hunting: Hunting has some potential to reduce bear damage by helping control bear population growth. Currently, bear hunting seasons are open across the Commonwealth. However, the type of hunting opportunity varies depending on where your property is located. Review the Department's annual Hunting Regulations and Information Digest for specific season dates in your area.
  • Bear Population Control Program (BPOP): Provides a permit to allow the landowner to encourage hunters to kill bears on the property, without dogs, during the time of year when the damage is occurring. These bears would be checked in, but would not count toward the hunters bag limit. A hunting license would be required.
  • Exclusion Devices: Electric fencing (PDF) has been shown to be highly effective at repelling bears. Commonly used in apiaries, this technique is nearly always successful at eliminating damage if the fence is constructed and maintained properly. Electric fencing has been used successfully to solve other agriculture damage problems by bears and other wild and domestic animals.
  • Repellents: Repellents are nonphysical deterrents that keep bears form entering certain areas. Not often used to manage bear problems, they have been successfully applied to other wildlife damage situations. Strong scents such as ammonia have been effective in keeping bears out of small, confined areas. For larger areas, guard dogs have been effective at keeping bears away.
  • Trapping and Aversive Conditioning: Aversive conditioning is a process where bears learn to alter behaviors through negative reinforcement. In aversive conditioning, DGIF personnel will capture the bear(s) causing damage, aversively condition the bear, and release the bear at the site of capture. Aversive conditioning has been used successfully in a variety of situation, but its effectiveness is affected by a bear's age, sex, and previous experiences.
  • Trap and Euthanize: Used only a last resort and in accordance with agency problem bear management protocols, some bears may be captured and euthanized. This technique is reserved only on bears for which other techniques have failed to address to damage or problem behavior.
  • Trap and Relocate: Historically used extensively in Virginia to address problem bears, administrative changes now dictate that bears are to be managed "in place". With few exceptions all trapped bears will be released on site.
  • Kill Permits: Kill permits can effectively target and remove specific animals causing crop damage. However, they may not be feasible in developed areas and persons issued kill permits will incur some expense in terms of the time and equipment required to remove bears.

Feeding Wildlife

Feeding wildlife (i.e., deer, turkey, bear) near your crops or livestock should be discouraged at all times. Congregating and conditioning animals to expect human placed foods can lead to problems such as increased crop damage, disease transmission, and nuisance activity (bears raiding garbage cans, livestock/pet food, etc.). Additionally, since July 1, 2003, feeding bears, on public and private lands in Virginia, is illegal:

4 VAC 15-40-281. Unauthorized feeding of bear, deer, or turkey on national forest lands and department-owned lands.

It shall be unlawful to place or direct the placement of, deposit, distribute, or scatter food or salt capable of attracting or being eaten by bear, deer or turkey on national forest lands or on department-owned lands without the written authorization of the Director of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries or his designee. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the disposal of food in trash receptacles provided by the U.S. Forest Service on national forest lands or by the department on department-owned lands.

4 VAC 15-40-282. Unauthorized feeding of bear.

It shall be unlawful for any person to place or distribute food, minerals, carrion, or similar substances to feed or attract bear. Nor, upon written notification by department personnel, shall any person continue to place or distribute any food, mineral, carrion or similar substances for any purpose if the placement of these materials results in the presence of bear in such numbers or circumstances to cause annoyance or inconvenience to any person, cause property damage, or endanger any person or wildlife. After such notification, such person shall be in violation of this section if the placing, distribution, or presence of such food, minerals, carrion, or similar substances continues. This section shall not apply to wildlife management activities conducted or authorized by the department.