The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is accepting public input on a proposal that would permit hunting in three bear sanctuaries, including the Standing Indian sanctuary in Macon County. Pisgah and Panthertown-Bonas Defeat are the other sanctuaries included in the proposal.
Wildlife officials say the change is needed to manage the bear population and to address the increasing number of human-bear interactions on U.S. Forest Service and private property. The definition of “interaction” ranges from observing a bear to conflicts with bears.
The most recent NCWRC Black Bear Annual Report (2019) shows there were 1,329 human-bear interactions across the state. That year was the second highest since 1993; the highest number of interactions was 1,751 in 2018. In Macon County, 11-25 human-bear interactions were reported in 2019.
Most observations and complaints about black bears occur May-July, when bears are more active due to increased traveling to locate scare natural food resources. When the bears’ natural food supply is low, they are more attracted to unnatural foods such as bird feeders and garbage. May and June are also the time of year when yearling bears are moving away from their mothers and are more likely to encounter human development and unnatural food sources.
The increased sighting of bears is due in part to a growing bear population coupled with human development encroaching into natural bear habitat.
“Bears have learned to live with people. Bears are willing to live with people, but so often people are unwilling to live with bears,” said Bill Lea, a retired U.S. Forest Service employee who opposes allowing hunting in the bear sanctuaries. Lea began working for the Forest Service in 1980 and was based in Macon County from 1987-2005.
He says opening the sanctuary for hunting “is absolutely, unquestionably not going to solve the problem of human-bear interaction. The only thing that is going to stop it is education.”
Bears can detect a food source up to several miles of way due to their keen sense of smell. “If bears continue to get food rewards, the bear is going to come back,” Lea said.
He stresses that campers must learn to store their food properly, hikers should learn proper behavior when encountering a bear, and people living in bear country should eliminate food sources such as bird feeders, garbage and grills.
“Where there are issues, that is where we need to concentrate our efforts,” he said and suggested wildlife officers meet with property owners to assess the environment and see if they have food sources that are attracting bears and patrol campgrounds to ensure campers are storing their food properly. “Go to where the problem is.”
He said the Park Service does a good job with that by requiring back country camping permits, which gives park staff an opportunity to talk one-on-one with campers about safety.
Lea said bears are naturally reclusive, but over the years people have inhabited their habitat. They are more used to human life and sounds such as cars backfiring, horns blowing and gunshots. Lea, a wildlife photographer, said he has been photographing bears when gunshot could be heard nearby. “They didn’t even look up.”
Bear sanctuaries
The bear sanctuaries were created in 1971 to address the dwindling black bear population. The NCWRC established 28 black bear sanctuaries totaling over 800,000 acres. The idea behind the sanctuary system was to protect core areas of habitat that encompassed the relatively small home ranges of breeding females. The females would reproduce in the sanctuaries, and bear populations would increase and expand into surrounding areas.
Currently there are approximately 490,000 acres of designated bear sanctuaries in North Carolina. Across the state, there is an additional 1,390,000 acres of land that functions as de facto sanctuaries. The de-facto sanctuaries are primarily other lands owned by state and federal landowners such as the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Defense and local municipalities.
Macon County is part of the Mountain Bear Management Unit (MBMU), which includes all counties west of Surry, Wilkes, Caldwell, Burke and Cleveland counties. There are 260,000 acres of designated sanctuary land in the MBMU and an additional 510,000 acres of de facto sanctuary lands. The Standing Indian Sanctuary in Macon County is 22,910 acres.
In 1981 the state adopted a Black Bear Management Plan and with the changes implemented by that plan, the Black Bear Commission has adopted the goal to “use science-based decision making and biologically sound management principles to manage black bear populations in balance with available habitats and human expectations to assure long-term existence and hunting opportunities.”
Bear population growth
The sanctuaries have been successful in helping to restore the black bear population. The estimated MBMU bear population in 1992 was 2,000-3,000. In 2012, the estimated bear population in the MBMU was 4,400 to 4,900. (The estimate does not include the bear population on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.) Since 2012, the bear population in the MBMU has increased to an estimated 7,000-8,000, according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, black bear and furbearer biologist with NCWRC.
According to NCWRC, the population growth in the MBMU is estimated at 5-6%. Olfenbuttel said the population objective is to stabilize the bear population by reducing growth rate to close to 0%
She cited a 2005 survey showing that 77% of the public in the MBMU supported the use of regulated hunting for bear population management, if wildlife managers determined it was necessary, and a majority stated they preferred the bear population to remain at current levels.
Hunting is already allowed in two sanctuaries in the Mountain Bear Management Unit – Mt. Mitchell which opened to hunting in 2006 and Daniel Boone opened in 2009.
“The three designated bear sanctuaries in the proposal are not being completely opened up to bear hunting,” Olfenbuttel said. A permit will be required, and the commission staff will determine permit quotas, number of days, and maximum party size for permit hunts. She said the permit hunt will follow existing statewide regulations.
Lea said opening hunting in the sanctuaries likely will not target the bears involved in human-bear interactions. “To defile the sanctity of the sanctuary for a reason that is not going to make a difference, it’s just bad policy.”
He pointed out bear hunting is allowed across the state. “It doesn’t hurt to have a few areas that are safe areas for the bears to live. Let’s not call it a sanctuary if we’re opening it to hunting, because it isn’t one.”
According to the 2019 Black Bear Report, 2019 was the fifth consecutive year that more than 3,000 bears were harvested statewide. Of those, 1,290 were harvested in the MBMU, which was the highest year on record.
“Going out and randomly killing some bears is not going to address the problem. There is something inherently wrong about having bear sanctuaries and then opening them to hunting,” Lea said. “I would like to see a little more heart, and a little less science when it comes to managing bears.”
Public comments
The proposal regarding bear hunting in sanctuaries (listed as G13) is among other proposed regulation changes related to inland fishing, hunting trapping and game lands for 2022-2023. The full bulletin with all the proposed changes can be viewed at ncwildlife.org.
The public comment period ends Jan. 31, 2022. To submit comments:
Email: regulations@ncwildlife.org (include name, phone number and mailing address)
Online: ncwildlife.org
A virtual public hearing will be held Jan. 20, 7 p.m. via Zoom. Register: ncwildlife.org/proposed-regulations.
The public hearings originally scheduled have been cancelled due to the rise in COVID cases.
The WRC Commissioners will consider the proposed changes at their February 2022 meeting. If adopted rules will go into effect Aug. 1, 2022, for the 2022-2023 seasons.