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Liberal hiker here.
I never go hiking in the Sandhills without a pistol. You never know when you're going to be attacked by a turtle or a rabbit.
Or a raccoon with rabies. Heck I've had a squirrel growl at me on my back porch. You can also shoot a poisonous snake. I was in Rockingham yesterday, it looks like wild country.
Ok, zero people have been killed by black bears in NC who didn't attempt to kill the bear first. Better?
lol. He shot the bear with a deer rifle and missed. The bear came after him and he tumbled down a hill. He was able to grab his 44 just in time before the bear attacked. But people go ape-crap when they see a bear. Honestly when I hike, I equally prepare for crazy human encounters as animals. They're more unpredictable.
What is a "verified sighting"? Channel 3 having it on live camera? There are several mountain lions in western NC. A black bear killed a kid a couple years back in another state.
No, there hasn't.
"Finally, one of the most tenacious rumors regards cougars (also called panthers and mountain lions). The Wildlife Commission receives dozens of calls reporting sightings every year. Nearly all are unconfirmed, and many turn out to be bobcats, deer, foxes or coyotes — all of which are common in North Carolina.
All confirmed sightings since 1950 turn out to be escaped captive animals, kept as pets. The wild eastern cougar has been extinct in North Carolina for many years."
I have hiked for better than 20 years and never had a problem with any animal or man. I did get the fright of my life one day when a huge, at least 10 point buck, walked across my path and snorted at me. The minute I moved he was gone like a ghost.
Seen plenty of animals including bears, elk, deer, fishers, coyotes, skunks, snakes, idiots on atvs, etc.
"Finally, one of the most tenacious rumors regards cougars (also called panthers and mountain lions). The Wildlife Commission receives dozens of calls reporting sightings every year. Nearly all are unconfirmed, and many turn out to be bobcats, deer, foxes or coyotes — all of which are common in North Carolina.
All confirmed sightings since 1950 turn out to be escaped captive animals, kept as pets. The wild eastern cougar has been extinct in North Carolina for many years."
In Murphy there is, but those aren't the type of people who call the cops or channel 3 news lol. Someone has to be ignorant to mistake a bobcat for a panther.
Great picture! With black bears, especially Mom with cubs, back away slowly. If charged make yourself as big as possible, yell, throw things, do not run. Most of the time black bears are not aggressive but keep your distance. Do not be one of those idiots who thinks a selfie next to a wild animal would be cool. :-( Not that I think you would, but up where the Elk have been reintroduced someone always does something stupid. Maybe just natural selection at work.....
Relatives on Gov. Reynolds Mountain see bears and cubs regularly, without incident.
I wouldn't say that. I know a guy had one come after him after shooting it. Luckily he had a 44 on his ankle or he would have been killed by the bear. He was bear hunting.
Actually, there are pretty good records kept on bear attacks. There are zero known deaths due to bears in NC, and that includes hunters and people throwing hot dogs at bears while stealing cubs from mama (joke). Here's the relevant Wiki page, which is exceptionally useful:
Because bear attacks are rare, and bear attack deaths even rarer, it is quite easy for such cases to be compiled into central databases. Note that there have been cases of hunters being killed by bears, but I believe all of those were Grizzlies (and thus very far from NC!). For those who are interested in this sort of thing, the book Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance is a good read.
One of the bear attacks in TN was about 5 miles from the NC line.
So it is silly to think it can't happen. But you are far more likely to be killed/injured in a car wreck on your way to the trailhead.
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