I live in Arkansas.
We were once the Bear State, until they were all killed.
Reintroduced in the 80's we now how a tight quota on bears, the northern part of the state 2 years ago was a 205 bear limit - when it was met, no more bears early season.
I unwrapped 18,000 granola bars, spent 100 hours doing that, putting the barrels out, running the baits etc ......... all for the chance at a bear in a season that closes in 4-5 days and goes to hell if the acorns fall early
I was lucky and killed a 200# sow
One of my greatest trophies, exceptional table fare
They are a resource, need managed by hunting, heck of a lot of work, and fun ... that's why I hunted bears and will again this fall