According to Cantrell, North Georgia hunters tally an average of 200-plus bears annually, but the 2004 hunting season saw that number slip considerably. The northern counties accounted for 160 bear kills in 2004, significantly lower than the record harvest of 260 bears in 2003.

"We can only guess that the lower total bear harvest in North Georgia last season was a result of the bumper crop of acorns," Cantrell offered, "because the decline was consistent with the decline in deer hunters' success. Bears -- and deer, too -- just don't have to move around much when food is abundant."

A majority of 68 percent of the bears was taken on WMAs during the last three hunting seasons.

NORTH GEORGIA BEAR HUNTING
According to Cantrell, not many sportsmen specifically target bears. Rather, deer hunters check many in, because bear hunting seasons generally run concurrent with the archery, primitive weapons and firearms deer seasons.

"A lot of Georgia hunters are 'still'-hunters -- in other words, deer hunters who hunt from tree stands. Therefore, incidental bear kills are the most likely means of taking bears. We don't really have the traditional organized groups of bear hunters," Cantrell explained. "And many who kill their first bear admit they have killed their last bear. It's a job to get one out of the woods. They don't drag easy. They're heavy."

That is one of the reasons why Graham teams up with David Prickett and his sons, Jeremy and Jody of Hall County.

"We'd much rather have a team of hunters together to help recover our kills. But we also put four of us in the woods at a time for the advantages of scouting bears. We can narrow down the hunting areas quickly by putting each of us on separate mountains or ridges," Graham pointed out, "and quickly share the location of bear sign by radio contact and noting the location of the sign on our GPS units for future hunts."

Those GPS units also are valuable aids to avoid getting lost in the rough terrain frequently associated with North Georgia bear hunts. Graham said he always marks the location of his truck before heading off into bear habitat, which consists primarily of large areas of forested land across repeating ridges and valleys. Quality bear habitat is characterized by an overstory of hardwood species, primarily oaks, with pines found on the poorer sites. Understory vegetation is generally sparse except for dense thickets of mountain laurel and rhododendron, which are used by bears as escape cover. Huckleberries and blueberries form dense stands on many ridges and provide soft mast during mid- and late summer. Oak mast -- especially white oak acorns -- is the staple food item during the fall and early winter with other foods being taken as available.

"Scout out the ridges for white oaks, and when you find them, key in on a few trees. Food markings, such as the ragged top of an oak tree, are the most valuable bear sign you can find. As long as they're not disturbed, bears will come back time and time again until every acorn is gone. If bears are using the area, you'll find a trail that will likely lead to a denning area. It'll look really worn, like a hiker's trail," he explained.

Other food sources include corn and sorghum, which are often planted in wildlife clearings and on private farms adjacent to the WMAs. Muscadines, beehives and yellow-jacket hives are also food sources, he concluded.