NC must say ‘no’ to expanding bear hunting season and using dogs to kill them | Opinion
Editor’s note: The writer is a retired U.S. Forest Service employee who has photographed and worked closely with bears for more than 30 years.
More than 4,000 bears were killed in North Carolina during the 2022 bear hunting season. Now, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission wants to kill even more.
It’s not just the death toll that bothers me — it’s the needless suffering that so many bears endure in the name of “sport.” Most people do not know that packs of dogs are used to pursue, harass and torment bears for hours, even days at a time.
The NCWRC is currently considering a proposal to expand bear hunting season in much of western North Carolina and to add Franklin County, northeast of Raleigh, to the list of counties where dogs can be used to kill bears.
Bears are driven by fear and hunting bears with dogs exploits that fact. Eventually the bears become exhausted and “tree.” Hunters hone-in on the howling hounds with their radio collars and then shoot the bear. Some hunters have been known to intentionally wound their prey so the dogs can attack the fallen bear as a morbid method of “rewarding” and training their dogs.
It is illegal to kill mother bears or cubs, but dogs do not follow rules. Moms and cubs are often victimized by the free-roaming dogs. Cubs can be chased, separated from their mother, terrorized, attacked and killed.
Most people believe the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) “cares” about the wildlife it oversees. But I have to ask, does it?
Hunters often claim they should be able to use dogs to kill bears because it is part of their heritage and culture. They romanticize the hounds howling and bear killing as “tradition.” Cock-fighting and dog-fighting were once a part of Southern tradition, but they were eventually outlawed. That is what advanced and civilized societies do. They eliminate barbaric practices and undue suffering of innocent victims.
Yet, the NCWRC still endorses the brutal practice of pitting dogs against bears.
Remember, bear hunting with dogs is equally as cruel to the dogs. Bear hunting dogs can be nearly starved to death (so they run faster), beaten, or tied-up outside without shelter without consequence because N.C. law protects the owners of bear hunting dogs. Special N.C. laws even protect hunters from liability if their dogs attack somebody.
In 2014, Dr. Kadie Anderson and her two dogs were camping in the Nantahala National Forest when they were attacked by a pack of bear hunting dogs. Her dogs nearly died. Anderson sought help to find the bear hunters so the dogs could be tested for rabies. She says the Graham County Sheriff, U.S. Forest Service, and the NCWRC refused to help because they knew the hunters were protected by special legislation. In 2015, House Bill 71 was introduced to change the law that protects bear hunters, but N.C. legislators refused to act.
The NCWRC is proposing to open bear season early to “change the composition of the Mountain bear harvest.” They know pregnant bears enter their dens earlier than other bears. Opening sooner translates to killing more moms-to-be. With one shot, two to five bears die. Yes, it will help meet NCWRC’s “harvest” and population objectives, but as a society are we morally and ethically deprived in the process?
Killing bears with dogs is not about hunting — it is about needless suffering and unbounded cruelty. Maybe it is time for a more peaceful coexistence between people and bears. The NCWRC should emphasize education over elimination. If bears must be killed, they should die with as little suffering as possible. Bears deserve that much, especially when the NCWRC wants thousands of bears to die each year.
North Carolina must say “no” to an expanded bear hunting season and to using dogs to kill bears in Franklin County.
The NCWRC is accepting comments until Jan. 30 on its bear hunting proposals. Comments may be submitted online or emailed to regulations@ncwildlife.org.