Looks like Fentress Co. is getting a bear season!

[rhinoblake]

I would believe there are 40-50 IN the park. Outside of it in my opinion are quite a bit more. I have been upset about this for a while. I don't mind stepping in bear crap or watching one mosey out of the field. I just wish they would have informed people in these areas about living with bears. That way precautions are made by all sides. Most don't know that if you don't want a bear on your porch don't have a bird feeder. Because they have never had to worry about it! Bears are wonderful creatures, as long as they aren't dependent on humans for food.

I would like to hear peoples opinions of the phenomenon of problem bears from the smokies being released in areas mentioned in this thread. I have heard from others its common knowlwdge.

 

[Goshen Valley Boy]

Lots of bears being seen in McCreary County, Kentucky these days. (That is the county with the Kentucky side of the Big South Fork park)

I have some property there bordering the Daniel Boone National Forest.

People have been seeing a lot of bears around the area for several years now. Two or three have been killed on the roads.

There have been a lot of bear sightings around my family property in Hawkins County, Tennessee as well. They are definitely spreading out and growing in number.

I would love to see one in the wild, but I haven't yet.

 

[BigGameGuy]

"RESOURCE" and "WORKING ON THE GROUND" whats that ??? Define them for me please!!! In a biologist terms

"Resources" are the plants and animals we are mandated to manage. "Working on the ground" refers to the biologists and officers assigned to work in that area.

 

[TheLBLman]

BigGameGuy,

I just want to know when we're going to get a cougar season in Stewart County?

"Resources" are the plants and animals we are mandated to manage. "Working on the ground" refers to the biologists and officers assigned to work in that area.

Being primarily interested in hunting, guess we can easily overlook that TWRA is "mandated" by law to "manage" and/or oversee ALL wildlife in the State of TN. Most of the critters are NON-Game species. Add fish to "wildlife", too. Should also add that some of the wildlife-related issues and problems we experience were not caused by TWRA, just that they end up being the ones who have to deal with the problems caused by others. A good example would be the pigs that many outfitters and/or pig hunters have released to hunt across the state. And to my knowledge, TWRA has never released any bears in Big South Fork. Wasn't that the feds that did the releasing there?

Many federal lands are not directly managed by TWRA, although they "may" or "may not" be involved, and may or may not consult or work together on certain issues. Big South Fork and LBL are a couple of examples where TWRA is "consulted", but these large tracts are more under a federal management. Same can be said for Ft. Campbell, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Parks.

"Working on the ground", each county has a TWRA "County" Wildlife Officer who lives in the county he works. On a daily basis these County Wildlife Officers, just like others in the county, hear and see what's going in THEIR county. What they observe is "input" into any decisions coming out of Nashville. Quite a bit more to it than that, but from a total perspective, few people would be as aware of "what's going on" in their county (regarding wildlife issues) as a County Wildlife Officer.

 

[Anonymous]

I would believe there are 40-50 IN the park. Outside of it in my opinion are quite a bit more. I have been upset about this for a while. I don't mind stepping in bear crap or watching one mosey out of the field. I just wish they would have informed people in these areas about living with bears. That way precautions are made by all sides. Most don't know that if you don't want a bear on your porch don't have a bird feeder. Because they have never had to worry about it! Bears are wonderful creatures, as long as they aren't dependent on humans for food.

I would like to hear peoples opinions of the phenomenon of problem bears from the smokies being released in areas mentioned in this thread. I have heard from others its common knowlwdge.

What I placed in bold says alot. The people of this area were never listened to about this subject. They were never educated about this subject. The bears were just thrown upon us. A local attorney is also working this issue. Im hoping he files suit. He claims a environmental assessment was never done either after the 2 year experimental period.

And why exactly do some of yall think I should have to spend my hard earned money to protect my place from bears? Why should I have to change for them? WE didnt want them here in the first freaking place, and that was CLEARLY known. Like Im going to spend HUNDREDS to protect my place from bear damage all because some "agency" decided it would be a good idea to put more here. I dont care if it was the feds or the TWRA that reintroduced them. The TWRA has the power to introduce the season that they were supposed to introduce 6 YEARS AGO, and they need to do that. We have given them PLENTY of time, 6 extra years.

 

[Anonymous]

"RESOURCE" and "WORKING ON THE GROUND" whats that ??? Define them for me please!!! In a biologist terms

"Resources" are the plants and animals we are mandated to manage. "Working on the ground" refers to the biologists and officers assigned to work in that area.

MANDATED , BUT DONT around here on Benton and Kimsey Mtns in the south cherokee(no food plots for game to eat),Just law inforcement!!!!! I thought TWRA was supposed to be 50% law inforcement and 50% game management ???

 

[Zombie Bandit]

This county understands much better about what is going on than does someone in Nashville, and if Nashville doesnt act, a private act allows that county to act on its own.

Not sure where you get that "Nashville" makes the hunting seasons. Pretty much all of the recommendations come from the people working on the ground in those areas and are most familiar with the resource.

I'm pretty sure I know where he gets it. When I called the biologist that oversees my region to inquire about doe harvest strategy in my county, he told me he didn't know and would have to find out and call me back. Now that either means he didn't know or he had to call Nashville to find out what daddy wanted him to tell me. I won't bore you with the bs response he gave me.

 

[BigGameGuy]

MANDATED , BUT DONT around here on Benton and Kimsey Mtns in the south cherokee(no food plots for game to eat),Just law inforcement!!!!! I thought TWRA was supposed to be 50% law inforcement and 50% game management ???

1. TWRA has no control over habitat management on South Cherokee, that is the U.S. Forest Service.

2. We are no longer the Game and Fish Commission, we are the Tennesseee Wildlife Resources Agency so we are mandated to manage all wildlife, not just game species.

3. Wildlife management does not equal food plots.

 

[blountcountyboy]

And why exactly do some of yall think I should have to spend my hard earned money to protect my place from bears? Why should I have to change for them? WE didnt want them here in the first freaking place, and that was CLEARLY known. Like Im going to spend HUNDREDS to protect my place from bear damage all because some "agency" decided it would be a good idea to put more here. I dont care if it was the feds or the TWRA that reintroduced them. The TWRA has the power to introduce the season that they were supposed to introduce 6 YEARS AGO, and they need to do that. We have given them PLENTY of time, 6 extra years.

This is exactly what I was talking about. God forbid someone have to CHANGE to make room for an animal that causes the boogy man syndrome to run wild and doesn't allow good sound managment practices to take root.

The bear have most likely been coming and going through this county as well as MANY others for years even before the release in BSF with VERY few people ever knowing they were there. Young bears will travel MILES trying to find habit that suits their needs when they leave their mother.

Once you get tired of cleaning up trashed bird feeders and garbage cans you start putting them up, get a dog, or call TWRA to trap it and move it. Coons get into garbage and I don't hear people wanting them eradicated and ALOT of them were "released".

It is human nature to fear the unknown, and what lurks in the shadows at night. Does my imagination run wild on me from time to time while out alone at night when I know bears are present? Sure, but it's only my imagination and I pull up my big boy panties and go on.

I hope that you guys can come to a suitable solution for both the people and the bears but, going full bore on a killing spree isn't the solution. Manage them and learn to live along side them and will enjoy a sustainable hunting population for years to come.

As far as South Cherokee goes... That is the NFS and I don't care if they put in food plots but they would be nice. I just wish that they would stop caving to the tree hugging hippies and start cutting some timber. Sure those big old growth forests are pretty to look at but, when the only thing for an animal (all animals) to eat is dependant on the acorn crop and the lack there of the animal population falls because they go else where. There is no under story for browsing. I would like to see some timber cutting, burning and open up the understory.

 

[Anonymous]

MANDATED , BUT DONT around here on Benton and Kimsey Mtns in the south cherokee(no food plots for game to eat),Just law inforcement!!!!! I thought TWRA was supposed to be 50% law inforcement and 50% game management ???

1. TWRA has no control over habitat management on South Cherokee, that is the U.S. Forest Service.

2. We are no longer the Game and Fish Commission, we are the Tennesseee Wildlife Resources Agency so we are mandated to manage all wildlife, not just game species.

3. Wildlife management does not equal food plots.

2. It may go back that way ?
3. Well what does Wildlife management mean ? Wardens writing tickets and Biologist siting behind desk reading how to get better food for the wildlife, and trapping hogs. Wildlife needs food to eat !!!

 

[Chris Tripp]

Wildlife needs food to eat !!!

Food that nature has provided naturally during the duration of that species, or at least until some spread these dadgum hogs all over.

 

[Anonymous]

YEP
SPRED ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go video something

 

[Chris Tripp]

Oh you'll love some of the video we are working on right now.... spreading it on!

 

[Anonymous]

Like the original poster said, its a waiting game until the Spring meetings. If TWRA doesnt act then, thats when a private act will be pushed for our good ol county.

 

[JSPAL270]

I got a red tick that will solve the problem

 

[buckhorn40]

 

[NOBEAR]

Black Bear are thick in Fentress Co. You hunters got what you wanted. Now come kill them. They are a bad nusiance eating corn crops, chasing horsebackriders and destroying vehicles. We are having to put up with them destroying property so you can have a hunting season - so get up here and knock the heck out of this "experimental bear population."

 

[trealtree]

Black Bear are thick in Fentress Co. You hunters got what you wanted. Now come kill them. They are a bad nusiance eating corn crops, chasing horsebackriders and destroying vehicles. We are having to put up with them destroying property so you can have a hunting season - so get up here and knock the heck out of this "experimental bear population."

Do you have any land?

If so, Can I get permission to hunt your property?

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