Harvesting Bear

"We had a bear harvested on Duke's Creek that was 525 pounds," a Gainesville biologist was quoted saying in a recent Dahlonega Nugget news article on the growing bear population in the region.

After reading that, we wondered just what does "harvesting bears" mean? Is 'harvesting' a euphemism for killing? Or does it mean they stun gunned the 525 lb. bear? Or maybe they 'harvested' it for a quiet, boring life in a Georgia zoo.

(Unfortunately, we're pretty sure that the first definition of bear harvesting is correct.)

2011 is sure to be a good year for bear 'harvesting' in North Georgia since this hunting season the limit for hunters is now two kills per season (or make that two 'harvests' per season.)

What this means is if you're a bear hunter, no need to go to some exotic place to 'harvest' a black bear. Just come to North Georgia where the bear population mushroomed from 2,500 18 months ago to about 4,000 now.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the bear boom is a good sign, since over-hunting had nearly decimated the state's bear population. Bear harvesting is popular even in California, where according to statistics, 1,503 bears were harvested in 2010.