"Wildlife officials don't usually base hunting policies on how the public feels about an animal. But the black bear seems to be different. The revered king of the forest has bounced back from near-extinction to being a nuisance in some areas. Some states are trying to figure out if residents can live at peace with bears, or if they'd rather have hunters keep numbers in check."

"In places like the Smoky Mountains, black bears have always been part of the landscape.

These days, visitors like Elizabeth Bryant of Ohio shoot video of encounters with bears. As you can hear someone say in her footage, 'It's so awesome.'"

Blake Farmer reports for WPLN on NPR's Morning Edition on February 20, 2012. [2]