South Carolina is now looking to expand its Black Bear hunt to include the Coastal section of the State........U. of Tennessee Biologists have concluded that 500 Black Bears roam the region adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and that they could sustain a 30% drop in their numbers without causing their numbers to plummet..........Has there been research done to analyze how many Bears are best for the health of the South Carolina Piedmont? Why are we always managing for #'s when it comes to Carnivores.............These are not deer herds,,,,,,,,Most scientists will tell you that managing by the numbers is not correct when it comes to Bears,Cougars and Wolves

DNR ponders coastal bear hunting season

By JOEY HOLLEMAN 

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources on Thursday recommended a two-week black bear hunting season in three Pee Dee counties where bears haven't been legally hunted for more than half a century.

But before the Natural Resources Board decides whether to accept the proposal from the agency's staff, the details will be posted on the DNR web site and public comments allowed for a month. Some conservation groups oppose the change, claiming the coastal bear population is too small to handle hunting pressure.

A three-year study recently completed by a University of Tennessee researcher estimated the coastal bear population in South Carolina is 500, large enough to remain stable with a hunting loss of 30 per year, said Breck Carmichael, a deputy director for DNR.

The agency recommended issuing limited tags allowing hunters to take 10 bears each in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties during a two-week season in December. While hunts of the state's mountain population of black bears have been allowed for years, bear hunting has been outlawed in coastal areas since the 1950s.

The change has been prompted by the growth in black bear population in coastal areas. North Carolina already has a limited bear hunting season in its coastal counties.

"We're starting to see black bear in places where they haven't been seen since Colonial times," Carmichael said.

In fact, bear have been spotted in nearly every county in the state in recent years. Carmichael noted that about 20 bears per year have been reported hit and killed by vehicles in the coastal areas in recent years.

In the mountains, current regulations allow one week of still hunting and one week of hunting with dogs in October in Oconee, Pickens and Greenville counties.

Nancy Cave, an official with the Coastal Conservation League, and Bunny Beeson, president of Wildlife Action, Inc., in Mullins, have expressed concerns about the coastal hunting plan. Opponents of the proposal should be able to view the plan and lodge concerns on the DNR web site in the coming weeks.