If you have not yet seen a bear in the Midstate, it might not be long before you do.
That’s the message the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is sending concerning the growing population of black bears in Tennessee.
Bears, which were nearly wiped out in Tennessee by the early 1970s, have been thriving in the eastern part of the state over the last three decades and are now moving toward Middle Tennessee.
“Yes, bears are expanding and yes, you’re going to see more,” said TWRA statewide bear coordinator and biologist Dan Gibbs. “They’re going to come from East Tennessee and they’re also going to come from Kentucky. They’re going to come from Mississippi and Alabama and they are even going to come potentially from Arkansas.”
A small black bear was spotted in 2015 in Sumner County and was believed to move into Wilson County on his way back to Big South Fork Park National River and Recreation Area, which is where the TWRA introduced black bears in 1995.
The TWRA estimates there currently are about 6,000 black bears in the state.
A total of 557 bears were harvested in Tennessee in 2015. A total of 41 bears have been killed in Midstate counties Pickett, Cumberland and Fentress over the last two years.
Bear sightings on the Cumberland Plateau are becoming more frequent.
Gibbs is trying to get word to residents in the state who aren’t used to having bears in their area ahead of time so that they will know what to do in case they encounter one.
“People need to be prepared and know what to do to reduce the chances of having issues,” Gibbs said. “The main thing that people have to understand is you have to be proactive with bears. You cannot wait until you’re having problems to start dealing with them.”
Female black bears, Gibbs said, usually weigh around 150 pounds and males about 225 pounds depending on the time of the year. Some, however, that have been harvested in Tennessee have weighed as much as 600 pounds.
Black bears are not nearly as aggressive as some other bears such as browns or grizzlies and predatory attacks are rare.
They can, however, be a nuisance for residents if they find a food source close to a home.
“If you live in an area where there are bears or you hear there’s bears, you’ve got to get the food source up,” Gibbs said. “Food is what drives probably 98 percent of our issues with bears when it comes to them being a nuisance.”
Leaving dog or cat food out, open trash containers, grills and bird feeders, especially suet cakes, will attract bears.
“In the amount of time it would take a bear to knock down one of those suet cakes and eat it, it would take them almost all day long to get the same amount of calories if they were foraging for acorns in the forest,” Gibbs said. “It’s easy pickings and they’re going to come back. Dog or cat foot is the same thing.”
Bears, which have a stronger sense of smell than that of a dog, inherently are afraid of people, but also get used to seeing them and lose their fear over time, Gibbs said.
"With that nose and that stomach, over time they get used to seeing you,” he said. “They will start out coming for food at night and then they’ll get a little bit more bold and come in the day time. The next thing you know they’re willing to reach into a vehicle or go into a closed door and when you get into that, you’ve got real issues.”
Gibbs said the TWRA conducted a statewide survey in 2013 to try and find out resident’s opinions on having bears in Tennessee.
“There is high support for bears in the state and bear management,” Gibbs said. “The thing that you have to look at, though, is the closer the bear gets to the home, the tolerance decreases. People want them here; they like the idea they’re here. But they don’t want to open up their door and see a bear standing in their backyard. Well, the reason they’re in the yards is because they’re being attracted by food. And that’s something that can be addressed.”
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
