At least five Haywood County men have been charged so far in a multi-agency undercover sting targeting illegal bear hunting activity.

They are among about 75 others who face charges in “Operation Something Bruin,” with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and federal agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Officers documented 900 violations over the four-year investigation in Georgia and western North Carolina.

Wildlife officers infiltrated hunting groups using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find the violators. Most of the charges involved hunters who were killing bears at night, shooting undersized bears and selling and harvesting bear parts.

Bear hunters ...