A 75-year-old Manchester man is facing a reckless endangerment charge after neighbors reported hearing gunshots coming from his Mountain View Terrace property on September 16, when he fired three shots that killed a bear in his backyard. Kevin Beattie has been cited to appear in Vermont Superior Court's Bennington Criminal Division on November 30 to answer to the charge.
Police Respond to Multiple Calls of Gunfire
According to the Bennington Banner, the Manchester Police Department responded to the Mountain View Terrace area after receiving multiple calls reporting gunshots. Investigators determined that Beattie had spotted a bear in his backyard and fired three shots, killing the animal. Manchester police handled the investigation into the shooting themselves.
Kyle Isherwood, a game warden with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, was advised of the incident and consulted with Manchester police by phone, the Banner's report notes. The state wildlife agency ultimately issued no ticket or citation of its own over the shooting, leaving the criminal case to proceed through the local police department and the courts instead.
What Vermont Law Requires Before Shooting a Bear
Vermont law sets specific conditions for when a property owner may legally use lethal force against a bear causing damage. Under 10 V.S.A. § 4827, property owners may only shoot a bear harming livestock, pets, beehives, buildings, or crops after attempting reasonable nonlethal control measures, unless exigent circumstances require immediate protection of human life or property. The same statute requires anyone who shoots or wounds a bear in defense of property to notify a game warden immediately and submit a signed written report within 12 hours.
Separately, Beattie's reckless endangerment charge falls under 13 V.S.A. § 1025, which the Vermont General Assembly classifies as a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The charge reflects the risk posed by firing a weapon in a residential neighborhood.
A Statewide Surge in Bear Encounters
Beattie's backyard shooting arrives amid a broader spike in human-bear conflicts across Vermont. The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife reported in August that the statewide black bear population had reached an estimated 7,500 to 8,900 animals based on 2025 data. State wildlife officials told VTDigger in July that conflict reports were on track to potentially top 1,200 for the year.
That same VTDigger reporting noted that over 99% of human-bear conflict calls to the state result in technical advice on nonlethal coexistence rather than animal removal or euthanasia. Vermont hunters harvested 1,022 black bears during the 2025 season, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has said, marking the second-highest harvest total in state history after 2024's record numbers. The state's 2026 early bear hunting season, which requires a specialized early-season tag, ran from September 1 through November 13, according to the Outdoor Wire, meaning Beattie's September 16 shooting fell within the active hunting calendar even though it took place in a residential backyard rather than during a sanctioned hunt.
Firearm Safety Lessons From a Game Warden
Isherwood used the incident to reiterate basic firearm safety rules for residents who may encounter wildlife near their homes. Those rules include being sure of the target and what lies beyond it, treating every gun as if it is loaded, pointing a gun in a safe direction, and keeping a finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Beattie is due in Bennington Criminal Division court on November 30 to answer to the reckless endangerment charge.
