Unfortunately, the people moving to the mountains of this area tend to like the same areas that the black bear likes, and this is creating some problems. Many people are reporting sightings of black bears in their yards, raiding garbage cans and birdfeeders, and crossing roads.
Black bears are the largest mammals living in the forests of North Carolina.
Their average weight is 150-350 pounds, but a few bears weighing over 600 pounds have been reported. Black bears are generally shy, reclusive animals that try to avoid human contact and are not normally aggressive towards people. In 1971, the black bear range in North Carolina was about 2.5 million acres. Today their range has expanded to over 9 million acres. The coastal area around the Dismal Swamp supports a larger population than the mountains but the population in this area is expanding rapidly.