MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont’s black bear population is growing, and biologists have launched a new study to find out why.

As black bears wake from hibernation this spring, there’s a growing chance Vermonters will encounter them throughout the season.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife bear biologist Nicole Dickan says they know the black bear population is increasing, but the question is why. “There’s increased human-bear conflict, road collision mortalities, increased harvest rates, and we really want to understand: what’s the mechanism driving this increase?” Dickan said.

Dickan is helping head a new study looking specifically at black bear reproduction and if this bear boom starts with the babies. “Are they having more cubs? Are these cubs having a higher survival rate? Is it a combination of those?” Dickan said.

They’re also looking into how food availability may be playing into it, with more bears moving from the Green Mountains into the Connecticut River Valley, where there’s a wider variety of food available. “We know that food availability can affect their reproductive output, so we just want to look at that as well and see how those factors are coming together,” Dickan said.

It started last summer with crews getting GPS collars on 19 adult females. Then, using those trackers, Dickan went into the dens as the females were hibernating with their new babies and tranquilized them. “My number one priority is her safety, making sure she’s stable under the drugs,” Dickan said.

The cubs were then pulled out and examined. The crews noted things like weight, health indicators, and sex ratio. “We try to minimize disturbance as much as possible, do things efficiently, do things really quiet and calm,” Dickan said.

Using the information they gather with every den, Dickan says they can better predict how the bear population is growing, so people can be well-informed.

“It’s at a point now where if you live in Vermont, you live in bear country. It’s our responsibility to promote co-existence and make sure that we’re sharing the landscape well with these animals,” Dickan said.

The study is expected to last four to six years.

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