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Photo by Michael O’Hearn/Crossroads Chronicle Earlier this year, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission issued the proposal that would allow the distribution of a limited number of hunting permits in the Panthertown, Standing Indian and Pisgah Sanctuaries within the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.
A growing number of residents have voiced their concerns in the wake of a recent proposal that would allow bear hunting at a few bear sanctuaries across North Carolina, including the Panthertown Valley-Bonas Defeat sanctuary near Cashiers.
Meanwhile, proponents of the rule change say regulated hunting will reduce bear-human contact and help manage the bear population at these sanctuaries.
Earlier this year, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission issued the proposal that would allow the distribution of a limited number of hunting permits in the Panthertown, Standing Indian and Pisgah Sanctuaries within the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.
Residents had until Jan. 31 to voice their support or opposition to the proposal, and the NCWRC held a virtual public hearing on Jan. 20 that included 50 minutes of various speakers for and against the measure. Of the 38 speakers during that hearing, 32 opposed the measure while six others supported the proposal.
The proposal is using a 2005 survey that said that 77 percent of the public in the commission’s Mountain Bear Management Unit supported the use of regulated hunting for bear population management, if wildlife managers determined it was necessary.
History of the commission’s bear sanctuaries
In 1971, the commission established 28 black bear sanctuaries totaling more than 800,000 acres. North Carolina was among the first states to establish such a system of protected areas.
“The original objective of the designated bear sanctuary system was to protect a breeding nucleus of female bears and to produce a dispersing surplus of bears that could be harvested without detriment to the population,” a fact sheet from the NCWRC said. “Currently, there are 490,000 acres of designated bear sanctuaries in North Carolina. North Carolina remains one of the only states that still has a system of designated sanctuaries.”
The estimated bear population of North Carolina has grown to an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 bears in the last decade, according to data from the NCWRC.
After spending decades trying to restore the population across the state, the wildlife commission then shifted their focus to managing it. In 2005, the commission created a management plan that would carry on through 2022. That process included the survey that asked the public about how the population should be managed.
In August 2018, the Nantahala Ranger District formally requested the commission allow permit bear hunting on Panthertown Bear Sanctuary due to the increase and severity of bear conflicts.
Making the case against hunting
During the Jan. 20 virtual meeting, Colleen Olfenbuttel, the state agency’s furbearer and black bear biologist, said permit hunting is highly regulated and the number of permits sold can be changed based on current bear population data.
If approved later this month, the three sanctuaries would join two others in the state that currently allow bear hunting: Daniel Boone Bear Sanctuary, which has allowed hunting since 2009, and Mt. Mitchell Bear Sanctuary, which has allowed it since 2006.
“The three designated bear sanctuaries in the proposal are not being completely opened up to bear hunting,” the NCWRC said. “A permit will be required, as is required on Daniel Boone and Mt. Mitchell. Commission staff will determine permit quotas, number of days, and maximum party size for these permit hunts. The permit hunt will follow statewide regulations, like a bear e-stamp needed to hunt, reporting a harvested bear is required, mandatory tooth submission, bag limit equals one, minimum weight to take a bear is 75 lbs., and the hunter cannot take a female with cubs.”
However, opponents of the proposal, including the Bear Lake Reserve Owners Association of Tuckasegee and some who spoke during last month’s virtual hearing, said the survey is outdated.
The Bear Lake Reserve Owners Association sent a letter dated Jan. 29 to the NCWRC expressing their concerns with the proposed rule changes. The reserve directly abuts Panthertown Valley, and a copy of the association’s letter was circulated on Facebook.
The Friends of Panthertown and its director, Jason Kimenker, also issued a letter in opposition of the proposal last month. In it, Kimenker said Panthertown is one of the “few remaining areas in North Carolina where bears are protected.”
The Friends of Panthertown is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and enable sustainable recreation.
Panthertown is designated as part of the 9,180-acre Panthertown-Bonas Defeat Bear Sanctuary by the NCWRC, and American black bears live in peace within this sanctuary.
“This is their natural, wild habitat,” Kimenker said. “These forests are their territory. This is their home. Humans are the visitors in Panthertown. The Panthertown-Bonas Defeat Sanctuary is surrounded by residential developments and adjacent game lands that affected the bears’ natural territory. We are in support of protecting and maintaining the bear sanctuary for the bears who live here, and we are asking NCWRC to not permit bear hunts in the Panthertown-Bonas Defeat Bear Sanctuary.”
Some think bear hunting is necessary to manage population.
On the other end of the spectrum, some say that bear hunting is regulated and can be beneficial for managing the bear population.
Michael Hummel is a supporter of the measure and said during the Jan. 20 public hearing that the bear population has been recovered for a while now. He said if the population data is accurate, a regulated permit hunt is “a productive means of balancing the ecosystem and increasing the quality of the habitat that may be saturated.”
“Hunting in the North American model for conservation has long demonstrated that when executed properly, it’s overwhelmingly to the benefit of the game species, nearly in perpetuity,” he said. “If bears are permitted to be harvested in the interior at the center of their populations, that’s going to create less competition for the bears.”
Leonard Rex, who has been a hunting instructor for two decades, said many people need some education regarding hunting because they do not understand its legal use and benefits.
Continuing Education
Norton resident Larry Moss said he has mixed feelings about the proposal, noting that he is a hunter. He added he is not for restricting the rights of hunters and said those that hunt pay a lot to participate.
He said he does not think some people are educated when it comes to hunting, adding that hunting is a regulated sport and those who use dogs take care of them and make sure they are up to date with their shots and veterinarian appointments.
“I am against opening it, they [the bears] need to have a place to roam,” Moss said. “I don’t think people understand bear hunting. If we outlawed it 25 years ago, you couldn’t go through Cashiers without seeing a bear.”
The NCWRC estimates that 521 permits would be issued if the measure was adopted at $8 per permit for a total $4,168. The commission is scheduled to decide whether to approve the proposal at their Feb. 24 meeting at 9 a.m.
- By Michael O'Hearn/Crossroads Chronicle