N.C. logs record 2022 bear harvest
A hunter looks down at the results of a successful hunt. NCWRC photo
A record number of black bears were killed during the 2022 bear hunting season, according to records from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Statewide, hunters harvested 4,056 bears, an 11% increase from the 2021 season. The coastal and mountain regions both logged record-breaking harvest totals — 2,533 and 1,468 bears, respectively — while the piedmont region experienced its third-highest recorded harvest, 55 bears.
In the mountains, the high harvest numbers are likely connected to the poor acorn crop observed last fall, said the Wildlife Commission’s black bear and furbearer biologist Colleen Olfenbuttel.
“When acorn production is poor, bears will move more in search of fall foods, making them more vulnerable to both vehicle mortality and legal hunter harvest,” Olfenbuttel said.
On the coast, the record harvest is understood to reflect continued interest in hunting this region due to its reputation for large bears and, in some areas, high bear densities.
Like the overall harvest, female bear harvest was up 11% from 2022, representing 40% of the statewide harvest. Harvesting female bears has a more significant impact on bear populations than harvesting male bears. As the statewide bear population continues to grow, the Wildlife Commission is trying to curb growth to stabilize bear populations.
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Most bears were harvested on private lands, with only 16% of the harvest occurring on Wildlife Commission game lands, but in the mountains, 34% of the harvest occurred on game lands. Most successful hunters used dogs, but the number of still hunters increased — 41% of successful hunters used still hunting, the highest percentage since the Wildlife Commission began requesting this information in 2009. The 2022 bear harvest produced an estimated 591,700 plates of food.
To view the entire harvest report, visit ncwildlife.org/learning/species/mammals/black-bear and look under the Surveys and Reports section.
