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  Mar 15,  · “Back in , the majority of the public in western North Carolina said that they wanted the bear population to remain at the current level, which was below 4, bears,” . Jun 29,  · There are only three species of bears that live in North America, but the black bear is the only bear that is found in North Carolina. During the s, there were only about 2, . North Carolina population by year, county, race, & more | USAFacts Our Changing Population: North Carolina Population 9,, Population 10,, Population Change + .  

- What is the bear population in north carolina - what is the bear population in north carolina

 

On Feb. According to Olfenbuttel, the black bear population in the western mountain region has at least doubled since During that same time frame, she says, the western North Carolina human population has exploded as well. Not only have we seen continued growth of the bear population, but concurrent with that has been tremendous growth in the human population.

As a result of this population growth, Olfenbuttel says that western North Carolina hunters are seeing a rapid decrease in the amount of huntable habitat at their disposal, as areas that were traditionally open to deer or bear hunting are locked up behind private lands or lost to development. Sprawling gated communities have become so common in the mountains of western North Carolina that Olfenbuttel and her colleagues now have a term for the type of black bear habitat that these areas create.

She pointed out that the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park —, acres of which are situated on the North Carolina side of the Smokies—acts as a bear sanctuary as well, since hunting is strictly prohibited within the bounds of the park. Public Outrage While the decision to open these management areas to a handful of limited entry bear hunting permits was widely supported by hunters, conservationists, the U. According to The Hill , a Washington, D.

We also got comments from people who thought we were creating a year-round hunting season and were going to allow cubs to be harvested. There is also a Change. According to Olfenbuttel, many of those who expressed opposition during the public comment period do not reside in North Carolina. Our commissioners take all comments into consideration, but comments from residents tend to carry more weight. But they did so with the understanding that hunting seasons would be re-established once bear numbers met or exceeded recovery levels in these areas.

These sanctuaries always had a hunting component to them. They thought a sanctuary was a fenced-in area. While a handful of designated bear management areas are already open to restricted permit hunting, most of them remain closed to bear harvest.

Western North Carolina has a long-standing tradition of bear hunting with the aid of hounds. The official state dog is the plott hound, a famed breed with roots in bear hunting that can be traced back to the colonial settlement of what is now Haywood County, NC.

The Cherokee Nation, which has deep ancestral ties to western North Carolina, also used hounds when hunting black bears in the area. While hound hunting is a frequent and easy target of anti-hunting groups, it is a highly effective and selective method of harvesting black bears, especially in areas with dense cover like the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Offenbuttel says that NCWRC staffers are still in the process of hashing out specific rules and quotas for each bear management area, but she expects hound hunting to be permitted in one form or another. We are in the process now of determining how the permitting system will work on each, and we anticipate that hunters will be able to apply for permits on or after July 1.

On July 31, a woman was fatally mauled by a black bear about miles northwest of Edmonton, Alberta. The bear attacked the year-old around 3 p. Hunters and conservationists across the country are celebrating after attempts to outlaw black bear hunting in California fell flat for the second year in a row. For years, the HSUS has espoused the belief that A little over a year ago, Californian hunters successfully repelled a bill that would have abolished black bear hunting in the Golden State.

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