Bear Struck by Truck Last Week in Stephens County

As we’ve been telling you this is the time of year when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is asking everyone to be “Bear Wise” and for good reason.

Last week in Stephens County, a young black bear was struck and killed by a motorist.

According to the Stephens County 911 Dispatch sheet, a call regarding the incident came in at 9:40 p.m. Thursday night when a Toyota Tundra pickup hit the bear on the Hwy. 17 Bypass and Liberty Hill Road.

Black bears are on the move this time of year, foraging for food for themselves and their cubs and looking for new territories so the chances of having an encounter with a bear in our area increase in the spring.

That’s why the Georgia Department of Natural Resources encourages everyone to be “Bear Wise” to keep black bears from becoming a nuisance.

Scott Frazier is a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in Gainesville.

He advises to check your property to make sure there’s nothing on it that could attract a black bear. And put up anything that might attract a bear such as pet food left outside, or garbage bins.

Frazier pointed out there’s a difference between a bear sighting and an actual encounter with a bear.

If you see a bear in the wild, in your neighborhood, town, or on your property, the best thing you can do is leave it alone and let it go its own way. Black bears are not typically aggressive like, for example, a Grizzly. The one exception, however, is a mama bear with cubs.

But if you see bear cubs, it means a momma bear is nearby and she will attack if she thinks you are too close to her cubs.

So if you encounter bear cubs you need to leave the area quickly and quietly and not attempt to get near them.

If you’re having trouble with a nuisance bear on your property, you can call the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Services office in Gainesville at 706-546-5637.

Jessica Waters, WNEG Radio, contributed to this story.