Post by contender on Feb 14, 2022 12:30:27 GMT -5
"Those regs are super confusing!!!……”unprocessed food product” would be any crop,….anything edible??? So the only way to take a bear would be as it wanders through the woods aimlessly. Not while in a crop, or under an oak eating acorns, or while eating wild grapes or berries. I’d want clarification in writing and a name of an official giving the clarification, if it in fact is that vague.
My understanding of baiting is edible materials intentionally set out to attract an animal, not a naturally occurring food or preexisting crop meant for farming."
I didn't type out the WHOLE set of regs on baiting. Just the shorter part about hunting over bait & such. There is, in fact,, a very detailed list of things specifically NOT allowed to be used as bait.
The whole point of my posting was to inform anybody thinking of hunting in NC for bear to get a copy of the Regulations, and STUDY them at length to make sure you don't do anything illegal. Plus,, any guide service who may or may not be totally legal would need to be questioned.
MOST bear hunting in NC is done with dogs. Yet,, some bears are taken while hunting and seeing one that's not being chased by dogs. If the bears are in the woods, and eating acorns,, or berries etc,, that's not a "bait" as defined by the Regs. It's wild food. I PURPOSELY asked a game warden (a commander over a district,) specifically a question. "If I'm out hunting,, and I find a bear raiding a wild honey tree,, is it legal to shoot the bear?" (Honey is a natural food product, and yet, it's listed as a prohibited substance for baiting bear.)
I was told; "You didn't place the honey as a bait,, it's a natural, wild occurring honey tree, and you weren't specifically hunting over it in hopes of killing a bear,, right? No, not illegal. HOWEVER,, if you find a honey tree, that's already been raided by a bear,,, and you add honey to it,, and hunt over it,, that's illegal."
My point to all my postings is to point out that NC has some strict laws concerning baiting for bear. Heck,, it wasn't too long ago that there were absolutely NO allowances for any kind of baiting allowed. But,, since baiting for deer IS allowed,, and some hunters placed baits out,, for deer,, and had bears coming in,, the State did start allowing SOME forms of baiting. And since 90% of the bear hunting is done with dogs,, the State does allow the release of dogs in the vicinity of unprocessed foods.
STUDY the laws BEFORE you hunt. And if using a guide service,, make SURE you are legal. To say to a warden; "I'm hunting with Bubba X and he put me in this stand" is NOT an excuse. You are still required to know AND obey the laws.
A friend of mine is an attorney that has been used by the NC Bear Hunters Assoc a lot. He's had all kinds of cases where BOTH sides were trying to interpret the law to their advantage. It's all these various cases that has caused such a serious & detailed set of laws.
In short,, you can't hunt NC, in a stand, over a bait, & try & kill a bear when it comes to the bait. Bait being something put out to attract the bears.
Again, go to the site; www.ncwildlife.org to read ALL the regulations concerning bear hunting. In the printed digest,, pages 54, 55, & 61 cover hunting with baits.
My understanding of baiting is edible materials intentionally set out to attract an animal, not a naturally occurring food or preexisting crop meant for farming."
I didn't type out the WHOLE set of regs on baiting. Just the shorter part about hunting over bait & such. There is, in fact,, a very detailed list of things specifically NOT allowed to be used as bait.
The whole point of my posting was to inform anybody thinking of hunting in NC for bear to get a copy of the Regulations, and STUDY them at length to make sure you don't do anything illegal. Plus,, any guide service who may or may not be totally legal would need to be questioned.
MOST bear hunting in NC is done with dogs. Yet,, some bears are taken while hunting and seeing one that's not being chased by dogs. If the bears are in the woods, and eating acorns,, or berries etc,, that's not a "bait" as defined by the Regs. It's wild food. I PURPOSELY asked a game warden (a commander over a district,) specifically a question. "If I'm out hunting,, and I find a bear raiding a wild honey tree,, is it legal to shoot the bear?" (Honey is a natural food product, and yet, it's listed as a prohibited substance for baiting bear.)
I was told; "You didn't place the honey as a bait,, it's a natural, wild occurring honey tree, and you weren't specifically hunting over it in hopes of killing a bear,, right? No, not illegal. HOWEVER,, if you find a honey tree, that's already been raided by a bear,,, and you add honey to it,, and hunt over it,, that's illegal."
My point to all my postings is to point out that NC has some strict laws concerning baiting for bear. Heck,, it wasn't too long ago that there were absolutely NO allowances for any kind of baiting allowed. But,, since baiting for deer IS allowed,, and some hunters placed baits out,, for deer,, and had bears coming in,, the State did start allowing SOME forms of baiting. And since 90% of the bear hunting is done with dogs,, the State does allow the release of dogs in the vicinity of unprocessed foods.
STUDY the laws BEFORE you hunt. And if using a guide service,, make SURE you are legal. To say to a warden; "I'm hunting with Bubba X and he put me in this stand" is NOT an excuse. You are still required to know AND obey the laws.
A friend of mine is an attorney that has been used by the NC Bear Hunters Assoc a lot. He's had all kinds of cases where BOTH sides were trying to interpret the law to their advantage. It's all these various cases that has caused such a serious & detailed set of laws.
In short,, you can't hunt NC, in a stand, over a bait, & try & kill a bear when it comes to the bait. Bait being something put out to attract the bears.
Again, go to the site; www.ncwildlife.org to read ALL the regulations concerning bear hunting. In the printed digest,, pages 54, 55, & 61 cover hunting with baits.