What is your take on allowing the black bear population to expand?

[NCHillbilly]

Explain yourself please, from the great state of Kentucky !! The bear population in mountains has plentiful fo years !! Why is hunting bear with dogs in the South allowed and not in the North ?? Are they that plentiful down there ?? Apparently sir...you have no knowledge of what is going on here in in the mountains !! They are everywhere !! Anyone that wants to kill a bear...there is no excuse !! Bear population ain't too far behind the deer....at this point (it seems). But...baiting is allowed now (for deer)....so time will tell !!

Be careful what you wish for. Here in NC where you can bear hunt with dogs, it basically means that it's almost impossible to kill one without dogs on public land. I don't have the time or money or energy to keep up a pack of bear dogs any more, so I basically just don't bear hunt any more, even though I live in an area infested with them. From opening morning when the first dog barks, the bears pretty much go completely nocturnal.

I could easily kill one in the deer bow or muzzleloader seasons every year, but bear season doesn't open until they are over here.

 

[greg_n_clayton]

Be careful what you wish for. Here in NC where you can bear hunt with dogs, it basically means that it's almost impossible to kill one without dogs on public land. I don't have the time or money or energy to keep up a pack of bear dogs any more, so I basically just don't bear hunt any more, even though I live in an area infested with them. From opening morning when the first dog barks, the bears pretty much go completely nocturnal.

I could easily kill one in the deer bow or muzzleloader seasons every year, but bear season doesn't open until they are over here.

You all have a fairly long bear hunt with dogs dont't ya ? I don't have the health either !! Only the younger guys go to the dogs for the the most part ! I prefer pugs. They ain't gona run like a bear !! They will run for miles. The baiting is gona thin them out, but the bear hunters are only asking for a couple days, or maybe 2 2 day hunts.

 

[lampern]

They legalized baiting in NC a few years ago to help thin em out.

Bears are even showing up now in Charlotte and Raleigh....

 

[kinross]

Gilmer is full! No more room for bears. Wish i still had the picture of the 200 pounder crossing the roundabout on the square. They are EVERYWHERE in gilmer and need thinning out.

I agree, my half acre food/weed plot has so many piles of bear crap, you would think someone is grazing horses on it

 

[ejm]

I have never understood why a different management approach was taken toward bears, versus deer and turkey. When there were only small, isolated populations left of deer and turkey, they were protected, relocated, and reintroduced statewide.
While I realize the North Georgia population is doing just fine, and even expanding despite the DNR's effort, I'm speaking more toward the middle and south populations. The DNR strategy seems to be one of containment, versus allowing even for natural expansion, much less relocation.
While I understand bears present more challenges than deer, from a human conflict standpoint, they are no less a part of the natural order. As conservationists, we should be promoting woodlands with all the natural players that are practical. As hunters we should not be pushing for increasing hunting opportunities by increasing the pressure on isolated populations, but by expanding distribution to provide increased opportunities across the state.
Think about it this way, if they had done the same thing with deer or turkey. Would we be happy about increased hunting, if they were absent from the majority of the state? A one day middle Georgia season is ridiculous, if you can only hunt a species one day out the year, you shouldn't be hunting it. Pretty much same for south Georgia. In north Georgia, rather than increase the limit to two, they should have started relocating problem animals to areas unoccupied by bear. Sorry, for the long post, but I've been baffled by this for some time. Thanks ,