Hearing demands answers about bear poaching sting
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern
A recurring theme emerged in a congressional oversight hearing last week aimed at shedding light on the questionable tactics and motives of wildlife agencies behind the now-infamous undercover poaching sting known as Operation Something Bruin: where is the line between personal freedoms and governmental oversight?
Congressional hearing puts spotlight on Operation Something Bruin
More than 100 hunters and their supporters packed the historic Haywood County courthouse last week for the latest installment in the ongoing saga over Operation Something Bruin.
Wrong bear killed by rangers following Smokies attack
A bear euthanized following an attack against a backpacker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was not the right bear, park rangers learned late last week.
DNA confirmation still pending for euthanized bear following attack
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park hope a bear they caught and killed last week is the same one that attacked a teenager who was sleeping in a hammock.
Father, son escape after bear attack in the Park
A father-and-son backpacking expedition in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park took a terrifying turn when the teenage boy was pulled from his hammock late Saturday night by a black bear.
UPDATED: Rangers hope to hunt down bear involved in weekend attack
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shot a bear Tuesday that they believe is the same one that attacked a teenager sleeping in a hammock.
Confusion surrounds events of unprovoked bear attack
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern
A bear attack that happened Saturday night in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has left many people in the area puzzled over the events of the attack. Many said they have never heard of something like this happening.
Bear hunters’ claims of entrapment gain traction, congressional inquiry launched
The tactics of state and federal wildlife officers in a multi-year undercover sting targeting bear hunters continue to come under fire.
Life in bear country: Bear encounter sparks camping closure, bear canister requirement
A pair of hikers camped near the Lower Falls in Graveyard Fields got a rude awakening March 16 when a bear entered the tent where the backpackers — and at least one of their packs — were spending the night.
“That right there is the number one ‘do not do’ when you’re camping is keeping anything with food inside your tent,” said Justin McVey, wildlife biologist for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “The situation could have easily been alleviated had the camper hung the food.”
Colliding worlds: Maggie Valley bear conflict ends with dead mom, orphaned cubs
A black bear — and possibly one of its cubs — is dead after a run of bird seed raids resulted in a confrontation with a Maggie Valley homeowner’s 12-gauge.
“Everyone has a right to protect their property, and it was clear to me this individual felt threatened and it was either his life or the bear’s life,” said Sgt. Andrew Helton of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
