Carolina bears,, Pt 2

[contender]

Folks,, I wanted to start a new thread to make a correction & admission.

In the first Carolina bears thread,, there was a discussion about hunting over bait. I use the NCWRC Regulations Digest all the time in my business. I posted direct information about shooting bears while consuming bait. The Digest states it's illegal to shoot a bear while it consumes bait.

Well, apparently I was wrong,, AND the Digest isn't as clear as it's supposed to be.

I had a short meeting with a Game Warden yesterday,, and I asked about this. He informed me that if a person has a field, planted in whatever,, and a bear is in the field eating,, yes,, you CAN shoot the bear. And you are also allowed to bait a bear. If the bait is in the field,, it's also legal to shoot it.

Again,, I was wrong.

He told me the Digest isn't clear OR totally correct in their wording of things. And I'm not the first one to ask this question apparently.

So,, in my earlier posts,, I was using what was printed & how I read it as "the law."

MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES to all who read my posts & that I may have steered wrongly.

If you do plan a bear hunt with a guide service in NC,, follow them & their procedures. They do keep up with things & the laws. We don't have any real guide services in our mountains so I couldn't talk to anybody around here about it. It was the Game Warden who corrected me & my mistakes.

[bula]

Fish and game laws continue to get more complex. 

[bigbrowndog]

And the ability to admit mistakes is one reason I generally like the folks on this site, waaay better than others.

Trapr

[bula]

Amen, COR invited me here. He has been thanked more than once. I've bought/sold/traded and gifted things with a dozen plus here, now. You two amongst them. That Martin Dude, his money would be no good in N.E. Ohio..

[diddle]

Mar 16, 2022 10:09:11 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

And the ability to admit mistakes is one reason I generally like the folks on this site, waaay better than others.

Trapr

Agreed … and MUCH appreciated in this day and age. KUDOS to you, Contender. You are a class act and example for others

[contender]

Y'all are making me blush.
Seriously,, thanks for the kind words. But not necessary. Lord knows I make enough mistakes and admitting them is easy.

But for the good folks looking to go on a NC bear hunt,, most guided hunts take place in Eastern NC. And they do have some big bears there.
I had to chuckle a while back,, I was looking into an elk hunt,, in New Mexico. As I was scanning one place & their prices,, I saw "Bear; for X amount. AND,, it also said; "A trophy fee will be added for any bears over 200 lbs."
Now,, I know many places,, a 200+ lb bear is a big bear. But in our area,, 400-600 lb bears are much more common. Heck,, many of the bear hunters I know won't shoot anything that might be under 300 lbs,, UNLESS,, they have a youth hunting with them that's never killed a bear.

[cas]

Myself, I wouldn't trust him either. Right now you're 50/50 on which one is right. lol
I'd find at least a third, if not fourth source.

[contender]

cas makes a good point. One game warden might say it's legal,, & another one might write a ticket.

However,, bear hunting in NC is a serious thing. And the game wardens & all have been SERIOUS about any poaching or illegal stuff. But,, the Wildlife Commission was also sued & such several years ago due to the way some laws & wardens acted. I know the lawyer who represented the NC Bear Hunters Assoc in that.

So,, I doubt he'd say something to me that would be subject to a possible illegal activity.

But,, the BEST way to get direct information and assure you are legal,, is to contact the NC Wildlife Commission,, asking for the senior commander of the district you'll hunt in,, (NC has 9 wildlife districts,) of the enforcement division. Get that person's name & all, and clarify the laws about how you plan to hunt. Document that,, and you'll have evidence of why you were doing whatever if questioned by a field warden.

Still, many of the bear hunting laws are a bit confusing in NC. Due to the different districts,, there are some minor differing laws etc. It just pays to be diligent & do research prior to going afield.

But again,, apparently,, I was incorrect in my original postings in the first posting about bears here. I'll be delving into this a bit more,, as I want 100% clarification before next bear season.
See,,, I have this bear on camera on my place,, and he'll top 400 lbs easily,, but dogging him would be hard. I'd like to catch him raiding a field or whatever,,,!

[bigbore5]

I've spent alot of time on the phone with Wardens and Supervisors over the years trying to clarify the laws here in NC. A word to the wise is you had better thoroughly understand what the laws are for your district. This State is very strict and doesn't accept "I didn't know". Ever. And never stray into a sanctuary area. Even with GPS we keep the dogs well away from them. A mile is too close with hounds.