§ 113-291.7.  Regulation of bears; limited retention of local acts closing bear seasons.

(a) Local acts closing the season on bears are exempted from the provisions of G.S. 113-133.1(b) until July 1, 1981. After that date any local acts setting a year-round closed season on bears which have not by their terms expired are temporarily retained until the Wildlife Resources Commission supersedes them by adopting rules either opening a season in the county affected or carrying forward the closed-season provision.

(b) Any rule adopted by the Wildlife Resources Commission that regulates the taking of female bears with cubs or that regulates the taking or possession of cub bears shall define cub bears as bears weighing less than 75 pounds.

(c) Any hunter who has harvested a black bear (Ursus americanus) shall submit at least one premolar tooth to the Wildlife Resources Commission no later than January 31 following the applicable prior bear hunting season. The tooth submission shall include all of the following information on a form specified by the Wildlife Resources Commission:

(1) The hunter's name and mailing address.

(2) The hunter's Wildlife Resources Commission customer number and bear harvest authorization number.

(3) The sex of the harvested bear.

(4) The county of harvest.

(d) Violation of subsection (c) of this section shall be an infraction as provided in G.S. 14-3.1, punishable by a fine of thirty-five dollars ($35.00). A person responsible for an infraction under this subsection shall not be assessed court costs, but the Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is authorized to revoke or refuse to issue bear e-stamp privileges for any individual guilty of an infraction for violations of subsection (c) of this section for two consecutive years or upon failure to pay outstanding infraction fines when required to do so. (1979, c. 830, s. 1; 1987, c. 827, s. 98; 2015-144, s. 6; 2021-160, s. 2(a).)