Dain Palmer

In North Carolina, black bear (Ursus americanas) and human populations have steadily increased between 1971 and 2001. To test the hypotheses that acceptability of bear management actions varied in different management contexts and was dependent on respondents' sex, participation in hunting, and knowledge of black bears, we surveyed North Carolina residents in 2005. We asked questionnaire recipients about the acceptability of educating the public on dealing with bear problems, frightening a bear with tools such as rubber bullets or fireworks, or destroying a bear in the following...

We used mail surveys to examine attitudes and methods of black bear (Ursus americanus) hunters on Van Swamp Game Land (Van Swamp). Van Swamp was located in eastern North Carolina and managed as an open public hunting area, with no restriction on hunter numbers or vehicular access. Reported bear harvest was higher in 2001 (22) than 2002 (4) or 2003 (8). Hunters in all three years generally believed that Van Swamp had “about the right number” of hunters (≥57%) and that “too many” bears had been harvested (≥38%). Retention of hunters from year to year was high (≥70%) and, generally, a...