Agency outlines bear management trends and rising human‑bear conflicts

Agency staff presented an overview of black bear population and conflict management at the December Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting, saying harvest trends and human activity are reshaping how the agency addresses conflicts.

Dan (Bear program) told commissioners the agency’s best estimate is about 6,000 bears statewide (including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) and reviewed a pattern of record harvests followed by multi‑year drops; last year’s record harvest was 813 and the five‑year average cited was roughly 676. Janelle, lead for conflict management, said calls about bears hit more than 1,700 in 2024 and that about 25% of those calls are directly related to garbage and other attractants. She said relocation is largely ineffective and cited agency experience — "about 90 percent of bears that are moved are dead within four months" — as a reason to emphasize prevention and attractant removal.

Presenters described outreach and local partnerships that produced results in Gatlinburg (dumpster replacements), Townsend (bear‑resistant dumpster ordinance), and other municipalities; they also outlined a BearWise recognition program and technical on‑site assistance to encourage residents and local governments to install bear‑resistant infrastructure. Staff asked for increased public education, municipal cooperation and funding to scale cost‑share programs; the agency noted it previously set aside $250,000 to seed a cost‑share program but received no applications.

Commissioners asked whether the agency has sufficient capacity and funding to scale responses as human population and tourism increase in bear country. Several commissioners said the issue requires more funding and stronger local government participation.

Next steps: staff will continue BearWise outreach, technical assistance pilots, and coordination with local governments and law enforcement officers.