Scent Station data for the Mountains of SC
(1993 - 2015)
| Year | Core Line Stations | Core Line Hits | Core Index | Fringe Line Stations | Fringe Line Hits | Fringe Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 |
65 |
18 |
28% |
58 |
2 |
3% |
1994 |
87 |
27 |
31% |
68 |
1 |
1.50% |
1995 |
77 |
30 |
39% |
83 |
6 |
7% |
1996 |
84 |
29 |
34% |
97 |
15 |
15% |
1997 |
77 |
36 |
47% |
85 |
24 |
28% |
1998 |
97 |
40 |
41% |
83 |
21 |
25% |
1999 |
98 |
49 |
50% |
99 |
24 |
24% |
2000 |
87 |
49 |
56% |
78 |
20 |
26% |
2001 |
112 |
60 |
54% |
95 |
53 |
56% |
2002 |
112 |
67 |
60% |
86 |
36 |
42% |
2003 |
98 |
49 |
50% |
57 |
18 |
32% |
2004 |
118 |
69 |
58% |
117 |
35 |
30% |
2005 |
104 |
82 |
79% |
110 |
59 |
54% |
2007 |
108 |
80 |
74% |
100 |
35 |
35% |
2009 |
86 |
61 |
76% |
80 |
42 |
53% |
2011 |
67 |
42 |
63% |
94 |
48 |
51% |
2013 |
77 |
42 |
56% |
69 |
21 |
30% |
2015 |
68 |
36 |
52.90% |
72 |
28 |
38.80% |
SCDNR personnel along with cooperating partners annually conduct scent line surveys in the mountains. These surveys are also conducted in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. The scent line survey consist of transects in the mountains and foothills of Oconee, Pickens, and Greenville Counties. Bait station transects consist of 10 stations placed at .5 mile intervals. At each station partially opened cans of sardines are suspended 7 to 9 feet above ground level in a tree 5 to 10 inches in diameter. The bait is left out for 5 nights and inspected for visitation. Bear visitation is determined by the presence of bear sign: claw marks on trees, tracks, bent or broken trees and/or tooth punctures in sardine cans. The number of visits per each line is recorded and compiled. The survey is conducted between July 15 and August 10 of every other year.
When these surveys started in 1993, we separated the area into a core and fringe area. The core section consisted of sections thought at that time to have been traditional bear areas. This was based on harvest and nuisance bear information. The core section consisted of the properties in the Jocassee Gorge (eastern Oconee and northern Pickens Counties) which are now owned or leased by the state and the northernmost area of Greenville County around Camp Greenville. The fringe area consisted of bear inhabited areas west of Lake Jocassee in Oconee County and the remaining bear inhabited areas of Pickens and Greenville.
