Humans are killing a lot of bears in Middle Georgia, but don’t blame hunters

Middle Georgia’s black bear population is getting better at dodging bullets, but not cars.

For the first time this year in the annual 1-day bear hunt on Jan. 12, not a single bear was killed. The bad news though, was that in 2018 a record 19 bears were killed by vehicles. That’s around 6 percent of the total estimated population of around 300, although that estimate has varied widely in recent years.

John Trussell, a leading advocate for protecting the bears, said the number of bears killed on the road is a concern. The previous high was 17 in 2017.

“Really bumpers are a lot more dangerous for bears than bullets,” Trussell said. “It’s just a waste of a great resource.”

Bobby Bond, senior wildlife biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said the increase in vehicle kills might be partly related to the decrease in hunting kills.

Fewer bears killed by hunters means more roaming across roads. When the hunt began in 2011, 34 bears were taken that year. But later the state moved it from December to January, when females are denning, and last year only two bears were killed in the hunt.

Bond said since 2003, 134 bears total have been killed by vehicles in Middle Georgia. A DNR map shows those kills with red triangles, and while the map doesn’t show roads, major highways can be seen by the trail of red marks. Ga. 96 in particular between Bonaire and Interstate 16 is cluttered with red, with many are also along Ga. 23 between Macon and Cochran, and Ga. 247 from Warner Robins to Hawkinsville. A bear weighing 564 pounds, the largest one ever recorded in Middle Georgia, was struck and killed by a vehicle in Twiggs County in December.

Bond said one problem with bears is that because they are black, they are especially vulnerable when crossing roads at night or in low light. Also, he said they are not as acclimated to roads as deer, which may be seen grazing along roads and ignoring traffic. When bears encounter roads, he said, they are more prone to panicking and just dashing across in a dead run. He urged motorists to use extra caution when traveling through bear territory.

“They probably won’t see an eye shine looking for cars,” he said. “Bears just kind of blunder out there.”

Bond and Trussell agreed that the best thing that could help the bears is for the state to go forward with the long planned Ga. 96 widening project. The design on that stretch calls for underpasses for bears and other wildlife to cross without danger. The project has never gone forward, however, due to lack of funding. It was included in a regional transportation sales tax referendum in May that failed.

If concern for bears isn’t enough reason for motorists to use extra caution, Bond noted that bears can do more damage to vehicles than deer because of their size. He said a tractor-trailer rig struck a bear on Ga. 96 and the impact was so great, it knocked the truck off the road, although it was not severely damaged.

Trussell said he would like to see the state put some fencing along Ga. 23, also known as the Cochran Short Route, with an underpass to allow movement across the road. He also said it might help if the state put up some signs warning motorists of possible bear crossings.

Bond said another way people can help is for those who live in or near bear country to be sure not to leave any food out that the bears can get. That makes the bears more likely to encounter traffic as they hunt for food in populated areas.

“They think with their stomach, so if a bear shows up in back yard remove food resources,” he said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2019 at 1:09 PM.