Thousands of Black Bears Residing in North Carolina: Wildlife Officials Implement Changes to Control Population

North Carolina has experienced a drastic increase in the black bear population, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. Since 1980, there were only estimated to be about 2,000 black bears in the area. Now, that number has grown to nearly 10,000.

Due to the increasing population, the Wildlife Commission is now considering a change in bear hunting laws that would alter the rules to allow hunters to use bait during November and December seasons or increase the limit to one bear a hunter can kill each season.

More area residents can expect to encounter a black bear sighting as the warmest summer months heat up. The Daily Reflector notes that the months of July and August are a time when these wild creatures are constantly on the move looking for a mate, new breeding grounds and spots to raise their future young.

Three black bear species remain native to North America, including the polar bear, the brown-or grizzly bear, and the black bear. The black bear is the only one found in parts of the eastern United States.

Fatalities involving a black bear still remain relatively rare, according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Findings showed that 63 people were killed by non-captive black bears from 1900-2009, while another 38 percent of those incidents were due to food or garbage near the location of the attack.

These creatures range from five to eight feet long at 200-700 pounds (depending on the gender), and prefer to take refuge in the uninhabited woodlands or swamplands of the eastern states, most commonly North Carolina.

For any residents who come in contact with a black bear, don't get to close. Officials recommend that you stay away from it and call wildlife officials, as soon as you can.