Several weeks ago, my car was parked in a large shopping center lot when some woman angrily approached me concerning the plate on the front bumper of my car. The N.C. Bear Hunters Association metal plate stated “Hunting Bear With Hounds, A Southern Tradition.” Apparently, she was very upset about the fact that I was not only proud of the fact that I hunted bear, but also that I “cruelly used hounds to chase the bears.” I didn’t waste my time talking with her because I knew that nothing I could say to her would satisfy her anger.

Of all the hunters I know, the bear hunters who hunt with dogs are perhaps the most dedicated conservationists (as opposed to preservationists). They’re very aware that certain factions don’t like their sport and welcome any opportunity to invite those who disagree with their sport to go along with them on one of their hunts. Taking those who might be opposed to the bear hunting along on a real bear hunt might open a lot of eyes as to what really goes on out there in the swamps and woodlands of eastern North Carolina.

Many years ago, a very dedicated Beaufort County bear hunter named Jerome Barr invited me along on one of his very late summer bear hunts. I was writing for the News and Observer at the time and had been hearing complaints from some of the more liberal press-people who also worked there. They knew very little about bear hunting (or hunting at all for that matter) and I welcomed the opportunity to go along with Jerome and his bear hunting friends on their out-of-season, dog training bear hunts. Perhaps the article I was to write might convince some of these anti-hunters that bear hunting isn’t so bad after all.

Under the North Carolina laws having to do with bear hunting with hounds, there is a special season that allows bear hunters to train their hounds, while the regular bear hunting season (which allows some of the bears to be killed) is closed. The hunters, their guest and a lot of well trained dogs simply chase the bears around the fields and woods until the bears either evade the dogs complete or get chased up a tree or faced with the dogs in a head-on confrontation at the ground level (bayed).

Keep in mind that the last thing these bear hunters want is to let the dogs and the bear really have a physical confrontation where these valuable dogs could be hurt. Once the bear is cornered or treed the “out-of-season” training hunt is over. The bear goes on his way and the dogs and hunters go their way.

Some of the ardent bear hunters even offer guided bear hunts during the dog training season, where the paying guest follow the dogs along with the guides, make videos or take pictures, have a good time and enjoy watching the bear that they’ve chased get away unharmed to grow more or face the guns in the regular open season for bear hunting.

When our regular bear season opens for one week in several eastern N.C. counties on Nov. 10 the bear hunters will be in Beaufort County in full force. The wildlife enforcement officers and biologists will be on hand to check-in any bears that are killed and check for proper credentials and violations from the hunters. There are new regulations in effect having to do with the use of bait and the new electronic bear stamps for bear hunting. And the hunters had best review these new regulations in the NCWRC Hunting Regulations Digest before taking to the woods.

The population of black bears in eastern North Carolina is considered by many to be the densest and produce the largest animals of any black bear population in the United States. Beaufort County is repeatedly in the leading two or three counties in N.C. in terms of the number of bears taken ever year.

Reports from the area say that there are lots of large bears throughout this year. Last year, Beaufort County hunters killed 181 bears during both the one-week November and two-week December seasons. This year’s kill could be even larger.

As usual, hunting safety is a main concern of everyone in the woods during the upcoming weeks as bears, deer, waterfowl and many small game seasons will be open. Wear your hunter orange and hunt safe.